About Pistyll Rhaeadr
Pistyll Rhaeadr was a waterfall that quickly impressed us the moment we started to see parts of it as we approached it from the single-lane road leading to this quiet part of Wales that was quite close to the English border. And when we got closer to see its entirety (as shown in the photo above), that was when we realized that the 240ft (73m) height wasn’t all this plunging series of falls had going for it. Indeed, spanning the very middle of its overall drop was a natural bridge making this one of those rare waterfalls that could boast such a feature making it a pretty special place. And since the Afon Rhaeadr (Waterfall River) tended to have pretty reliable flow, that also meant that this waterfall also had some staying power.
Visiting Pistyll Rhaeadr was quite easy as we were able to park the car close by the waterfall near the end of the road from the small town of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant (see directions below), and walk the short distance to the footbridge right across the Afon Rhaeadr where we were able to get the most direct views of the falls. For such a relatively easy-to-access waterfall, Julie, Tahia, and I were quite pleasantly surprised at the relative peace and quiet here. Maybe the long drive to get here along with the single-lane roads might have had something to do with it.
In any case, we were quite content to experience the falls from here and from the tea room near the car park (called Tan-y-Pistyll). However, there was a trail that kept going past this bridge on the other side of the river (which I suspect might meander deeper into the Berwyn Mountains) as well as another trail further back from the car park that appeared to go to the waterfall’s top. So we didn’t have to exert ourselves very much to experience the best of the falls and almost all of the hour we were here was spent taking pictures.
According to my Welsh dictionary, the word pistyll (probably pronounced “PIS-tuhthl”) meant “well” and rhaeadr (“HRHYE-uh-dur”) meant “waterfall” suggesting it could be the “waterfall well”. However, according to the literature the translation of Pistyll Rhaeadr was more like “spring of the waterfall”. There was a sign here suggesting that this was the highest waterfall in Wales and England, but having seen taller ones earlier on in the trip (e.g. Gaping Gill, Cautley Spout, and maybe even Taylor Gill Force, among others), that claim could very well be in doubt.
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Pistyll Rhaeadr (Wales UK) September 18, 2012 8:33 pm - At 240ft Pistyll Rhaeadr is one of the taller Welsh waterfalls. It is situated in the Berwyn Mountains of mid Wales not many miles in from the English border. To access the falls from the village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant follow the sign for the fall up a single track lane for about 4 miles. There is… ...Read MoreNearest Waterfalls
