Sgwd Isaf Clun Gwyn

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This stretch of the Afon Melte is known as the four waterfalls walk, for obvious reasons, but my favourite of the four is the area around Sgwd Isaf Clun Gwyn. It’s not the highest, or most impressive, but I think the series of beautiful cascades through the narrow gorge that follow the main waterfall make it the the most photogenic location.
You can reach this from several directions, but from Glynneath follow the signs to the waterfall centre in Pontneddfechan, and then keep heading east on this road up a steep hill with a couple of sharp bends and out of the village. After about 2.5 miles you’ll find a parking area on the right, just before a cattle grid (indicated by the ‘A’ on the map). From here you follow the track past the Clyngwyn farm campsite and bunkhouse. This will take you down to a footbridge over the river, where you then walk back along the opposite bank for a short while, until you reach a junction, where you take the right fork down past the impressive sight of a tall waterfall called Sgwd Clun Gwyn (but this isn’t the one we’re after!). Then follow the path close to the river for about a half a mile until you have to clamber down the bank down to the river, where you’ll find the cascades that I talked about at the start.
This whole walk can be a little tricky in places, especially if it’s been raining heavily (which isn’t rare in this area!), particularly the last part which is pretty steep and slippery.