Life’s a contrary beast isn’t it? And camping at Grawen demonstrates this perfectly. When you find a place so well matched to that camping idyll we all seek – wonderful location, good facilities, a friendly welcome, a relaxing atmosphere – the last thing you want is to spend your time dashing here, there and everywhere doing other things.
Places like this deserve better than being used solely for getting your head down after yet another exhausting day out doing all manner of outdoor things, and attempting to see all the sights with which the Brecon Beacons snares the unwary visitor. No, holidays are for relaxing and time at Grawen should be taken for getting a chair out and admiring the view, strolling around the farm of old stone buildings – and most of all – having an unhurried chat with the other campers.
Grawen is situated at the foot of the southern ridges of the Brecon Beacons’ highest hills and some of the most appealing walking country in the land, but even this pales into insignificance once you’ve run your eyes over the bumpy, hollowy limestone landscape immediately to the west. These valleys, through which flow the Afons (Rivers) Nedd Fechan, Mellte and Hepste, enclose a series of really quite startling gorges, filled with the sound of the rushing rivers and the sight of beautiful shimmering curtains of falling water.
The best way of seeing the falls is to take them all in on one long day. You start from Pontneddfechan and take a circular walk up the Nedd Fechan to Pont Melin Fach, across to the Mellte, then downstream in this steep dramatic gorge, before clambering up and over to the Hepste Valley. This will be one of those days that will live forever in your personal folklore, such are the scenes you’ll have seen and the emotions they provoke.
Basic fitness is a must and those with severe vertigo problems may have the odd wobbly moment. It’s certainly a hard walk, but nowhere is a bit of suffering more worthwhile than here.
After that you can then get started on the Brecon Beacons, the Brecon Mountain Railway, The Big Pit National Mining Museum and the glory of the Black Mountain, which, all in all, leaves absolutely no time for chewing the cud on this small friendly and welcoming campsite.
A shame – what’s Welsh for c’est la vie.