Anyone heading for Coed-y-Brenin this weekend, who happens to have a spare pontoon bridge lying around, is encouraged to bring it.
A three hour storm last week described by trail builder Dafydd Davis as “absolutely F****ng biblical” saw river levels rise 35 feet in the gorges around Coed-y-Brenin in a couple of hours.
When the waters subsided “fridge freezer” sized riverbed boulders where found sitting 25 feet above normal water level, while several static caravans, Land Rovers and tractors had been swept away and obliterated along with countless unlucky livestock. The water also completely erased any trace of two key bridges on the MBR trail – one of which was 500 years old – which means the trail is temporarily closed until they can work out how to re-route it.
Luckily the bridges on the Karrimor held out even though they were both under water at the height of the storm. Dafydd was also delighted to report that his singletrack trails had remained totally unscathed despite unbelievable rainfall intensity.