Llangurig to Rhayader

Centuries old Gilfach was a working hill farm, but is now a spectacular Nature Reserve (SSSI) where the Afon Marteg tumbles delightfully over rocks to join the Wye. Gilfach is known for the great variety of wildlife, from flycatchers and dippers to otters, polecats and salmon, as well as more than 413 types of lichen! Heather and gorse bring a blaze of colour to the upland hillsides in late summer attracting insects like the mountain bumble and fox moth.

In a Tŷ hir, or Welsh longhouse, families and their livestock lived together under the same roof. The family lived in the uphill side of the building and their cattle and horses were kept in stalls on the lower side so that manure drained downhill. (This was on the right at Gilfach). Often servants slept in the hay loft above the animals, benefitting from their warmth in winter. Gilfach dates from around 1550.

The Monk’s Trod is a 25 mile medieval route over the Cambrian Mountains, linking two Cistercian monasteries founded in the late 12th century, Strata Florida (Ystrad Fflur) and Abbey Cwmhir (Abaty Cwmhir). You can follow the Monk’s Trod through Gilfach Nature Reserve, where it crosses the Wye at Pont Marteg and climbs up to the mountain top. It is one of the best-preserved medieval roads in Britain.