A Devil of a Job to get to ground zero

 

The picture I have dreamed about - ground zero.

This picture of the Devils Bridge in Clydach Monmouthshire means a lot to me. It has taken over eight years of exploring the Cwm Clydach area in order to get into a position at water level to look up at the waterfall and the Devils Bridge.

I have failed on multiple occasion's to reach this spot that lies downstream from the Devils Bridge in the depths of the Clydach Gorge. 

I have done some research and found some details about the history of the bridge. The bridge was historically used as a pack-horse bridge dating back to the late 17th or early 18th century. It was used   to transport limestone to the Llanelly Furnace, which was operational around 1684. The bridge is a Grade II listed structure and remains in good condition.

The Devils Bridge. using a drone with extreme care , planning and practised skill.

The bridge has a thick layer of mud and leaf little. Watch you don't slip.

The other side of the bridge.

The river Clydach spews like a torrent under the bridge , forming the highest waterfall on the Clydach and plunges down into a deep pool that lies at the bottom of a steep sided gorge. It is known in Welsh as Pwll-y-Cwn, which translated into English means "Dog's Pool" -make sure you pronounce the L ;) 

White water plunges down into a deep canyon.

I have visited the bridge on many occasions. There are two routes that make access to the bridge fairly easy, as long as you can walk up and down steep paths and steps. The first is a path that leads down from Gellifelin and the second is a series of steps that lead down from a footpath over the A465 heads of the Valley road in Blackrock.

When you reach the Devils Bridge the first thing you notice is the very loud noise of the river flowing over the bridge. The plunge pool is very impressive, especially after rain. It is amazing how the force of the water over thousands of years has carved a way through the limestone rock.

On my last visit to the bridge itself I stood on it and looked down at the plunge pool below and the gorge ahead of me. Beyond the plunge pool and its scary looking tight and twisty section of the gorge it had carved I could just see a section of the river that was calm and flat , "Ground Zero" thats the term I use for it.

Both sides of the gorge are extremely treacherous and impassable. Don't even think about it.

From there I imagined standing looking up at the bridge below - what a sight that would be. Actually getting there had alluded me for years. This section of Clydach Gorge has dangerously high and sheer in places cliff walls of slippery moss covered rock. The gorge stretches on for about 100 meters either side of the river down stream and there are no paths down to the river below. Above the rocky gorge walls is thick vegetation and trees. Hundreds of years of leaf litter cover the steep banks that are very treacherous  to walk on.

As things would turn out it would be a devil of a job getting to ground zero (thanks to Tim Hall for the blog title inspiration).

My solution to the problem eight years ago was to try and walk up the river from the Lower Clydach Falls. This is quite some feat and dangerous. Whilst the rivers in parts can be negotiated by wading through it in wellies its not for the faint hearted as the river flows quickly and the rocks are slippery underfoot.

Upstream beyond the Lower Clydach Falls there is no path and in large parts of the gorge have no banks that can easily be walked along.

In 2016 when I was much fitter and skinnier I tried to walk up river in order to reach the Devils Bridge from below.

After an hour and half of trying to wade up the river and then being forced to climb across ever steeper banks of the gorge I failed at about 300 meters from the Devils Bridge. I had to bail out and climb up on the Llanelly Hill side of the gorge. This was hard work and I collapsed on an old tram road that runs through the wood totally out of breath. I had survived a few slips and falls and considered myself lucky to be in one piece.

I have tried again over the years, several times and in the end have had to make the tough decision to stop - as it has become too dangerous.

This year my interest in waterfalls has become a bit of an obsession and after a recent trip to  Ystradfellte and the waterfall country with my friend Paul Joy, it had sparked off my enthusiasm again for visiting Clydach and having another go at the Devils Bridge.

I did some research again and discovered that local photographer Alan Coles (who takes s fabulous pictures and has his own YouTube channel) had actually found a way to that Ground Zero Section. I was very impressed when I watched his video and it renewed that urge in me to also reach "Ground Zero".

Alan did not reveal how he and his friend got there and stated it was too dangerous to film the route they had taken. Watching his videos made me more confident and I was very much inspired to try again.

So last Saturday I headed off early in the morning and started my day with a visit to the  Cwm Nant Dyar Gorge, which is an absolutely magical place and you can read about that in a previous blog.

By the afternoon I was so excited after photographing the Nant Dyars waterfalls I was determined to have another go at the Devils Bridge.

I got to the Lower Clydach Waterfalls and prepared myself for another attempt at walking up river. I bumped into two photographers who were incredulous when I told them I was heading up river and going to try and walk up the river and negotiate the banks.

Initially I made good progress. The water levels were not too bad so I could wade in my wellies. Then I hit obstacle after obstacle. Deep water meant I had to shimmy up fallen ,clamber through thick undergrowth on the banks and get wet - as in a few places I had little choice but to wade and cling to the banks. I did my best to be safe but I had to be a bit brave (others would probably say crazy and foolish).

After a hour and half I was stuck on the A465 Heads of the Valley Road side of the Clydach. I calculated that I was about two hundred meters away from the bridge. On the other side of the river there was a flat bit of bank that looked promising for making progress but the river was flowing too fast and deep. There was no way I could cross. 

Not another obstacle!

