A WALKING group is using its feet to do the talking over the contentious closure of a scenic footpath in the Elan Valley.

Access to the Devil’s Gulch, a hugely popular area close to the Pen y Garreg Reservoir on the Elan Valley trail, has been closed to the public for more than two years. Access has been prohibited since November 2018 due to rockfall which made the path impassable and led to estimated repair costs of more than £1 million.

The rock face has been left in an “extremely unstable” condition, leading the Welsh Government to extending the path’s closure for a further six months earlier this year.

Powys Ramblers feel they have come up with a solution to the problem by creating a new walking route – one they say is far better than an alternative proposed by authorities, which involves having to walk along a road and could possibly lead to a collision with a car.

“Powys Ramblers have been pushing the council and Welsh Water to find a solution to this issue for the last couple of years but without success,” said Powys Ramblers’ footpath secretary Graham Taylor.

“Rhayader Town Council have also been expressing their concern about the time taken to resolve this issue. We too are concerned about the diversion which takes people along the road which is narrow and windy and, in non-Covid times, used by visitors not used to the many twists and turns and who have been known to be rather heavy footed with the accelerator foot.”

And the group have the answer according to Graham. “In frustration about the lack of progress we came up with another diversion which avoids the road completely using, in the main, public footpaths and common land,” he added.

“It is fine for walkers and affords wonderful views of the valley. At our request Welsh Water have referred to it on the Elan Valley visitor centre website but it is not mentioned on site at either end of the closed stretch. The signs there just encourage people to use the more dangerous option of following the road.

“Hopefully Welsh Water and the council will listen to our repeated requests to put up signs about our alternative diversions on site.

“We heard at the beginning of last month at meetings with Welsh Water about various possible solutions to the obstructions and we are waiting to hear which one they are going to pursue. Hopefully it won’t be too long.”

The new route proposed by the ramblers is around 2.3 miles long and involves about 1,000ft of climbing. The diversion via the road is around three miles and flatter.

“The only downside of our diversion is that it involves a few climbs,” admitted Graham.

“There are spectacular views from the walk on the high ground which more than makes up for this; you get to see the reservoirs from a different angle. Most important though, it avoids having to dodge cars on the road, which is so much safer.”

In response, Welsh Water, owners of the Elan Valley estate, fear the alternate route suggested by Powys Ramblers would only be suitable for experienced walkers.

“We are grateful to Powys Ramblers for providing us with their suggested alternative walking routes while Devil’s Gulch is closed and we have engaged in discussions with them about the routes,” said Welsh Water in a statement.

“As the routes proposed are only suited for experienced walkers, particularly due to the nature of the terrain they pass through, we are not able to promote them as official diversion routes as they would not be accessible for all.

“We have, however, made reference to the routes on our website so that people can make an informed decision before arriving at the Elan Valley about whether these routes are suitable for them or not.

“We have agreed a diversion route with Powys County Council which is inclusive to all and involves walkers using a section of road which runs through the estate. We are currently in discussions with Powys to agree traffic calming measures that can be introduced which will keep walkers and road users safe.”

You can check out Powys Ramblers’ alternative walking route on the visitor centre website by clicking on https://www.elanvalley.org.uk/crwydro/walking/elan-valley-trail.