Natural Resources Wales Management Team To Do The Right Thing

I had a meeting with the Natural Resources Wales new area manager for the Waterfalls Area of the Brecon Beacons National Park recently and it was very positive indeed.

In 2022 the BBNP, against Wales Outdoors advice, closed a path that enabled a circular route to be completed on the ever popular Four Waterfalls trail. The outcome of this, which we warned both NRW and the BBNP about, is that hikers would try to make it a circular route, by either walking the closed path or by trying to find alternative routes. There are now several new and clearly defined paths in the area that take hikers onto perilous ground, routes that did not exist in 2022.

Since 2022, until now, NRW, the landowner, has not responded to my concerns. The new managers are a different ball game though and they very much see the issues that I have been warning about. The BBNP did respond but with the usual corporate waffle such as we consult with users and stakeholders and they ended the discussion with something along the line of ‘we’ve made our decision’.

Andy with some happy hikers on the ‘dangerous (not dangerous if well managed) path’

It is now agreed, after two and a half years, that my warnings of accidents, incidents and deaths at this location, due to the removal of a popular circular route, were both prescient and valid. The path was closed without a plan in place to manage visitors to the location and I believe it was closed with little understanding of or desire to understand the use by members of the public of this area.

The upshot is, that after said two and a half years, works will eventually begin to re-instate a circular route and better fencing off of ‘paths’ and signage works will begin too. Who knows when this will be completed as the area is protected by various environmental legislations and has many stakeholders involved. Until it is completed there remains the high likelihood of further accidents, incidents and deaths at this location due to, what was patently obvious to all but the BBNP and NRW in 2022, the closure of a circular route.

UPDATE: Just over a week after the meeting a fence that I advised ought to be urgently put in place, as a remedial measure and at least until the new circular route is implemented, appeared. Well done the new NRW team and quite honestly shame of the closed ears of NRW and the BBNP of the past 2.5 years.

My NRW meeting follow up

‘Thank you both for meeting with me on Wednesday.

I think it was a very positive meeting and I am heartened that NRW are now looking seriously at the particular difficulties posed by the area. This follows two and half years of not engaging with me on this matter. I am glad that NRW are now in agreement with me that a circular route has to be made available to the public in order to avoid the current situation, that of people 'finding their own route' and so with some getting onto dangerous ground. 

It was fortunate, on an off season and rainy day, that for the brief period that we were at the top of the main 'new route', two groups of men made the ascent from lower Clun gwyn. During the summer holidays this was a relative constant flow of people... 

Key points discussed

• Directing people to Sgwd yr Eira first would have them ascending any difficulty from Clun gwyn, which is always preferable to descending. 

• Fencing at danger spots to be considered

• Possible re-instatement of path 86 if the current survey finds this a sensible option

• If path 86 is not to be re-instated then a desire line approach will be taken and a circular route made available to members of the public, from lower Clun gwyn to as close to point 22 as is possible. 

Please do feel free to join me on one of my guided walks in the area. I think this could be useful to get a feel to the day that I and others deliver and the difficulties clients may face with the terrain. I can supply dates if you think this would be useful. 

Once again thank you for your time in this and if you need to follow up or ask any questions then do not hesitate to be in touch.’ 

You can book our walks through the Wales Outdoors Website.

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