A small change from the kind of thing I'd usually record on this walk. I was on a family holiday in mid Wales, and we visited this location, 'The Devil's Bridge', for a day out. I didn't expect it to be quite as all round lovely as it turned out to be! Plus it comes with a bit of folklore as to how it got it's name, which is a winner for me every time. I'll let you discover that through the video though.
As you'll quickly discover, the Devil's bridge is such an interesting and unique feature because it's actually 3 bridges stacked upon one another. Each of them separated by a decent chunk of time.
But apart from the bridges themselves, the forested nature trail down into the valley and around the huge waterfall(s) is worthy of a visit alone. The tourist signs and decorations disappear right after the start and it remains largely wild afterwards. I also landed lucky with the abundance of purple Rhododendrons blooming at the time I went. As I mentioned it was a family visit, but I had my camera with me on the holiday (of course) so I decided to do an unplanned nip back for an evening woodland wander on my own. The weather couldn't have been more ideal and the entire time I was there it was empty, apart from me! So I had the whole place to myself.
Now, I have covered practically every square inch of the main route in this video, and although it takes me less than an hour to plod through (with rests edited out) you could easily spend much longer here just looking around. It really is a great spot for a walk... it is £4 to get in though! Which might be why I had it to myself at 7:30pm on a weekday. But I'd say it's worth it, if only to keep it as pristine as it was when I visited. Also the very steep steps down to the bottom of the waterfall, named 'Jacob's Ladder' are an experience worth a photo and a retelling.. they must be something special in winter!
Hopefully I'll get back to this general area of Rheidol in the future, it looked like a fantastic place to explore.
Also here's the website for anyone interested in a more detailed look at the history, or to plan a visit: https://devilsbridgefalls.co.uk/

Chapters:
0:00 Walk begins
1:49 The Devil's Bridge (and story)
3:07 Rhododendrons galore
5:57 Viewpoint
13:17 Waterfalls come into view
17:04 View into Rheidol Valley
18:08 Jacob's Ladder steps
20:55 Old circular bridge & views
24:37 Waterfall view
26:05 Viewpoint
27:18 Robber's Cave (and Story)
31:05 Waterfall View
33:31 Waterfall View
37:14 Stepping waterfalls
42:24 Gyfarllwyd waterfall & Viewpoint
43:30 Down Telescope view of Gyfarllwyd
44:30 Fern covered wall & Birdsong
48:10 Excellent Viewpoints from top

#hiking #slowtv #guide #peaceful #calming #waterfallsounds #cymru #sensory #relaxing #explore