BIG changes have come to a popular beauty spot familiar to many in Herefordshire.

A £53,000 project to make woodland in the Elan Valley more accessible to visitors has been completed thanks to grant funding secured by Powys County Council.

The work has included creating accessible paths with better surfaces, accessible gates and steps to the top of Pen y Garreg Dam, in Penbont Woods, along with a viewing platform and an accessible picnic table.

Two shelters have also been built, providing more information on the Celtic rainforest in the Elan Valley and the recently reopened Devil’s Gulch.

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The work was made possible thanks to the 80 per cent grant funding secured by the county council’s economy and climate service from Welsh Government, as part of its Brilliant Basics scheme.

“Tourism is very important to the Powys economy," said Powys County Council's Councillor David Selby. 

"We therefore want to do everything we can to protect the assets we have and make our beautiful county a more attractive place to visit,”

“I hope many more people will now be encouraged to explore the Elan Valley.”

The improvements have been managed by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, which also provided the rest of the funding.

The Welsh Government’s Brilliant Basics scheme has seen £5 million allocated to small-scale tourism infrastructure improvements across Wales for 2023-25.

The Welsh Government’s Minister for Social Partnership, Jack Sargeant, said the project was a great example of organisations working together. 

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“This project is a great example of organisations working together, and I thank Powys County Council and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water for overseeing this work.”

Powys County Council was successful in securing £300,000 of this funding, which is being spent on 10 projects covering better access, car parks, trails, electric vehicle charging points, signage and interpretation, and toilet upgrades at various locations.

The Celtic rainforest, a temperate rainforest, once covered much of Ireland and the west of Britain but still exists in small fragments, in places like the Elan Valley.

The Devil’s Gulch is a popular walking route in the Elan Valley that was reopened to the public at the beginning of last year, after repair work was completed to make it safe.