Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
river, but around the bend it becomes a vast lake, held in check by massive stone
dams. They look brutal in their strength but are topped by delicate architecture such
as little turrets like the decoration on a cake. The symmetry of man and nature here
is astonishing, and quite beautiful.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
About half a dozen single-coach trains (Arriva Trains Wales;
about £11) each day make their way up from Swansea to Llandrindod Wells, about 5
miles from Rhayader. The journey takes 2 to 4 hours. Buses (
&
01597/852000;
www.veolia-transport.co.uk) connect with Rhayader roughly hourly and take about 30
minutes. By car, Rhayader is about 70 miles north of Brecon on the A470.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Elan Valley Visitor Centre
(
&
01597/
810880;
www.elanvalley.org.uk), off the B4518 3 miles southwest of Rhayader, is
open late March to early November, 10am to 5:30pm.
GETTING AROUND
A car really is the best way to access the area of the Elan
Valley. Walking is the only alternative, and hikers can take the Elan Valley Trail up
from Rhayader.
Exploring the Area
Rhayader
is the oldest town in mid-Wales, dating back to the 5th century. It's a
small, pretty place, with tea shops, country stores, and a nice riverside picnic area.
It's also a good base for exploring the Elan Valley. The
Rhayader Town Trail
(direc-
tions on www.rhayader.co.uk) takes you along the river, past the remains of a 12th-
century wooden castle, past the Smithfield Market, where livestock sales still take
place, and along the picturesque main street.
The Elan Valley
is quite a remarkable place, a valley that has three enormous
Victorian dams, creating five reservoirs, which were built so that there would be
enough drinking water for the burgeoning city of Birmingham.
Elan Valley Visitor
Centre
is signposted off the B4518 out of Rhayader. It's a Victorian pumping station,
on the banks of the River Wye, which features a fascinating exhibition on the extraor-
dinary nature of creating the reservoirs, a cafe, picnic area, and shop. There's also a
big parking lot. The lowest dam,
Caban Coch,
appears like the gray wall of a science
fiction citadel upriver from the visitor center.
Pen-y-Gareg
dam is equally impressive
from downriver as you walk along the river, a sloping edifice of rock towering above
the stream below. Farther on is
Craig Gogh
dam, perhaps the most impressive, a
great curving edifice 317m (1,040 ft.) above sea level. It's topped with a narrow road-
way that you can still drive across to a small parking lot; in the middle is a domed
tower in “Birmingham Baroque” style, topped by a wind-vane in the shape of a fish.
There are parking lots dotted along the road.
The
Elan Valley Trail
is a surfaced path that follows the old Elan Valley Railway
route. It starts in Rhayader and goes 8 miles up the valley, but there are also a number
of walks from the Visitor Centre. There is a selection of leaflets (30p) with maps. The
Elan Valley Estate (managed by Wales Water) covers 70 sq. miles and has 80 miles
of public rights of way.
Where to Eat & Stay
Rhayader has a number of pubs such as the
Lamb & Flag, Crown, Bear's Head,
and
Cornhill
, all of which serve food. The
Strand Bistro
on East Street
(
&
01597/810564;
www.strandbistro.org.uk) is smartly modern in an old, timbered
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