Melincourt Falls is an high waterfall on Melin Court Brook, a left-bank tributary of the
River Neath
River Neath ( cy, Afon Nedd) is a river in south Wales running south west from the point at which its headwaters arising in the Brecon Beacons National Park converge to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay. ...
/
Afon Nedd, located south of
Resolven
Resolven ( cy, Resolfen) is a small village and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is located in the Vale of Neath.
Location
The village is situated in the Vale of Neath, north east of the town of Neath, next to the A465 ...
in the
county borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent ter ...
of
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot ( cy, Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county borough in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county bor ...
, south
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. It is formed where the brook plunges over a resistant band of 'Lower Pennant Sandstone' in a 13 acre / 5 hectare nature reserve managed by the
Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Natur De a Gorllewin Cymru) is a Wildlife Trust in south and west Wales, one of 46 such Trusts in the United Kingdom.
History
Forerunner of the WTSWW, the former West Wal ...
.
The falls have been drawing visitors for at least two centuries – they are certainly known to have inspired
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...
to paint them in 1794.
The falls are considered by some to constitute a part of
Waterfall Country though the bulk of these falls are a few miles further northeast at the head of the
Vale of Neath
The Vale of Neath (or Neath Valley, Welsh: ''Cwm Nedd''), one of the South Wales Valleys, encompasses the upper reaches of the River Neath in southwest Wales. In addition to the River Neath, it is traversed by the Neath Canal and the A465 dual ...
.
Visitor facilities
It can be accessed by the public footpath from the B4434 Resolven to Tonna Road, south of
Resolven
Resolven ( cy, Resolfen) is a small village and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is located in the Vale of Neath.
Location
The village is situated in the Vale of Neath, north east of the town of Neath, next to the A465 ...
. The entrance to the path is on the opposite side of the road from the public car park. The falls (otherwise known as Melincwrt Falls), can also be viewed from above where a minor public road bridges the brook immediately upstream of the drop.
Gallery
Image:Melincourt falls-1.jpg, Melincourt Falls in December
Image:Melincourt falls-5.jpg, The secondary falls, beside the main waterfall
Image:Melincourt falls-8.jpg, The Falls from the surrounding woodlands
External links
Melincourt WaterfallsSouth and West Wales Wildlife Trust websiteimages of Melin Court Falls and the surrounding area on the Geograph websiteOpen source map showing location of falls and nearest carpark (approx 1 mile away)
References
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Waterfalls of Neath Port Talbot
Vale of Neath