Complete Guide to the Four Waterfalls Walk Brecon Beacons
The Four Waterfalls walk is an absolute gem in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) located near Ystradfellte, Powys in South Wales. The Four Waterfalls walk is located in an area of the Brecon Beacons National Park known as Waterfall Country.
As the name suggests, there are four stunning waterfalls and if you time it after some heavy rainfall, the waterfalls are even more impressive. The four falls you can see on this hike are: Sgwd Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd y Pannwr, and Sgwd yr Eira.
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How long is the four waterfalls hike?
Length: 8.5km
Difficulty: Moderate, with some up and downhill and steps
Duration: 2 - 4 hours
Elevation gain: 307 metres
Dog friendly: Yes, the waterfall walk is dog friendly but we would advise not bringing them at peak times as the walk can get really busy.
Where do you park for the Four Waterfalls walk?
There are 2 places you can park to start this walk, either at the designated car parks at Cwm Porth or Gwaun Hepste. Both of these car parks cost £5 for the day.
You can also park at a free, but smaller carpark to the west of the falls. (Located at: 51.78335, -3.56908). Parking here is free, and can make your route shorter than the AllTrails hike as it saves you walking through the woodland to get to the start of the waterfall hike.
However, the car park is very small and there’s only space for around 8 cars, which is fine if you are visiting out of season but in the summer it can fill up very quickly so arrive early or late to park here!
Four Waterfalls Walk Details
Whether you park at the official parking or the smaller, free parking, this is the order you will arrive at the waterfalls.
If you park at the free car park, looking on AllTrails you will be able to see the road and footpath to walk down to reach the waterfalls. Once you've followed the AllTrails route around the falls, you will return back to the parking via the same route you came down.
Sgwd Clun-Gwyn
Sgwd Clun-Gwyn translates to the ‘The upper fall of the wide meadow‘ and plummets around 40 ft over two rock ledges. This is the first waterfall you get to on the Four Waterfalls Walk.
You can view it from above but we recommend walking down a bit and walking along the rocky ledge (where the photo below is), just be careful because this is really slippy.
Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn
This translates to ‘lower fall of the white meadows’. This is actually a series of waterfalls and initially you will have a view from the bottom and only just catch a glimpse of the most impressive part. You can walk to the top part of the falls and get a great view of the cascading waterfall
Sgwd y Pannwr
Sgwd y Pannwr translates to ‘Fall of the woollen washer’, is a pretty wide waterfall cascading 15m over the rocks. After heavy rain, this is beautiful and when visiting in autumn, the colourful branches perfectly frame the waterfall
Sgwd Yr Eira Waterfall
Sgwd yr Eira, or ‘Waterfall of Snow’ is the most impressive waterfall of the Four Waterfalls walk and you can walk behind it!
After heavy rainfall, this waterfall is quite something, as you can see from our photos. We recommend taking a raincoat if you plan to do this as you can get pretty wet walking behind it.
When is the best time to do the Four Waterfalls walk?
If you want to see these waterfalls in full glory, they are best after some heavy rainfall. We have visited both in summer and in autumn and they were definitely more impressive in the Autumn. This is also coupled with the fact that you get to experience the beautiful autumn colours. It's also likely to be a lot less busy outside of the summer season.
However, if you want a day out to wild swim, then summer is probably going to be a better option.
Can you swim in the Four Waterfalls?
Yes you can. We wouldn’t advise swimming after heavy rainfall as the waterfalls can be pretty powerful. Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn is a favourite spot for people to take a dip due to its plunge pool and ease of access. Be prepared for a chilly swim though!
Nearby to the four waterfalls walk: Henrhyd Falls
In just 20 minutes you can drive to another epic waterfall. Henrhyd Falls or Sgwd Einon Gam in Welsh, is an amazing and easily accessible waterfall with the benefit of being able to walk behind it! It's a short and easy walk from the car park, only 1.2km and it's a relatively flat walk. If you want to make the most of being in Waterfall County, we really recommend a visit here after doing the four waterfalls hike.
If you're looking for more things to do in South Wales, read our blog below with our top 10 places to visit.
👉🏻 Top 10 Places to Visit in South Wales
Or, check out our South Wales road trip itinerary.
