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Sample Chapter: Upper Wye and Elan The Elan Valley is sometimes known as the Welsh Lake District and was the romantic inspiration for Shelley’s early years. It is also the Welsh Wye’s first major stop on its journey from its source in the Cambrian Mountains towards the literary haven of Hay-on-Wye. Percy Shelley – the idealist, revolutionary and great romantic poet – first visited his uncle’s estate in the Elan when he was 18, walking there from Sussex over the course of a week. Already having a reputation as a strange but fun-filled young man, he used to bathe in the mountain streams and sail toy boats down the currents, sometimes with a cat on board. He fell in love in the valley and tried to make a life there with his first wife but when they failed to acquire a house the marriage collapsed. She drowned herself in the Serpentine in London two years later. He lost his life at sea in Italy aged 29. The Elan stream in which Shelley used to bathe and both the valley homes he loved so much – Cwm Elan and the manor house Nangwyllt – were also drowned by a series of Victorian reservoirs in the late nineteenth century. These impressive dams and vast lakes were created to supply water to Birmingham at the height of its population growth. While swimming is not officially allowed in the reservoirs it is still possible to swim in the Elan at the pool where it meets the Wye a few miles downstream. In the spring the water flows in from the top layers of the reservoir and is not too icy. In summer the authorities begin to release water from the bottom sluices and it drops in temperature dramatically. The Wye continues south from the Elan junction, often shallow but sometimes pooling where it meets rocky seams. Pen-doll Rocks at Builth Wells is a particularly impressive series of pools and rapids. Wildlife along this stretch includes ravens, red kite, buzzards, herons, kingfishers, peregrines and otters. As it reaches the north escarpment of the Brecon Beacons the Wye is forced to turn abruptly north-east and arrives in the charming, bookshop-filled town of Hay-on-Wye, a place that loves to swim. The Warren, a twenty-minute walk upstream from the town centre, is the place to paddle, skim stones or watch hapless canoeists negotiate the rapids from the long pebble beach. Further upstream the river is deeper and a longer swim is possible. During the Hay Festival you’ll find it packed with people from all over the world, propped up on one elbow reading with their picnics and Pimms. These grassy banks had been used to catch rabbits since medieval times but in the 1970s a scheme was proposed to convert the Warren into a caravan park. Local businesses and residents were so horrified they decided to club together to purchase the field. A ‘20 Club’, set up to find twenty supporters, quickly mushroomed into the ‘300 Club’ that continues to run to this day. The outpouring of community spirit that was catalysed by this swimming hole led to other community initiatives and restoration projects. Anyone can join the Warren Club and membership is still £13, as it has been since 1973, though non members are free to use the area (www.wayonhigh.org.uk). Swim 73: Elan Wye junction pool Town: Rhayader Grid ref: SN 967656 Postcode: LD1 6NS (1.5km N) Water quality: A Depth/size: swim, dive, paddle Walking: 1 min, easy Train: Llandrindod Wells, 10km Extras: Elan reservoirs A wide deep junction of the Elan and the Wye. Deepish section to jump into from bank. Shallower paddles upstream. Open and grassy. Elan is on reservoir release and can be very cold. 18km N of Builth Wells on A470 (or 5km S of Rhayader) turn L (R) over bridge and into Llanwrthwl. Go through village and up hill (600m), then turn R at T-junction. Follow narrow lane 1.8km to find bridleway on R, signed ‘Wye Valley Walk’, which leads to junction pool (50m) by bench and near footbridge. Follow lane on to reach Elan village and beginning of spectacular drive around famous flooded valleys. Swim 74: Pen-doll Rocks Town: Builth Wells Grid ref: SO 032521 Postcode: LD2 3RD (100 S) Water quality: A Depth/size: paddle, swim, current Walking: 2 mins, difficult Train: Builth Road, 1km Extras: Royal Welsh Show Ground An exciting stretch of the Wye narrowing through rocky cliffs. Downstream are safe white sandy bays. Upstream the water deepens through a small gorge with rock formations. Dangerous in high water. From central Builth Wells follow A470 N (dir Rhayader) over bridge to the roundabout in front of Royal Show Ground (junction A483 / A470). Follow A470 exactly 1km, past garage and large lay-by to park in small second lay-by on L, opposite wide entrance to ‘Penmaenau’. Find informal path L, over crash barrier and down steep wooded bank to river and Pen-doll Rocks. Swim 75: The Warren Town: Hay-on-Wye Grid ref: SO 222426 Postcode: HR3 5YH Water quality: A Depth/size: paddle, swim Walking: 10 mins, moderate Train: Hereford, 20km Extras: Bookshops of Hay-on-Wye A popular stretch of commoner’s meadow by the side of the Wye. White shingle beach and shallows below the rapids / bend, and deeper section above. Tree shade. Good for paddlers. Beautiful setting. Rough track with parking. Approaching Hay-on-Wye from the west on B4530 turn L just after 30mph speed sign, into business park. Continue 200m through residential housing and, after road bends to R with speed bump, look for narrow rough track on L. Follow down for 400m to find parking. River is below, to L. From town follow the river upstream for 500m. |
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