BRECHFA
By John Fenna

ROUTE

From the car park and picnic site in Victoria Park, where the remains of a dried-up holy well can be seen, return to the road and turn right. Opposite the Forest Arms Hotel turn left between the rectory and the churchyard and follow the lane down to the ford across the Afon Marlais. There is no footbridge or stepping stones here but the ford is often shallow enough to splash across dry-footed. If you do not fancy trying this, return to the road, turn left across the bridge and turn left again on a track below the chapel to gain the southern side of the ford.

(1) From the ford, the lane known as the Old Road climbs steeply as it winds southwards up the side of Banc y Daren and is followed for approx 1.2km, ignoring waymarked side turnings, and going sharp left after each of the gates on the road.

Although seemingly unending, this climb has compensations in the form of ever-expanding views, and, if you do this walk in the season, wild strawberry picking as you go.

In some places the lane is sunken into the hill, in others it has high hedges, and in yet others open views, but it eventually gets you up to a saddle or pass between Banc y Daren and its neighbouring hill where the lane turns sharp right and the walk abandons it.

(2) At the bend go straight on through a waymarked gateway, then bear right down the fence line following a sunken and rather boggy track.

(3) This track is followed as it swings left, passes the ruins of Hafod and descends towards the Afon Cothi down a steep-sided stream valley, cloaked in majestic trees. The track is well-graded and a pleasure to walk. Ignore side turns and follow the stream on your right, which is heard more often than seen, until the track brings you down through the farmyard of Ty Llwyd.

(4) Just below the farm turn left at a track junction and head northwards to the buildings at Daren Fawr.

(5) By Daren Fawr turn left up a waymarked track that leads up alongside the rushing Afon Cothi, and through oak and ash woodland of great beauty until, after approx 1.2km, the path abandons the river and leads up with a wooded bank on your left and a fence on your right, to a gate.

Go through the gate, then left up the waymarked track that swings around the north-west side of the ruins of Clyn Llydan and between fields, down to cross the Afon Marlais on a rather elderly and decrepit gated footbridge by an ancient ford that has lasted better.

(6) Safely across the footbridge, turn left across the track cut into the rock leading to the ford, and up to a stile.

Cross this into a field where a faint, but waymarked, path leads you through the scrubby margins and across the flower-rich wet grassland to a gap near the middle of the top northern hedge and a stile over the fence that runs along the far side of the hedge.

Cross the next field diagonally left to a stile and gate onto the B4310. Turn left and walk back down through Brechfa to the start of the walk at Victoria Gardens.

(7) A pleasant riverside walk of approx 1km in total, through oak woods bordering the Afon Marlais, can be enjoyed by simply following the river side of the picnic site up to a hunters gate, and then on a narrow path alongside the highly attractive stream. When you come to a fence with no stile, retrace your steps by this rugged deep-cut stream back to the start of the walk.

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ALONG THE WAY

Brechfa is a small village that gives its name to the sprawling, and mostly coniferous, plantation, Brechfa Forest. In the Middle Ages the forest of oak and ash was an important hunting ground and Brechfa itself provided accommodation for the royal and noble hunters.

During the 1st World War a factory in the village used local wood to produce naphtha for the explosives industry, while wood from the forest provided fuel and materials for the South Wales industrial revolution.

The Church of St Teilo in the centre of the village is fairly modern, having been built in 1893 to replace the small and dilapidated original building that dated back (in part) to the 6th Century. Parts of the old building were included in the new and the present church has a very pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. The church in Brechfa has a fascinating history, being founded by St Teilo and, at times, serving as a grange of Talley Abbey and having some very sporting rectors.

One of these, Joshua Davies, was appointed to the living of Brechfa for having agreed to take the place of a missing team member of an important football match and was fond of both football - played in a field by the church - and the occasional beer, on which subject he is quoted as saying, "Don't do as I do, do as I say".

It is reported that another rector, Thomas Jones, often had to be summoned back for Evensong from his salmon fishing by the furious ringing of the church bells.

It was not until after WWI that the triple bell cote was filled, a new bell from the chemical works joining the bell from the old church and a bell specially made for the new church.

Although seemingly a backwater, Brechfa has been involved in great world affairs. In the 1930s a camp was built locally for unemployed workers from the South Wales valleys. Open from March to September each year, the camp provided accommodation for the men sent to build roads for the Forestry Commission but, during the Spanish Civil War,it was used to house Basque refugee children.

A detailed history of "'Teulu Teilo', a History of the Church in Brechfa" is available in the church and is well-written and amusing, giving an insight into the life of this quiet village.

The walk itself heads to the south of the village, avoiding the coniferous plantations of Brechfa Forest, climbing over Banc y Daren to give superb views, including those over the Cothi and Marlais valleys.

Much of the walk is shaded by the oak and ash of the old Brechfa Forest, while naturalists will find the variety of wild life and flowers fascinating. The hedgerows are full of colour with wood anemone, celandine, hart's tongue fern, wood sage, wild strawberries and other plants to be seen. The trees are covered in lichens and mosses, while an area of wet grassland near the end of the walk has marsh-loving plants including meadowsweet, spotted orchids, bog asphodel, wild angelica and ragged robin growing amid tussock grass.

The bird life to be found along the way can include buzzards, dippers, wagtails, tree creepers, woodpeckers and, if lucky, red kites and kingfishers.

Look out for grey squirrels dashing through the trees, and salmon rising in the river, as well as sign of some of our larger wild mammals in the woods.

The route taken follows what were once important tracks serving the local inhabitants, but are now quiet by-ways past the ruins of a hafod, or "summer dwelling" high on the hill once used by shepherds when stock could graze higher land, and a deserted farm at Clyn Llydan where nature is reclaiming a once substantial dwelling.