The Devil Made Me Do It

We had no tent to take down, no equipment to pack up. Our breakfast was Weetabix, served in stainless-steel mugs that we could easily rinse out at the comfort station. We were on the road before the other campers came awake, before the grounds opened up.

We didn't realize that Devil's Bridge was a site that required an admission fee. And when we pulled up to the vacant parking lot, we could see that the village of Pontarfynach and neighbouring inn were still a-slumber.

But we couldn't wait.

The staircase that led under the bridge was blocked by a turnstile. We had to contort our bodies to squeeze through the gaps between the bars (there's just no way I could do that today!) and DW helped me get my camera bag over the gate. The pathway down was surrounded by dense scrubs and trees, and the sound of the tumbling water—echoing in the chasm and at the base—was deafening. No one would hear us over the splash of the falls.

Devil's Bridge is a stacking of three bridges: the lowest and first-built is suspected to have been built by the Strata Florida Abbey monks, who were looking to ease access to their nearby abbey. It dates from between 1075 to 1200. When it became unstable, a second bridge was built atop it in 1753: the original bridge was used in the second bridge's construction, to hold scaffolding. In 1901, an iron bridge was built above the second bridge.

Local folklore claims that the first bridge was built by the Devil, who offered to help an old woman retrieve her cow, which had somehow crossed to the other side of the Afon Mynach (Monk River, in English). In exchange for his help, the woman promised to give the Devil the first living thing that crossed the bridge.

The woman sent her dog, thereby tricking the Devil.

At the bridge, the river falls 91 metres over five tiers, landing at what is known as the Devil's Punchbowl. We took a few photos but the rain threatened to soak us, so we only spent a few minutes, hoping to get out before anyone caught our trespass.

At the ticket booth, we left a handful of coins. Not enough to cover the admission cost but enough, in our minds, to cover the brief stay and our partial walk (we didn't hike the whole trail or visit any of the other lookouts).

Back in our Ford Fiesta, we made our way to our next destination. Stay tuned.