Exploring the Elan Valley Reservoirs (July 2026)
- webmasteribex
- 11 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Both of our walks took in the Elan Valley reservoirs. There are 5 of them in all, all built at the end of the 19th century to provide fresh drinking water for Birmingham.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny and the noisy sheep across the valley provided an early wake-up alarm. Emma (mentored by David) led us on essentially a 12-mile circuit of the Caban-coch Reservoir. After crossing Rhos y Gelynnen, a descent through forest took us to Nantgwyllt Church, a Victorian church built to replace the church of the same name which was lost when the Elan and Claerwen valleys were dammed.
Next was an examination of the Caban-coch Reservoir dam followed by refreshments at the nearby visitor centre. Nigel decided to walk back to the bunkhouse along the road from here due to blisters. A sharp pull up the other side of the reservoir gave superb views and an excellent lunch spot.
Post lunch, a bridle path took us on the southern side of the reservoir to a parking area. Paul and Mags decided to return to the bunkhouse from here whilst Emma, David and Nadia continued up the Claerwen Valley towards the Claerwen dam. Stephen was met going the other way (having opted for a half day walk) during this stretch, warning us of a boggy area ahead. After successfully navigating this and walking beneath the impressive dam, the road was taken back to the bunkhouse.
As usual, the Ibex dinner was of a high standard: Mags did a cheese and tomato starter, Nigel did a spaghetti bolognese, and Nadia did her famous baked cheesecake. It was a warm evening so we ate outside but soon retreated inside afterwards due to midge-like insects. The late night entertainment was watching the World Cup Third Place England vs France football match on a laptop and tablet in the bunkhouse (6-4 to England!).
Our Sunday walk had started at Craig Goch, the most northerly of this group of lakes and was a circuit of some 7.5 miles rising to over 500 metres at Esgair Penygarreg before descending to the Penygarreg Reservoir shoreline. It was good walking weather and the Group enjoyed the trek, the moorlands and the final stretch back along the lakeside to Craig Goch.
It had all started on the Friday afternoon as we drove up the track to the scenic Cwm Clyd bunkhouse. Our accommodation there was spacious for the seven of us being located in a quiet valley with a good well-equipped kitchen and an outdoor dining area which we had put to good use on the Saturday evening when we enjoyed a delicious three-course meal. The evening before we’d driven back down the valley into the nearby market town of Rhayader and been well catered for at the Crown Inn in North Street.
Authors: Stephen & David
#ibexwalkers #ukhikingweekends #ukmountainweekends #londonhikingclub #walkingforhealth #socialhiking #elanvalley #cwmclydbunkhouse
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