The Elan and Claerwen Valleys are packed with interesting features, which no one knows better than local expert walk leader Tudor Davies
Tudor has, for some time, had his eye on a linear walk that follows the line of the “Cwm Elan Upper Leat” – a very interesting piece of engineering – which was constructed in 1876 to provide a source of water from Llyn Isaf Cerrigllwydion to Cwm Elan Mines.
In a warm spell at the end of May, Tudor, along with Clive Bywater and Jonathan Davies, set off early one morning to attempt to trace the exact route of the leat. It proved to be a challenging but rewarding walk of around nine miles which takes in some of least trodden parts of these hills. It wasn’t until doing some more research afterwards that the team realised they had marked the 150th anniversary of the leat’s construction.
Walking the route highlighted what a remarkable feat it was to have designed and then constructed the leat 150 years ago.
