Wales is a mecca for wild swimming and the Brecon Beacons have some of the most beautiful spots in the country. The Pontsarn Blue Pool is one of them. It might be more green than blue, but it’s no less spectacular for it. The large swimming hole sits beneath a pretty waterfall, which is lovely enough to seek out, even if you aren’t planning on taking a dip.
Above the “Blue Pool” sits a stunning gorge pool, which is incredibly atmospheric, and the combination of these two spots makes for an unbeatable afternoon’s adventure.
Here’s everything you need to know about accessing both sections of the Pontsarn Blue Pool.
The Blue Pool (Pwll Glas)
How to access the main waterfall pool
Getting to either spot at Pontsarn doesn’t take long (less than five minutes to each one), and it is fairly easy, but both pools do require short scrambles to access.
From the parking area head over to the western side of the bridge and follow the dirt trail that heads south (following the river downstream with it on your left). We have a map at the bottom of the article so it’s easy to visualise.
You’ll quickly see another trail leading down over some rocks to the left, this leads to the gorge pool which we’ll cover in the next section.
To reach the main pool you instead take the obvious dirt trail to the right. It’s a short, decent enough path, and after a minute you’ll see a much narrower trail leading down to the pool on your left.
It might not be immediately obvious that it is the correct path because it leads to a series of large rocks with a sharp 2 (ish) metre drop to the water. It’s only when you peer over that you see there are ledges and steps in the rock that allow you to get down.
It is easy as long as you go carefully down the rocks, which are nice and grippy when dry. This drops to a ledge which slopes gradually down towards the water, allowing you to descend gently, with no awkward moves required.
However, it’s definitely not a straightforward walk into the pool, like many of the others are around the Brecons.
Once you’re on the lowest rock shelf, you can simply walk into the water. It gets deep almost immediately, so there’s very little in the way of negotiating slippery rocks once you’re inside the pool.
Swimming at the Blue Pool
The Blue Pool has a seriously glorious swimming hole and the surrounding scenery is absolutely beautiful.
There is just one downside to swimming here: the rubbish.
I’ve actually never seen a swimming spot anywhere in the world with as much rubbish as the Blue Pool, which was pretty heartbreaking to see.
I tried to remove as much as possible from the water, but I can’t deny that it did mar an otherwise idyllic spot. If you can manage to take a bit of rubbish away with you, it might discourage others who leave trash when they can see other people have already done so. No one should have to clear anyone else’s rubbish, but it might help!
Rubbish aside, the pool is bliss to swim in. The water clarity is amazing and the pool is almost entirely clear of rocks (I didn’t find any), so you can have a leisurely swim without bumping into anything.
The water is cold, but nowhere near as icy as the pools along the Four Waterfalls Trail.
The gorge swimming hole
Once you’re ready to head to the next swimming hole, retrace your steps towards the very beginning of the walk and look for a trail on your right. Within a few seconds you’ll come to a rocky platform overlooking the pool, and then there’s a little scramble.
It’s literally just two steps, but requires careful footing. There is a narrow foothold, or you can semi slide off straight to the bottom, it’s not hard, but it’s definitely not a proper path and might not be for everyone.
You then just follow the rocks left for a few seconds and arrive at the edge of pool number two. I had no idea this one was here before visiting and it really blew me away!
Unlike the pool beneath, the gorge pool was entirely free of rubbish and an absolutely beautiful spot for a dip, or simply somewhere to sit and relax for a while on the large rock shelf.
It’s easy to access the pool with no scrambling required. It’s shallow at first, but does deepen as you head towards the cascade.
Although the pool is not huge, it’s one of my favourite swimming spots in the area because it’s so incredibly atmospheric.
The tall gorge walls give it a dramatic feel, and the swirly patterns on the rock are really picturesque.
It’s a very special spot and I couldn’t believe somewhere this lovely was just a couple of minutes walk from the road!
It probably goes without saying, but don’t visit this spot if there’s been very heavy rain and the flow is high and fast, making it unsafe.
The gorge and pools beyond
We had intentions of following the gorge in the other direction (on the opposite side of the bridge to the Blue Pool) looking for more swimming spots.
Unfortunately we ran out of time to see much more than a few minutes of the other trail, only going a little beyond the Pontsarn Viaduct.
Even on that short section we found another great swimming area, so I can only imagine how many lie further beyond.
There’s a proper walking trail so it should be quite easy to explore further. We have it on our list for next time!
Getting to Pontsarn Blue Pool (Pwll Glas)
The start of the trail to the Blue Pool leaves from the bridge at Pontsarn, the postcode is CF48 2TW. There is very limited parking, so you’ll want to come early or late on weekends or in the school holidays. There is only room for a handful of cars either side of the bridge to pull off the road, and no official car park. It’s free to park and there are no time limits.
There aren’t any facilities near the pool, including toilets, so you’ll want to plan accordingly.
The Blue Pool is located 3 miles (7 minutes) from Merthyr Tydfil, 19 miles (30 minutes) from Brecon and 19 miles (30 minutes) from Abergavenny.
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