Winston and Maisie said "No" to Devil's Bridge

Welshie Big Adventure in Wales

"No thanks, I'll stay home today."

After returning from the Stinkeye and then spending a large part of a day running on the beach and climbing the trails of Mwnt, Winston and Maisie said “No” when we asked them to go on another adventure day.

dogs having fun

dogs avoiding a collision

racing to the ball

With the exception of a few days, we have gone out and walked and explored with the pups every day for the entire month.  While Brian and I love all the walking and exploring, this is far more activity than the dogs are used to.

Enjoying a snooze while Winston looks on.

With a solid rejection from Winston and Maisie we decided to head out on our own to hike the Devil’s Bridge.  Our guide book recommended not bringing short legged or old dogs on this adventure because of steep and uneven steps.  With the sun shining brightly overhead, we set out for a heart pumping walk.

Dressing as a Welsh girl at Devil's Bridge.

Devil’s Bridge is about an hour's drive from Tregaron.  We had passed the entrance to the steeply declining path several times on our treks farther north.  There is a free lot just over the bridge itself to park your car, and there are several cafes plus the hotel to have a snack or lunch.

View from the start of the descent.

Looking down the stairs.

A pretty arched bridge over the water.

There are two different trails that you can take.  The steepest one is about 650 steps straight down.  You enter via one set of steps and come out on the other side by the hotel.

Hotel overlooking Devil's Bridge.

The views and sounds from the trail are breathtaking.  As we walked, we saw bits and pieces of the waterfalls.  The flora was rich and varied because there are no sheep along this trail to snack on the tastiest morsels.

Water rushing below us.

After exiting this trail we crossed back over the bridge and entered the shorter but still steep descent to see the three bridges from a better angle.  The first bridge was built in the 11th Century, the second was built in 1753, and the third was built in 1901.

a view of the 11th Century and 1731 bridges.

The original bridge.

Looking down into the chasm that the water has carved over time.

The rushing water over time carved a perfect bowl shape into the slate before descending into the narrow cracks to make the final, and grander, descent to the water below on the other side of the road.

It took a lot of force to hollow out this rock.

As we made our way home to Tregaron we both remarked on how glad we were to have finally ticked this item off our bucket list for Wales.  It would have been a shame had we missed the experience of the steep descent and heart pumping incline on the return.