Swansea and Neath
Melincourt Falls
Eighty-foot waterfall in a wooded side valley off the Neath, reached in twenty minutes on a good path. Painted by Turner and still worth the detour.
- Distance
- 1.6 mi / 2.5 km
- Time
- 55 min
- Ascent
- 90 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- There and back
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 path follows the stream up through the woods to the foot of the falls and returns the same way. Short, with some steps and rock.
Worth knowing
- Turner painted these falls in 1795 and the composition is recognisable from the viewing point.
- The Neath valley is the gateway to waterfall country; Aberdulais and the Ystradfellte falls are both close.
- Wet rock and steps. Boots even for a short walk.
What you’ll see
The single high fall into a plunge pool, mossy gorge woodland and dippers on the stream.
Background
An eighteenth-century ironworks stood at the foot of the falls, using the water for power. Little of it remains beyond earthworks.