Pistyll Rhaeadr

Pistyll Rhaeadr is a waterfall in Powys, Wales, six kilometres from the village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. It stands where the Afon Disgynfa drops in three stages over a 73-metre cliff of Ordovician mudstones and tuffs. Below the fall the river becomes the Afon Rhaeadr. The tallest stage is about 40 metres high and the site is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. It is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. George Borrow, the 19th-century author, described the waterfall in Wild Wales. He likened it to an immense skein of silk torn by storm winds or to the long tail of a grey courser at full speed. The waterfall is often called the tallest in Wales, though it is not a single drop and is exceeded by others in the country. Both its single drop and total height are smaller than those of Devil’s Appendix and Pistyll y Llyn. Near the foot of the fall there is a car park, a café and a bed-and-breakfast. A path leads from the car park up to the base of the cliff and along the riverbank. Visitors can walk behind the curtain of water when flow is high. The surrounding hills rise steeply, giving views over the valley and farmland below.