Yesterday I was out on the first gorge walk of the year.
The weather was fine, but cold, the river in good condition, but very cold!
Three women had booked an adventure session and with this group size, we managed to achieve a good deal, despite the water temperature. The morning was spent keeping warm and dry and the afternoon was a full on wet experience. Brrr....
The women seemed to enjoy it!!
Surprisingly, the car park was busy for this time of the year, not a good omen for peak season, with five groups being led through the boulders and pools of the Sychrydd.
I noted that one supplier that I have commented upon several times were providing the session for young people without issuing wetsuits. I leave this one for you to ponder but would say that it had been -2 the night before.
I also noticed the damage done to the access path alongside the lower Sychrydd, machine activity and bank maintenance. This work was carried out by Forest Enterprises, the owners of the land, and in my opinion has been carried out to a very poor standard.
The banks that we have been working so hard to protect have been bulldozed and wire cages with uniformly sized boulders inside now line one section. The path is a muddy mess and there have been more boulders delivered, not boding well for other sections of the river bank.
This site is an area of international geological importance and it is being trashed, despite the work that many activity providers have done in the past, with a view to gently maintaining the area, by the landowners who are public servants.
This is an act of vandalism by Forest Enterprises. But hey - it is their land.
Prior to starting the gorge walk I visited the Tourist Information Centre and dropped off some leaflets. The centre will be getting a makeover, which I think is a good thing, but this makeover, instead of taking place out of season, will be taking place after easter, a busy time for most operators and presumably for the TIC.
Brecon TIC management decided to do this a couple of years ago, the centre being re-developed without consultation with the tourist industry, and now looks like a craft shop making the location of operators leaflets and information a confusing process.
Brecon TIC closed during the peak season and a year of work from the centre was lost to all local activity, accommodation and attraction providers.
Who decides on when renovations should take place? Authorities with guaranteed income, paid for by the taxes from the operators that they seem to have so little interest in.
There is nothing that can be done in the face of this bureaucracy. And I am sure all find these kind of decisions supremely frustrating.
Oh well, at least I enjoyed the days gorge walking, as did my dog.....
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