Best Waterfalls in Rhondda Cynon Taf & the Valleys
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best waterfalls in Rhondda Cynon Taf & the Valleys are Sgwd Ddwli Isaf, Pwll-Du Waterfall, Pistyll Goleu, Pwll y Crochan, Sgwd Ddwli Uchaf, Berw-ddu Waterfall, Sgwd Clun Gwyn Waterfall and Sgwd Yr Eira Waterfall.
Rhondda Cynon Taf and the valleys reach up into the Waterfall Country on the southern edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog, the Brecon Beacons, where the rivers Mellte, Hepste and Nedd Fechan carve wooded gorges full of falls. The best-known is Sgwd yr Eira, the fall of snow, with its ledge that lets you walk right behind the curtain of water, once used to drive sheep across.
Nearby on the Mellte, Sgwd Clun Gwyn steps over sandstone ledges, while the Nedd Fechan holds the twin gushing falls of Sgwd Ddwli Isaf and Uchaf and the dark pool of Pwll-Du. At the eastern edge, Pwll y Crochan hides in the Sychryd gorge below Dinas Rock.
Deeper into the coalfield hills, quieter local falls drop at Pistyll Goleu in St Gwynno's Forest and at Berw-ddu above Aberdare. Some sit on well-known walked trails; others are tucked-away spots for those who go looking.
Here are eight waterfalls to seek out across Rhondda Cynon Taf and the valleys.
Sgwd Ddwli Isaf
Photo: Gareth James via Geograph.org.uk
Sgwd Ddwli Isaf, the lower gushing falls, is a waterfall on the Nedd Fechan river in the Waterfall Country of the Brecon Beacons, near Pontneddfechan. The river pours into a short, cliff-lined gorge, its dark sandstone walls hung with ferns, dropping around thirty feet into a shallow pool below.
It is reached on foot along the riverside Elidir Trail from Pontneddfechan, with the upper falls, Sgwd Ddwli Uchaf, a little way upstream and the horseshoe falls downstream. It is one of a chain of falls on this river.
Pwll-Du Waterfall
Photo: Colin Pyle via Geograph.org.uk
Pwll Du, the black pool, is a deep river pool in the wooded Nedd Fechan gorge just above Pontneddfechan, where the Afon Pyrddin joins the Nedd Fechan. Small cascades feed the dark, shaded pool rather than a single tall fall, in a steep gorge rich in moss and fern.
It is reached on an easy riverside walk from the car park by the Angel Inn at Pontneddfechan, the same path that leads on to the bigger falls higher up, such as Sgwd Gwladys. There are no facilities in the gorge itself.
Pistyll Goleu
Photo: Alan Bowring via Geograph.org.uk
Pistyll Goleu is a small, pretty waterfall in St Gwynno's Forest near Llanwonno, in the hills of Rhondda Cynon Taf, where the Sychnant stream drops over a face of Pennant sandstone. It is a lesser-known, tucked-away spot reached on a short walk of about ten minutes from the roadside, often taken in on a longer waterfall walk around Llanwonno, and it draws photographers for its mossy, wooded setting.
There are no facilities.
Pwll y Crochan
Photo: Alan Bowring via Geograph.org.uk
Pwll y Crochan, meaning the cauldron pool, is a waterfall and plunge pool on the Afon Sychryd, in the wooded gorge below Dinas Rock at the eastern edge of the Waterfall Country, near Pontneddfechan. It lies up the gorge toward the main road, hemmed in by rock and trees, and is awkward to reach.
The more visited falls on the same short river are the Sychryd Cascades just downstream, reached by an easy path from the car park at Dinas Rock.
Sgwd Ddwli Uchaf
Photo: Jeremy Bolwell via Geograph.org.uk
Sgwd Ddwli Uchaf, or Upper Gushing Falls, is a broad, curtain-like waterfall on the Afon Nedd Fechan in the Waterfall Country of Bannau Brycheiniog, the Brecon Beacons. It drops into a wide plunge pool just above its lower twin, Sgwd Ddwli Isaf, and is reached along the Elidir Trail from Pontneddfechan, a walk of a couple of miles upstream on paths that grow rougher further on.
It sits in a different valley from the better-known Four Waterfalls Walk nearby.
Berw-ddu Waterfall
Photo: Nick Earl via Geograph.org.uk
Berw-ddu is a hillside waterfall at the head of the Dare Valley, west of Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, below the cliffs of Tarren y Bwllfa. Its Welsh name means roughly black rapids.
It runs off the hillside and can be reached from the walks in Dare Valley Country Park, but it is an on-and-off fall that needs a good spell of rain to flow and can be nearly dry otherwise. It is a lightly documented local feature rather than a mapped landmark.
Sgwd Clun Gwyn Waterfall
Photo: Alan Hughes via Geograph.org.uk
Sgwd Clun Gwyn is a waterfall on the Afon Mellte in the Waterfall Country of the Brecon Beacons, near Ystradfellte, its name meaning the fall of the white meadow. The river drops in steps over hard sandstone ledges into a pool in a wooded gorge, best seen from the far bank on the Four Waterfalls Walk that takes in the string of falls along this river.
It is the uppermost of a group of three on the Mellte, reached on foot from the Cwm Porth car park, on paths that are steep and can be muddy.
Sgwd Yr Eira Waterfall
Photo: Rudi Winter via Geograph.org.uk
Sgwd yr Eira, the fall of snow, is one of the best-known waterfalls in the Waterfall Country of the Brecon Beacons, on the Afon Hepste near Ystradfellte. Its great feature is a rock ledge running along behind the falling water, so that you can walk right behind the curtain of the fall, a way once used to drive sheep between the banks.
It is a highlight of the Four Waterfalls Walk, reached on foot with a steep flight of steps down to the river. The ledge is wet and slippery, and closed off when the river is in flood.
FAQs
Can you walk behind Sgwd yr Eira in the Valleys?
Yes, Sgwd yr Eira, the fall of snow, on the Afon Hepste near Ystradfellte, has a rock ledge that runs along behind the falling water, letting walkers pass right behind the curtain. The route was once used to drive sheep between the banks, and the fall is a highlight of the Four Waterfalls Walk.
What is the Four Waterfalls Walk that includes Sgwd yr Eira?
The Four Waterfalls Walk is a route in the Waterfall Country near Ystradfellte that strings together several falls on the Mellte and Hepste rivers, including Sgwd Clun Gwyn and Sgwd yr Eira. It is reached from the Cwm Porth car park on paths that are steep and can be muddy.
Where can you find quieter waterfalls in Rhondda Cynon Taf?
For quieter waterfalls in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Pistyll Goleu drops in St Gwynno's Forest near Llanwonno, and Berw-ddu runs off the hillside at the head of the Dare Valley above Aberdare after rain. Pwll y Crochan also hides awkwardly in the Sychryd gorge below Dinas Rock.
Conclusion
Rhondda Cynon Taf and the valleys share in the Waterfall Country, where the Mellte, Hepste and Nedd Fechan carve their gorges on the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog. Sgwd yr Eira lets walkers pass right behind the curtain of water, Sgwd Clun Gwyn steps down its sandstone ledges, and the Nedd Fechan pours over Sgwd Ddwli Isaf and Uchaf and gathers in the dark pool of Pwll-Du, with Pwll y Crochan hidden below Dinas Rock.
Deeper in the coalfield hills, Pistyll Goleu drops in St Gwynno's Forest and Berw-ddu runs off the hillside above Aberdare after rain. Some are well-known walked trails, others quiet local finds.
These are the waterfalls to seek out across Rhondda Cynon Taf and the valleys.
