Taff Trail from Brecon back to Merthyr Tydfil

The lady at the Borderers B&B kindly served me an early breakfast as today's walk was 26 miles long and with sunset at 5:30 pm, I needed to get going. The Taff trail starts from the canal basin, marking the terminus of the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal. From here I walked along the canal through lightly falling flakes of snow, to Talybont on Usk. The cycling version of the Taff trail makes a diversion along roads via the village of Llanfrynach, but if you are walking rather than cycling, I would stick with the hikers' version along the canal all the way to Talybont. Today it was looking beautiful, the light snowfall picking out the leafless branches of the trees, which were in turn reflected in the still waters of the canal. It also meant crossing the River Usk with the canal on a 200 year old stone aqueduct. The concept of water flowing above water is one I have always found a little strange.

Canal basin in Brecon, start of the Taff Trail

Brecon and Monmouth Canal in February

At Talybont there is a little cafe where I stopped for tea and banana and nutella cake (as interesting to eat as it sounds). The pubs looked attractive as well, but it was a little too early for them. From Talybont the Taff trail climbs the old Brinore tramway. In the 19th century it brought limestone and coal down to the canal in horse drawn trucks. I made the mistake of turning off the tramway too soon at the "Usk Valley Way" sign; the correct turn off is clearly marked as the Taff Trail and takes you down to the bed of the old Brecon and Merthyr railway. The path up the old railway bed takes you to the top of the valley, slowly climbing, with views of Danywenallt reservoir. It was a popular route for people today with many enjoying the walk, or less commonly, the cycle ride. One family was well prepared with a tarpaulin to eat lunch under. Near the top you can see the tunnel that once took the railway to the other side of the mountain, however the path climbs over the top of the saddle. As I reached the top I could see periodic clouds of steam, and hurried over just in time to see a steam engine pull away. This was the narrow gauge, Brecon Mountain Railway which runs on the next section of the old Brecon and Merthyr railway, taking people up and down the valley using restored steam engines.

Brecon Mountain Railway

As I missed the train I continued my walk along the Taff Trail which makes a long switchback through conifer woods, before joining the road beside the first of two reservoirs. When you reach the second reservoir the Taff Trail turns uphill through the trees, eventually giving good views across the Pontsticill reservoir. The thin layer of soft snow squeaked underfoot, showing clear imprints of my boots and the many others plus a few tracks of bikes that had passed this way earlier. Leaving the woods I crossed the reservoir dam, just in time to see the steam train arrive at the station nearby.

Pontsticill reservoir

My footprint in the snow

After a short section of road walking it was a final stretch along the bed of the Brecon and Merthyr railway, in a sylvan valley of deciduous trees, across another viaduct by a pub and then past housing and a nature reserve as the winter light started to fade. The modern concrete span of the Head of the Valleys road indicated I was close to rejoining yesterday's outward route from Merthyr, although to save time I headed back through the town.

At 43 km this is really too long for one day and previously I have spent the night at the Dalywenallt Youth hostel which is on route. The total ascent is 587m. A gpx file of the route can be found on wikiloc. The route is also on Viewranger under shortcode johnpon0018.

Taff Trail from Merthyr Tydfil to Brecon via Storey Arms

From Merthyr Tydfil there are two routes to Brecon, both marked as the Taff Trail. The route to the west, via the Storey Arms, is a walkers' only track, while the easterly route, via Talybont-on-Usk, is also suitable for mountain bikes. My plan was to go from Merthyr to Brecon on the western path, which follows the Taff to its source, and then return to Merthyr via the eastern routing. On this occasion I completed the loop over two days staying at a Bed & Breakfast in Brecon overnight. This involves two long, tiring days; previously I covered the same distance in three days, staying at the Brecon Beacons and Danywenallt Youth Hostels - a much more sensible option, especially as you can now buy a beer at these places.

Starting from the Merthyr Tydfil railway station I crossed the adjacent shopping area and bridge over the Taff to rejoin the Taff Trail by the weir. I followed it past housing to the first of the historic sites in the environs of Merthyr. This was Chapel Row, a line of terraced houses built for iron workers in the 19th century when the iron industry was booming in the area. One of them was the birthplace of Welsh composer Joseph Parry and a small museum (no, I had not heard of him either). Remains of the Glamorgan canal lie to the front of the terrace.

The second historic site on the Taff trail is the remains of the Cyfarthfa iron works, which date from the 18th century. Once among the biggest in the world, it declined as local sources of iron ore were exhausted. The trail passes the remains of a series of blast furnaces, built into the side of the valley, somewhat spoilt by more recent rubbish. The third historic site is an early iron bridge dating from 1793, so not as old as the more elegant Telford ironbridge. Finally as we leave the more built up area of the Taff valley we cross the elegant Cefn Coed viaduct, built in 1868 to carry the Brecon and Merthyr railway. The line was closed in the 1960s and I will be following the old railway bed on my return to Merthyr tomorrow. Beyond this point an illustration of the viaduct is used on the Taff Trail waymarks.

Cyfarthfa Blast furnaces

Cefn Coed Viaduct

After the viaduct the start of the western route is well hidden, going through a damp underpass below the "Head of the Valleys" main road, after which the waymarking is relatively good although not comprehensive. From this point the Taff valley looses its urban aspect and the valley becomes one of rough farmland, trees, moors and reservoirs (we pass three of them). The A470 main road only slightly distracts from the views across the valley. In Penmoelallt woods, a sign explains that it contains one of Britain's rarest trees, Ley's Whitebeam. All 17 examples of this tree are in the woods here.

After passing the first reservoir on a small road, I reached the Garwnant visitor centre, where I enjoyed a pleasant coffee and toasted teacake. The Taff trail continues off the exit road from the visitor centre. Not long after I missed a turnoff while dreaming of something else and had to retrace my steps. With tiny flakes of snow falling I walked past two more reservoirs, fir trees and some moor to arrive at the Storey Arms, at the watershed between the Taff and tributaries of the Usk. Despite the name this is not a pub but an an outdoor education centre. If you are however in need of refreshment, there is a trailer serving coffee, tea, burgers and various other things in the car park opposite. The breakfast rolls are enormous.

Unexpected Sculpture on the Taff Trail

Walking down from Storey Arms

From here it is downhill to Brecon. After the turnoff to the Youth Hostel, it is mainly on quiet, single track roads, with an excursion through some muddy farmland, where sheep looked at me balefully, maybe hoping for some food. Brecon itself is a pleasant market town with a cathedral and a pedestrian shopping area.

The route today was 33.7 km long, with a total ascent of over 600 metres. A gpx file of the route can be found on wikiloc, click here. It can also be obtained from Viewranger johnpon0017.