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Ystradgynlais & the SouthYstradgynlais and the Tawe
A riverside loop from the largest town in southern Powys, through a landscape that was industrial and is quietly going back to green.
- Distance
- 2.8 mi / 4.5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 25
- Ascent
- 80 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
Follow the Tawe from the town centre on the made riverside paths, cross and return on the opposite bank. Level, easy and well used by local people.
Worth knowing
- Josef Herman, the Polish painter, lived and worked here in the 1940s and the town centre has a gallery devoted to him.
- Good for a winter afternoon when everywhere higher is grim.
- The paths are used by local dog walkers, so it is sociable rather than solitary.
What you’ll see
The Tawe, regenerating woodland on old industrial ground, and dippers on the river.
Background
Ystradgynlais grew on coal and tinplate. Josef Herman spent eleven years here painting the miners, and the town remains proud of the association.