Last weekend some friends, my other half and I headed over to the north-west corner of the Welsh country. On Sunday, with energy in our legs and some sunshine in the air, our destination was one of the most majestic sights of the Welsh mountains, Aber Falls, or Rhaedr Fawr, as they are called in Welsh. These imposing works of Mother Nature can be found in the foothills of the mountain range Caerneddau.The closest town is a tiny Welsh village with a name impossible to pronounce, Abergwyngregyn, some 90 miles (145 km) from the English-Welsh border and around 260 miles (420 km) from London.
Once we entered the Coedvdd Aber Nature Reserve, we parked our car and embarked on an uphill hike to the Falls. When you commence at the car park, at Bont Newydd, simply follow a narrow path through a small area of woodland. Emerging from the forest, you follow a clear trail through a charming, green valley. At some point the course splits, offering a choice of routes. Either you continue the path through the valley, or a higher trail through a conifer-cultivated area can be taken. Either way, both end up at the Aber Falls. Along the way you run into ponies and beautiful plants such as wild angelica and lady’s mantle, which are predominantly present in the rock crevices around the cascade because of the continuous moisture.
Once you have reached the waterfall and the massive waterworks lie in front of you, you cannot avoid being impressed by the streaming masses of the Afon Goch waterway, the actual river, which drops down around 125 feet (40 meters) onto the rocks below.
Apart from the fact that I was impressed and the place gasps tranquility and serenity, it made you feel far away from the chaotic London crowds and crazy south English traffic. While descending the hill and making our way back to the car, I could not help detecting a feeling of cheerfulness and satisfaction; we had made a memory.
