The Elan Valley estate is an area of 72 square miles around the rivers Elan and Claerwen, managed by The Elan Valley Trust and Welsh Water.
Elan Valley is home to six dams built in the 1890s to supply water to Birmingham, over 70 miles away. There are four dams on the river Elan, and two on the Claerwen, which meets the Elan before it flows into the river Wye.
During special open days you can walk through the tunnel at the top of Pen y garreg dam (pictured) to reach the tower in the middle. See the post in our news section for details of open days.
There are events, exhibitions, guided walks and much more scheduled all year round, held either in the visitor centre or around the estate. See the website or ask one of the rangers for details.
Getting there:
To start, turn left out of the driveway from Wye View and follow the A470 towards Rhayader. You are following the course of the river Wye; the Elan Valley is actually over the mountains to your right.
Once you reach the centre of Rhayader you will come to a cross roads, with a war memorial clocktower to your left; turn right into West Street and follow the B4518 out of the village towards Elan Valley. You will see a brown sign “Elan Valley Lakes” as you leave the village.
Continue 2.5 miles, passing the Elan Valley Hotel and eventually crossing a cattle grid as you enter the Elan Valley Estate. Turn left to follow the sign “Elan Visitor Centre”.
Postcode: LD6 5HP
Ordnance survey map location: SN 928 646 (N52.2694 W3.5724)
Telephone: 01597 810880
Website: elanvalley.org.uk