On Sunday we did the iconic four waterfalls walk in Ystradfellte, Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. It was the farthest I’d been from my home since the whole coronavirus pandemic began in March!
The drive was two hours from our house and it was my birthday day out!
9 years ago, just before we had children, Ben had surprised me with a night away in the Brecon Beacons and we did the this very same Ystradfellte waterfalls walk.
It was great to return with the kids and show them this amazing place, make some memories and capture them too in the below photos.
However… it was so busy!
Horribly busy!
Not surprising though considering everyone has been stuck at home for months and now wants to get out!
Plus, most peoples summer holidays abroad will have been cancelled so more people will be exploring the U.K. this year instead, opting for a staycation.
Money might also be tight for a lot of people so they are heading for free UK days out like our lovely U.K. National Parks to save money on travel!
If I’d have known how busy it would be before we went, I’d have gone somewhere else. I love to get into nature to get away from people, not be surrounded by them!
Luckily we took a different route at the start of our walk, over crazy tree roots and rocky paths, which was really quiet. But after reaching the first waterfall we hit the crowds of people for the rest of the walk.
We did go on a Sunday, so you might have more luck in the summer holidays choosing a weekday instead. We are both busy with work on weekdays, so could only pick the weekend. We still had a great time and the waterfalls are so impressive.
The kids were absolute troopers! The Health app on my iPhone said we walked 8.6km. The terrain in places was crazy, even tricky for adults!
At one point we climbed down a steep path filled with tree roots and rocks… when I looked up from the bottom I couldn’t believe we’d climbed down! It didn’t look like a walkable path at all.
Ystradfellte waterfalls
There is plenty of parking for the four waterfalls walk. We managed to park in the normal car park and pay £4 for the day. On return we saw how packed it was! The car park we had parked in was full and an overflow car park for £5 per car had opened. It must have had at least 50 cars already parked, but still plenty more space.
The Brecon Beacons National Park is free to enter, but you will need to pay a small fee for parking if you wish to use their car parks.
Luckily the car park has a toilet which was very much needed by the kids and me after two hours in the car and also after four hours of walking!
See our photos and my comments below.
Four waterfalls walk photos
It was so great to get out of our home county of Gloucestershire for a day, finally!
With the coronavirus pandemic, travel lockdown and restrictions on some of our freedoms, we have decided to mostly concentrate on home improvements for this year. We have almost completed our home after six years of living here, so it might be finished by the end of this year!
Once done, we’ll be back on the travel wagon. Until then, I’ll share some of our short trips and days out.
More of our adventures in Wales:
Is Barry Island worth a visit?
24 hours exploring Mumbles, Gower, kid-free!
Bluestone National Park Resort twixmas holiday review + Kingdom of the Elves
Brecon Beacons National Park Wales: Pen y Fan and Cribyn mountain walk
Visiting Skenfrith Castle in Wales with kids
My very honest Bluestone review – 3 night Christmas break in Wales
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Ystradfellte waterfalls looks absolutely beautiful and so peaceful (Well apart from that Sunday)
You visit the most amazing places in the country side, I love seeing all your pictures of magical places.
Thank you! I found our photos of when we visited before, a few years ago, and there was barely anyone there. Such a difference! Not sure if we picked a particularly busy day or whether it was because of the impact of lockdowns at the time meaning there weren’t any indoors places for people to visit.
What a magical landscape. It’s a shame that it was so busy, but it’s not surprising that it’s a popular place!