Guide to photography in Waterfall Country, Wales

Waterfall Country in the Brecon Beacons national park is one of the most stunning parts of the UK. Earlier this month I spent a fantastic couple of days exploring and photographing waterfalls in this corner of Wales – my second visit to the area. [NB: I’ve subsequently made several more trips.]

This is my guide to photographing waterfalls in Waterfall Country. First, some top tips:

Top tips for photographing waterfalls in Waterfall Country, Wales

Arrive early (or late). The trails and car parks can fill up pretty quickly, making it more difficult to get unobstructed shots. You’re also likely to avoid the harsher sunlight that can make exposing waterfall images more difficult. I turned up at the Four Falls Trail at 6.30am in midweek and had the whole place to myself for several hours.
Visit the lesser-known waterfalls. There are some beauties to be found off the beaten path, such as Sychryd Cascade, the ‘hidden’ waterfall Sgwd Einion Gam, and the waterfalls of the Blaen y Glyn trail. They’re also much less busy. Read on for details.
Dress appropriately. Wellies are a must, as many of the best compositions involve getting in the rivers (which, I feel obliged to add, you should do with safety in mind, and only when water levels allow it).
Use a circular polariser. This will lessen glare from the water and may help counteract any bright sunlight (in conjunction with other filters). Clearly a tripod is necessary to make sure your camera is stable when using longer shutter speeds. You’ll also need to pack lens cloths to deal with spray.
Experiment with compositions. The waterfalls can look great from different angles and heights, and with different foregrounds or framing – much of which depends on the season and the river levels. My first visit, in August, had less water but more foliage. My most recent visit, in April, had a bit more water but substantially less foliage. Autumn and winter bring their own characteristics to the trails. Spend a while at each waterfall finding interesting and original compositions.
Experiment with shutter speed. I find that between 1/5 and 1/3 of a second is generally ideal for making the flow of water look most pleasing. However, at times I found myself attaching my 6-stop ND filter and lengthening the shutter speed even further to compensate for the harsh sunlight reflecting off the water or blowing out the sky. This can create a smooth, marshmallow-like effect on the waterfalls. Other photographers may prefer a shorter shutter speed to freeze the movement of the water and produce more of a sense of power and realism. If shooting in manual mode, you’ll have to play around with f-number and ISO to account for the changes in shutter speed.

Now, on to the waterfalls…

Four Falls Trail

The Four Falls Trail is perhaps the most popular waterfall walk in the Brecon Beacons. I park in the (free) small parking area at Clyn Gwyn (search ‘Small Car Park, Neath’ on Google Maps and you’ll find it). From there, it’s a fairly short walk past the bunkhouse towards the waterfalls.

The jewel in the crown of the Four Falls Trail is Sgwd yr Eira, or Falls of Snow – a fairytale cascade split into three distinct sections when water levels are lower. It looks great whether photographed straight on or at an angle. A number of interesting compositions can be found a bit further down the river, with rocks and fallen branches in the foreground. It’s also well known as the waterfall you can walk behind.

The other waterfalls on the Four Falls Trail are Sgwd Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, and Sgwd y Pannwr. My favourite of those is Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, or Lower Fall of the White Meadow, which is multi-tiered and offers good opportunities for a heroic selfie. You might also have guessed by now that sgwd is Welsh for waterfall…

The trail itself is well marked and not hugely strenuous. The waterfalls are mostly accessed via signposted offshoots to the main trail. Route maps are available online if you’d like to look in advance or bring one with you.

A bonus waterfall near the Four Falls Trail is the Sychryd Cascade, aka Sychryd Falls or Sychryd Waterfall. Park at Dinas Rock car park and begin to follow the Four Falls Trail (which is well signposted from within the car park). The path climbs steeply at first and then forks away to the right (marked for Penderyn, I think). After a short while you’ll then be able to follow some steep steps down towards Sychryd, which you can hear gushing from quite far back.

As you can see from this image, it’s absolutely stunning – and surprisingly quiet.

Elidir Trail

The Elidir Trail is best known as the home of Sgwd Gwladys, or Lady Falls – named after a fifth-century Welsh princess.

Sgwd Gwladys is the first waterfall encountered on the trail when starting, as I do, from the village of Pontneddfechan. Search for ‘Waterfall Country’ on Google Maps – the entrance is next to the Angel pub and and is well signposted. There is lots of free parking available alongside a field on Pontneathvaughan Road, just seconds from the trail entrance. Maps of the trail, which is long but fairly gentle, are available online. You can also park at the other end of the trail, in the small Pont Melin-fach car park, reached via single-track road.

The other waterfalls on the main trail are Sgwd Ddwli Uchaf, Sgwd Ddwli Isaf, and Sgwd y Bedol – and very nice they are, too.

However, the most spectacular place in this area is a hidden waterfall, or secret waterfall, called Sgwd Einion Gam, or Fall of the Crooked Anvil. (Well, it’s not really a secret, but it’s definitely off the beaten path and can be tricky to get to.)

Warning: this waterfall isn’t part of the ‘official’ route and, in high water, will be dangerous to attempt and at times may be impossible to reach. I went there on my own on the three occasions I’ve visited, but that isn’t great practice. Think carefully about it, and do your research before embarking on the journey.

Here’s how to get to Sgwd Einion Gam waterfall:

Starting at the top of Sgwd Gwladys (ie on the stone platform near the waterfall lip), follow the river round as far as you can, sticking to the right-hand side. Eventually you’ll come up against a cliff face and will have to cross the river. You’ll reach a grassy, wooded area where a path (albeit a faint one) guides you upstream. After a few minutes of walking along this path, you should reach the river again and will have to cross for the second time, having come up against another rock face.

You’ll be back on the right-hand side of the river now, and the path will start to climb very steeply, becoming narrow and precipitous. I was able skip this section on my first visit and continue walking straight up the river towards the waterfall, given the water was so low. That will not always be possible, though, and the high section of path must be traversed with care.

At this point, you’ll start to hear and see Sgwd Einion Gam, and the rest is pretty straightforward.

There’s a good, detailed guide here (including video) to accessing Sgwd Einion Gam from Sgwd Gwladys. Again, I would stress that this journey depends largely on the river level, as well as your own confidence and abilities. You’ll have to gauge the situation on the day. As there’s no defined path, it’s largely a case of playing it by ear. As long as you keep near to the river, it shouldn’t be possible to get lost, and you’ll eventually find Sgwd Einion Gam.

Once you reach the lower section of the waterfall, you’ll get a sense of how magical Sgwd Einion Gam is. Set in its own three-sided amphitheatre, it feels like the end of the Earth. You can reach the top section, water levels permitting, by scrambling up a path on the right-hand side of the lower falls.

Here is a (very!) rough outline of the route to take once you’re at the top of Sgwd Gwladys:

Other trails and waterfalls

Blaen y Glyn: a nice, gentle trail of several pleasing cascades accessed from the Blaen y Glyn Isaf car park.
Cwm Gwrelych Geoheritage Trail: I didn’t visit this one, but I plan to do so next time. Details of the route are available here.
Sgwd Henrhyd: the highest waterfall in South Wales and spectacular when in full flow (it was barely a trickle when I visited in summer…). Sgwd Henrhyd has its own car park and is easy to get to on foot.
Melincourt Falls: another impressive standalone waterfall and easy to reach from a roadside car park.

Any questions?

Message me using my contact page. I’ll happily answer any questions about photographing waterfalls in Welsh Waterfall Country. You can also enquire about prints of waterfall photos using the contact page.