Llanwrtyd Wells & The Irfon Valley

Llanwrtyd Wells is reputedly the smallest town in Britain – it’s certainly one of the best positioned, with stunning upland countryside surrounding it on all four sides. This walk explores some of the countryside, heading north alongside the Afon Irfon to the sprawling plantations of the Irfon Forest and then returning down the upper stretches of the valley formed by the Afon Cerdyn – smaller than its neighbour, with which it eventually joins forces, but no less enthralling to walk. An interesting information board in the forest tells the story of the region’s turbulent geological past – certainly food for thought – and an impressive pewter statue in the town centre celebrates the town’s links with the magnificent red kite, which although quite common now, was once down to just a few breeding pairs that took sanctuary in this area. A word of warning, careful navigation may be needed in one or two places.

Turn left out of the car park and then turn right into Victoria Road. Follow this for 300m and then, as it bends left, fork right and drop down past some cottages to the river bank. Follow the river upstream and stay with the main track as it veers away from the river again and up through a field. Continue diagonally up to the top corner and cross a gate, to ford a small stream and walk out onto the road again. Turn right and follow the lane past the old Victoria Wells Chalet Motel.

Continue past a path to your right that drops to a bridge and keep ahead to pass through a gate just beyond a house. Now follow the river bank again, veering left past some outbuildings to a stile that leads back onto the road again. Turn right to cross a bridge and then turn right again, with St David’s Church ahead, to cross the New Bridge over the Afon Irfon.

Follow the road around to the right and pass a row of houses on the left before turning sharp left onto a narrow lane that climbs steeply upwards. Keep right at two forks to continue upwards through a gate and onto a rocky track. Stay with this as it levels and then becomes grassy, and then continue straight ahead towards a gate at the edge of the forest. Keep ahead to enter the forest and continue in the same direction as a broader forest track crosses your path. Now drop to a stream crossing, where you turn right onto narrow footpath that climbs to a junction with a forest track. Turn right onto this and keep right at a fork to follow the well-surfaced forest road over the Nant Cerdyn and past an interpretation board by a gate.

Continue out of the forest and keep straight ahead to follow the broad track down the valley until you reach a cattle grid. Turn right here onto a waymarked bridleway, that isn’t very clear, and climb steeply up the grassy bank. Veer slightly left at the top to follow a sunken track and continue through a succession of gates, all the time with the field edge to your left. This leads on to a muddy drive, where you keep straight ahead to a field corner. Where the track turns right, keep straight ahead to cross another field and then join another drive which passes the house at Geufron.

Continue along this track, and bear sharp left and then sharp right to cross a sheep pasture to a ruined building. Keep the ruin to your right and follow the track down and around to the right. Go through a gate at the bottom and turn immediately left, off the track and up to a gate. Go through this and continue with the hedge on your right. Go through a gate in the far corner and continue along a lane to another gate. Now continue with the hedge to your left and turn left, through another gate, to follow a clear track that drops back down into the town centre.

Words & Images: Tom Hutton