Detour #204: A dam good drive in the Elan Valley, Wales

A tour of the six dams of Wales’ Elan Valley is a road trip for nature lovers, architecture geeks, engineering aficionados and driving fans.

It’s the deafening sound of water hitting the ground, which can be heard even with my car windows closed, that indicates I’ve arrived in Elan Valley. It’s the kind of noise that tricks your mind into believing you’re directly beneath its flow, causing the hair on my arms to stand up. But the nature of the B4518 means that I’ve yet to see what’s disrupting this tranquil countryside, underscored by the silent munching of sheep in front of the Elan Valley Visitor Centre sign. This signals that I’ve officially reached the beginning of the 72-square-mile valley and its 19-mile-long driving route.

I take a quick detour to the waterfall-like Caban Coch Dam, whose presence reveals why nothing else can be heard for miles and hints at the reason behind the area’s popularity. Caban Coch, together with five other dams and reservoirs, was built between 1893-1952 by Birmingham Corporation Water Department to provide drinking water to Birmingham. Their imposing heights, robust crests, and flowing water resemble the most magnificent waterfalls in Asia, so it’s little wonder they’ve captured the hearts of photographers. A piercing screech from above brings a circling red kite into focus. This is another pointer as to why the Elan Valley is beloved. These predators were brought back from near extinction thanks to the area’s 12 Sites of Special Scientific Interest and the 800-hectare Claerwen National Nature Reserve.

From Caban Coch, I follow the B4518, and the first leg of the journey is a test of control and observation. The road is narrow, made so by the reservoir on my left and enormous rocks cutting-up the road on my right. After a few bends, blind dips, and past the Foel Tower, which can extract 310 million litres of water daily, I reach Garreg Ddu Dam.

A 12-arched viaduct leads me on, past the Hogwarts-looking Nantgwyllt Church and into the adjoining Claerwen Valley. I drive slower here, cruising at 30mph, not because the route dictates it but because there are so many natural splendours awaiting us. A glistening waterfall trickles over moss-covered stones and a formation of trees salutes before opening onto brown-yellow moorland fronting the Claerwen Dam. This is the Elan’s largest dam, holding the same amount of water as all the other reservoirs combined. I’m told, Claerwen, like the rest of the Elan Valley, is designated an International Dark Sky Park, and it’s here where the star cluster, Melotte 111, can be seen.

I retrace my steps past Garreg Ddu and back onto the B4518, following Aberystwyth signs. I zigzag past more trees, the Garreg Ddu Reservoir, and deforested woodlands, although these are beautiful as some woodcarving genius turned the neglected stumps into sculptures of eagles, otters, and owls.

Three hours down, and I’m making great progress as I’ve reached my penultimate dam, Pen y Garreg. For this one, I walk through a woodland to get a view of the dam’s unique architecture, which you can venture inside, and which causes the water to spill over the edge like a curtain.

If my road trip were a play, we’d be fast approaching the crisis or highest point of interest. It seems impossible to surpass Pen y Garreg’s architectural magnificence, but I end at Craig Goch Dam, which is obviously the star of the Elan Valley show. At 1,040 feet above sea level, with a curved retaining wall, arches, and a domed valve tower, Craig Goch can be described in no other terms than simply breath-taking.

Even after we’ve left the valley, the mountains continue to dazzle with green, pink, and purple hues, making me believe that the Elan Valley would make an exquisite landscape painting. 

Words & Photography Jade Braham Twitter | Instagram

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ROADBOOK

CLASS:a dam good drive

NAME: elan Valley

ROUTE: Elan Valley visitor centre to Craig Goch Dam

COUNTRY: wales

Distance: 19 Miles

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