Thats it I have to quit.

I did not want to go back the same way I had come as it was really challenging and I was now soaking wet after falling a few times in the drink. I was also cut and bruised and getting tired.

I had no choice but to head upwards pulling myself up a near vertical slope through dead leaf litter, saplings and brambles. After climbing for about 100 meters I scrambled out onto the foundations of the new A465 and collapsed out of breath below a 20 meter vertical wall with the road high above me.

After a drink, I rang my mother and told her I would be a bit late getting her paper from Tescos and that I was ok!(My mum has ordered me to let her know where I am these days in case I get into trouble).

I then scouted out where I was and discovered that up above me was the pedestrian flyover bridge that I use to access Devils Bridge from Blackrock. There was a big problem however, I was at the bottom of a man made cliff and I had no ropes with me!(Not as if they would have helped me - been a while since I climbed a rope!)

Panic started to creep in and I imagined being winched out by a rescue helicopter. I calmed myself down and then had a look around. I noticed what looked like a small track that led off from the cliff above the gorge. I followed it and found thin blue ropes tied to trees along this track. I used them to pull on as I carefully walked along this makeshift track. It was above some of the steepest and vertical parts of the gorge near the bridge.

 Then I came across a metal ladder and suddenly I remembered that the last time I visited the Devils bridge I had seen a man dressed in caving gear and he had vanished behind me. Now I understood where he had gone - this was one of the entrances to the a big cave system that runs underneath the surrounding hills. I was elated with relief I now knew where this track was going.

Cave entrance. Out of bounds and locked to all but those with special permission and skilled cavers.

I reached the top of the track and after crashing through the undergrowth I emerged  onto the pedestrian path thats leads to the Devils bridge and the strong smell of cannabis. Sat on some steps was a young man who looked very surprised to see me and was desperately trying to hide his joint. He asked "Where the hell have you come from?" and I said to him " You don't want to know - its like I've been to hell and back".

He laughed and I started my long blister inducing walk back to the car via Blackrock. I had failed again - but had not given up hope.

 I brooded on my failure all week and spent my evenings researching possible routes, studying maps on the internet.

I planned a route. It would not bee easy and would require some effort and determination. I would need to be careful. I planned to clamber down from the Gellifellen side of the Clydach river. The journey would involve negotiating steep rock slopes, woodland, walking through a stream and via another gorge. Some of it I would have to make up as and when, depending on what the terrain actually presented when I was there in the moment.

On  Friday 1st November 2024 it was my first day of vacation and I was determined to start my holiday with success. I put one foot in front of the other and off I went on my mission to "Ground Zero- Operation Devils Bridge".

My first thirty minutes was wasted as the first route I tried resulted in me climbing down through thick vegetation and being ripped to shreds by brambles only to come to an abrupt halt looking down over a sheer cliff. I would have had a nice view of the Autumn coloured trees below until I went splat - if I had fallen. I headed back up cursing and feeling rather unnerved after a spate of vertigo looking down at that drop!

On my second attempt I got lucky and found a way down climbing over rocks and into woodland. It was slippery underfoot and I fell on my backside several times before finding a stream that disappeared down into its own gorge. I followed it wading through the clear waters. I was sweating from all the exertion. I was carrying my tripod and a rucksack full of photography equipment.

Then at last I reached the Clydach river. I estimated I was a lot closer to the Devils Bridge and I was certainly further up river than my last attempt. There was a bit of a bank but it was blocked by some large fallen trees. I had to climb over them and then wade across the river. It was deeper than I thought and my wellies got full of water but I managed to get to another fallen tree on the other bank.

I held onto it for a breather and then looked up. "YES" I shouted in exultation  Before me was a scene that could easily have been used as a film set from a fantasy film. The Devils Bridge was up above me in the distance, rushing white water plunged down from high above into the depths of the plunge pool that lay at the end of a steep and deep gorge. 

At long last the view I have been searching for.

Winding its way strangely serenely after all the energy of the waterfall flowed the Clydach , its surface sprinkled with white bubbles and beech tree leaves.

I was elated, my energy levels surged and I bounded over the final obstacle - a fallen tree.

At last my quest was completed. I was so happy and excited. I got to work straight away, setting up my tripod and camera equipment. I was going to make the most of this moment in time. I very much doubt I would be returning ever again.

Just enough room to fly the drone with extreme caution.

For a while I stood and just watched. The noise of the waterfall was muffled by the gorge, the slow flowing waters exiting the small canyon it had carved over the millennia was surprisingly serene and calming. The water was cold and fresh. I even drank a hand full and splashed my face. Life was good, I felt great.

Slow shutter speed photography with a ND 1000 filter.

I did my best to capture a little snapshot of time with my photographs. Those who know me and read my blogs will understand that what I think makes a good photo is not necessarily whether its technically brilliant or artistic or composed well , what I like the most is the story behind that photo - thats what gives the picture a life of its own and meaning.

Hope you enjoyed my epic blog post and perhaps understand what drives me to get out with the camera and do crazy stuff like this.

I have been light with details concerning my route. Please don't chase me for information as its very dangerous and I would hate for anyone to get injured trying to follow in my footsteps. If your as crazy as me then do your research, plan carefully, tell someone where you are going and do it at your own risk.