Swansea and Neath
Aberdulais Falls and the Canal
Waterfall that powered industry for four hundred years, now driving the largest electricity-generating waterwheel in Europe, with a canal and aqueduct alongside.
- Distance
- 1.9 mi / 3 km
- Time
- 1 hr
- Ascent
- 60 m
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
The falls site is compact; the walk extends along the Neath canal towpath and over the Aberdulais aqueduct before returning. Level and easy.
Worth knowing
- Paid entry to the falls site; the canal towpath is free.
- The waterwheel generates power for the site and there is a fish pass alongside.
- The aqueduct carries the canal over the Dulais and is a fine piece of engineering in its own right.
What you’ll see
The falls, the waterwheel and turbine house, the aqueduct and the tinplate works ruins.
Background
Copper was smelted here from 1584 using water power, followed by ironworks, a corn mill and finally a tinplate works.