Visiting Brecon Beacons Waterfalls as a Non-Hiker

Wondering what it’s like visiting Brecon Beacons waterfalls as a non-hiker? My story about visiting the four falls trail is a guide for how to see the four waterfalls at Brecon Beacons but most importantly, what not to do and the truth about the fitness requirements, preparation for the weather and how not to get lost.

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Four Falls Walk in Brecon Beacons South Wales

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Brecon Beacons is a National Park in South Wales famed for its high mountains, pure water, abundance of sheep and enjoyable walking trails. The Four Waterfalls in Brecon Beacons are among some of the best waterfalls in Wales and some of the easiest to get to.

Where to Start the Four Falls Walk in Brecon Beacons and Getting There

The Four Falls Walk in Brecon Beacons takes around an hour from Cardiff by car.

On the way, you’ll pass the famous South Wales Valleys, Pen-Y-Fan and lots of farm animals like horses, cows and of course, sheep!

Black Sheep on Side of Road in South Wales — Welcome to Wales

Sheep in Road of South Wales — Welcome to Wales

Gwaun Hepste Car Park

Input ‘Gwaun Hepste’ in your sat nav and you can drive through South Wales valleys’ country roads looking over vast mountains, lush landscapes and reservoirs. It’s a lovely drive before reaching your day trip to Brecon Beacons waterfalls.

On arrival, there was a little van called Cheery Cafe serving drinks and snacks for your walk (nice coffee but I was disappointed when I bought welsh cakes with the expectation of them being homemade but they were shop-bought). If this little van sold homemade welsh cakes it seriously would have been the cherry on top of the walking trails!

Visiting Brecon Beacons Waterfalls – Information

Seeing Brecon Four Falls Walk is free but car parking is £4 for the day (cash only).
The beauty of going to visit the Brecon Beacons waterfalls is that you can see 4 impressive waterfalls on just 1 trail.
I’d allow 2.5/3 hours for a pleasurable walk to see all four falls and get back to the car.
It’s not the easiest walk and especially walking back to the car is all up-hill.
There were staff at the entrance with helpful advice on the walks and reaching the waterfalls.
Gwaun Hepste has porta-loos to use before you set off.
There are coronavirus measures in place for your safety.

Four Falls to Visit in Brecon Beacons

There are four waterfalls on this fun walking trail in South Wales and are found along the enchanting River Mellte. The waterfall names are:

Sgwd Clun-Gwyn
Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn
Sgwd y Pannwr
Sgwd yr Eira

There are clear maps and instructions for finding all four falls while visiting Brecon Beacons. Something we didn’t quite grasp…

What Not To Do on Four Falls Walk in Brecon Beacons

While we had a gorgeous walk along the streams, through the magical forests and immersing in our homeland’s nature, what we didn’t do on the four falls walk in Brecon Beacons was actually see four waterfalls. This is how our day went.

It all started off so lovely, walking with hardly anyone else around, laughing at my friends’ dog running through every puddle possible and soaking us, following the trail and knowing we’d reached the first waterfall by the sounds of the crashing falls.

After waterfall number one, we walked so far that the only thing in front of us was streams; absolutely no path, grass or walkway so back on ourselves we went for 20 minutes and arrived back at waterfall number one.

Then we seen a little bridge and thought ah this must be the way to the next fall (maybe we should have noted that no-one else was going over the bridge and the gate was shut). We followed this trail after the bridge and came to a grand, glorious…car park. No waterfalls here. Back we go for another 20 minutes.

Everywhere was beautiful though so made it okay!

What can I say, I’m a bad hiker. The thing is, I know how to see the four falls I just didn’t quite get ’round to it and as we were walking off the beaten paths, we burned lots of energy and just decided to call it a day after passing Sgwd Clun-Gwyn for the fourth time.

The walk back to our starting point was treacherous for a non-hiker though and the hills felt alive with the sound of heavy-breathing.

So ye, if you’re going to do the walking trails in waterfall country, see each of the four falls in Brecon once and not one fall four times. (Hands over Eyes Emoji).

As the old saying goes: do as I say, not as I do.

Join this essential day tour of South Wales Brecon, castles and mountains!!

Parting Words on Four Falls Walk in Brecon

Basically, you need to:

Ensure your fitness level is appropriate for the Four Falls hike back to the start because it’s all up-hill.
Check the weather before you go and if you get those golden sun hours, you’re in for a treat when it glistens off the streams.
Lastly, take the advice from the staff at the start about which trails to follow and actually read the maps provided to see all four falls.
Take a Brecon Waterfalls guided tour to ensure you see every fall and enjoy what I couldn’t.

On the other hand, you can stroll around the area without worrying about the route and just enjoy what lays ahead of your own path. Ye, that’s my advice; follow how not to see all four falls!

Streams in Waterfall Country Brecon Beacons

Where to Stay Near Brecon Beacons

Along the route you will see a small handful of accommodation near Comin y Rhos car park which take bookings on
Find your own accommodation with over 500 options to stay in Brecon Beacons National Park.

Thanks for reading about my visit to Brecon Beacons Waterfalls!

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Visiting Brecon Beacons Waterfalls as a Non-Hiker | South Wales Valleys