Very little waterfalls

Henrhyd Waterfall (my last post) is an impressive 90 feet high. In complete contrast, the ones featured in this post are at best 18 inches high, and most a lot less.

These are the Travertine Dams of Slade Brook, near St Briavels, and have the distinction of being the best Travertine Dams in the country. Impressive, eh?

Having never heard of a Travertine Dam before, nor ever knowingly seen one, (and therefore utterly failing to be as impressed as you may just have been) I went in search of information. It turned out to be fairly simple really.  Anyone familiar with the tufa deposits in limestone areas such as Malham (North Yorkshire) will know the principle. The spring of Slade Brook emerges through limestone and in the process absorbs quite a lot of that mineral. When the water flows over obstructions in the stream the turbulence releases dissolved carbon dioxide, causing the limestone to come out of solution and deposit itself. In time these deposits build up to form the 'dams' we see today.

Slade Brook is on a pleasant walk I recently did from St Briavels, a few miles from my home. It started with lovely views of the Wye Valley.

The River Wye flows along the far side of the valley.  According to my walk book, the low-lying cultivated ground in the middle distance was once within a meander of the river, which became incised when the river straightened itself. I remember learning this stuff for Geography O-Level, a long time ago, and it's nice to see it 'for real'. Those old text books would have drawn an oxbow lake where the old river bed had been, but that has long since disappeared.

I searched in vain to discover when all this happened; presumably some time in the last 10,000 years or so, after the last ice age had receded.

So there you have it — chemistry, geology and a picturesque countryside walk, all in one post.

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P.S.  For an interesting sequel to this post, and some more photos of the travertine dams, click this link.

Henrhyd Waterfall

A few weeks ago I ended my Waterfall Country Walk at Sgwd yr Eira.  It features in the June edition of Country Walking and is described with appropriate enthusiasm:

Here in a corner of the Brecon Beacons defined by tumbling water and deep gorges, is a virtually unique proposition in the United Kingdom: the chance to walk behind a waterfall.

Well, with the greatest respect to Country Walking, and the good folk of Ystradfellte and Pontneddfechan, there is an even better one... and it's only 7½ miles away.

This is Henrhyd Falls, the highest waterfall in the Brecon Beacons.  If you fancy a quick and fairly easy visit, there's a National Trust car park within easy reach, but you wouldn't really expect me to do this one the easy way, would you? Perish the thought!

Your intrepid adventurer parked in Ynyswen, crossed the Avon Tawe and walked up the secluded Nant Llech valley. The National Park Authority and local council have done a brilliant job in making this walk enjoyable for young and old, with several 'audio stops' along the way that describe the history and geology of the area. For me, the most interesting were childhood memories by someone who had grown up in the valley.

The audio stops near the Falls were unresponsive – their batteries presumably run down by much button-pushing. I would like to have shared the ones I heard with you, but the website link doesn't work. Perhaps, one day, someone will get everything working again.

OS map on my smartphone

Nant Llech

Behind Henrhyd Falls

From Henrhyd I climbed the steep path to the car park, then walked northwest, taking the footpath that starts by a radio mast (see map) and heads for Nant-y-ffin.

Open countryside between Henrhyd and Nant-y-ffin

Next, I followed a path high above the Avon Tawe and made my way back to Ynyswen, completing my 5½ mile walk.  The scenery on this return leg wasn't as spectacular as the earlier stretch, but still very pleasant.  And what, I wonder, do you make of this monster? I thought that it looked rather hungry, so crept past very quietly.

No more pills

When I worked for English China Clays in Cornwall I was required to have a yearly medical check-up. The company nurse became concerned about my blood pressure and strongly advised me to lose weight. She gave me a diet sheet and over the following months I lost about a stone, and down came my blood pressure. Shortly afterwards, though, I was taken off radiological work and no longer needed the check-up... and my weight gradually returned to its old obese 'high'.

18 years ago my GP prescribed a blood pressure pill and statins, and the yearly medical check-ups resumed.  That's the way things stayed until last July, when I joined Slimming World. By Christmas I'd lost 2½ stone and achieved my target weight.

A few weeks ago I was called in to my Health Centre for another check-up. The results were impressive: blood pressure had dropped to 100:70 and blood cholesterol level had fallen 'through the floor' to 2.1. I immediately booked an appointment with my favourite GP and stopped taking the blood pressure pill.

Yesterday I turned up for this impromptu Meds Review.  Blood pressure had inevitably risen, but only to a healthy 120:80. "Your cholesterol level is probably too low," he explained, "so stop taking your statin as well. You no longer have hypertension... and I rarely have the privilege of saying that to anyone!"

As you may well imagine, I am thrilled. Eager to share my news, I sent a text message to my former Slimming World consultant.  Back came this reply:

Oh Angie, that's fantastic news! Of course I remember you. You truly deserve your success. Am over the moon. All your doing! Take care. Debra xxx

So now I have an added incentive to keep my weight in check – maintaining that healthy blood pressure.

Oh, and now I'm off statins, I can eat grapefruit again. I had one for breakfast this morning and enjoyed every long-cherished mouthful.