How To Walk the Elidir Trail [Route Map + Secret Waterfall]

The Elidir Trail is an enchanting waterfall walk in an area of the Brecon Beacons National Park (Bannau Brycheiniog) known as Waterfall Country.

It’s one of my favourite walks in the area and usually quieter than the popular Four Falls Trail which is also nearby.

In this guide, I’ll explain everything you need to know about completing the Elidir Trail including where to park, what to expect, and all of the route options including the secret fifth waterfall.

What is the Elidir Trail?

The Elidir Trail follows the banks of two rivers, Afon Nedd Fechan (the River Neath) and Afon Pyrddin. Along the trail, you’ll encounter four prominent waterfalls as well as many smaller cascades.

There are several different route options you can take as I’ll break down in this article, but the main route from Pontneddfechan is 6.6km (4.2 miles) and takes around 3 hours. This is a linear route, so you’ll come back along the same path.

The four waterfalls on the trail are Sgwd Gwladys (Lady Falls), Sgwd-y-Bedol (Horseshoe Falls), Sgwd Ddwli Uchaf (Lower Gushing Falls) and Sgwd Ddwli Ichaf (Upper Gushing Falls).

Although the Elidir Trail has four significant waterfalls, it shouldn’t be confused with the nearby Four Falls Trail which includes four totally different waterfalls.

According to legend, the Elidir Trail follows the path once taken by a young local named Elidir, who stumbled upon a cave in this area that revealed a hidden realm inhabited by enchanting fairies.

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Elidir Trail Map

This map shows Elidir Trail with all of your route options.

Here is what the colours mean on this map:

• Main route *recommended*: Red and Green
• Backwards Route (off-peak season only): Green and Blue
• Backwards Route (peak season only): Green, Blue, and Yellow
• Secret Waterfall (experienced hikers only): Pink

Keep reading to find out more about the routes.

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How To Hike the Elidir Trail – the Main Route

The main route for the Elidir Trail begins in the village of Pontneddfechan. The route is highlighted in the map at the beginning of this article and follows the Red line from the village before joining the Green line which is where the waterfalls lie.

Where to Park? The best place to park for the Elidir Trail is in the village of Pontneddfechan. You can park along the side of the road near The Angel Inn for free. There are long laybys but these quickly fill up so people tend to continue parking alongside the road.

The start of the Elidir Trail is in the centre of Pontneddfechan. Look for the public toilets near The Angel Inn and the start of the trail is just over the road. Head through the gates as shown below and the trail begins.

From here, it is very easy to follow and the first 45 minutes will be a pleasant and easy walk alongside the river, following the tracks of horse-drawn trams that were once used to move silica (a raw material used to make bricks and tiles) from nearby mines.

You’ll eventually cross a wooden bridge and you’ll have the option to go left (toward Sgwd Gwladus) or right (towards Pont Melin Fach).

I recommend that you first head left to Sgwd Gwladus. This is the most impressive waterfall on the official trail.

After reaching this waterfall, you’ll double back on yourself to the bridge and head in the opposite direction towards Pont Melin Fach to see the rest of the waterfalls. The rest of the trail is slightly more uphill and can get very muddy in places, but overall I’d still give it a moderate rating.

There are lots of tiny waterfalls along the route, but the next significant waterfall you’ll encounter is Sgwd Y Bedol, meaning Horseshoe Falls because it’s shaped like a horseshoe as shown below.

The next waterfall is Sgwd Ddwli Isaf, which means Lower Gushing Falls. If the river is low enough, I recommend heading along the river between Sgwd Y Bedol and Sgwd Ddwli Isaf because it will give you a much better view of the latter. This does not link up with the path so you will still need to walk back on yourself to rejoin.

The final waterfall is Sgwd Ddwli Uchaf, which means Upper Gushing Falls. Although not the biggest on the trail, it was my favourite because of its wide uniform flow.

I can highly recommend this as a good spot to enjoy lunch. We set up a picnic on the rocks below the waterfall but you can also walk around to the top where there is more open space.

After Sgwd Ddwli Uchaf, you can turn around and follow the trail back to Pontneddfechan.

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Alternative: The Elidir Trail Backwards Route

It’s also possible to do the Elidir Trail backwards but on my latest visit to the trail, I discovered that the route varies according to the season. I’ll explain below, but the AllTrails map at the beginning of this article better illustrates it.

During the off-season, the trail begins at Pont Melin Fach car park where there is also a nice area for picnics with several picnic benches.

However, this car park is closed during the peak season from the end of March until the end of September. During peak season, visitors are asked to park at this overspill car park instead. The cost is £5 all day.

The problem with this is that during peak season, you add an extra 2km (1.2 miles) to the walk and the extra stretch of trail (yellow on the map above) can be difficult to follow as you’ll have to navigate through open fields, farms, and climb over stiles.

Based on my experience doing this, I would not recommend the backwards route during the peak visitor season.

The backwards route is more appealing during the off-season when Pont Melin Fach car park is open as you’ll cut out the beginning section of the main route (red on the map above) where there are no waterfalls.

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Alternative: The Secret Waterfall a.k.a Sgwd Einion Gam

There are four main waterfalls on the official Elidir Trail and you’ll see these on the maps and signage along the route.

There’s actually a fifth waterfall called Sgwd Einion Gam (sometimes known as the ‘secret waterfall’). This 26m (85ft) tall waterfall is the second biggest in the Brecon Beacons and is very impressive. However, it isn’t disclosed on the official maps because it’s very challenging to reach and the authorities don’t like to encourage people to try it.

When I say it’s challenging to reach, I don’t mean this lightly. The route can be unclear at times and you’ll have to walk through the river twice, climb over and under fallen tree trunks, and briefly walk next to a steep river edge which could be dangerous.

With this in mind, I only recommend that confident and experienced hikers attempt this route and you certainly shouldn’t attempt it with children. It may be suitable for some dogs if they are competent with the obstacles I have mentioned above.

When I visited, I passed a woman who was clearly not capable of this route had injured her leg halfway to the waterfall so had to call out mountain rescue to come and save her. Don’t be this woman!

From Sgwd Gwladys, it takes around 35 minutes to reach Sgwd Einion Gam, so in total add an extra 1hr20 if you wish to include this.

The route is highlighted in pink on the map at the beginning of this article. Here are some photos showing you step-by-step instructions.

From Sgwd Gwladys, follow the path up the hill on the right hand side of the waterfall.

Join the river at the top and walk along the river edge. The path isn't as obvious as the earlier paths so I recommend using the AllTrails map at the beginning of this article.

Continue to hug the edge of the river as best you can until you reach an open section with large rock formations on your right, this is where you need to cross the river for the first time (Google Maps pin). You will either need to take your shoes and socks off or commit to getting your feet wet as I did.

On the other side of the river, there is a vague path that runs through the forest which you should follow. This will eventually lead to another river crossing (Google Maps pin).

Continue following the path on the other side of the river which runs close to the river bank. The final challenge will be traversing along a narrow stretch of path next to a steep drop. It’s not for the faint hearted but the scary part only lasts a minute or so before you head back down the other side. You’ll also have to climb across fallen trees.

Eventually, you’ll reach the waterfall (Google Maps pin). You can take a path around the edge past the smaller cascade so that you are closer to the main waterfall. However, I enjoyed seeing it from afar with both cascades visible.