Gorge Scrambling up Clydach Gorge in Monmouthshire

Have you ever tried gorge scrambling? Indeed, have you ever even heard of it? I was lucky enough to be invited along to try gorge scrambling up the Clydach Gorge, in Monmouthshire, South Wales. This small gorge is just ten minutes away from where I live in Abergavenny and yet i’d never heard of it, or indeed the associated activity of gorge scrambling. But was I in for a treat….

Gorge scrambling or gorge walking is, as it sounds, a wet river scramble or walk. It’s an exciting way to enjoy the countryside. Accompanied by outdoor pursuits instructors, you follow a river through a gorge, scrambling over rocks, jumping into pools, climbing waterfalls and generally having lots of fun! It is a perfect family adventure for those with older kids. The minimum recommended age for this activity is eight, but this can vary depending on the child.

GORGE SCRAMBLING UP CLYDACH GORGE

This activity was organised by Inspire2Adventure who run many outdoor adventurous activities in Monmouthshire and the Forest of Dean.

WHAT TO WEAR TO GO GORGE SCRAMBLING

You need to dress in clothes that you don’t mind getting wet, very wet! Lightweight layers are best to keep warm once you are scrambling in the river. Trainers or lightweight walking shoes are also recommended, but again prepare to get them wet. I wore a pair of lycra leggings (the type you exercise in) and several thin layers on the top, topped with a fleece. This seemed to be what most people wore, and was certainly a comfortable choice.

KITTING UP 

We met our instructors in the car park of the village hall, in Clydach, on a bright but cold spring morning. Inspire2Adventure supplied us all with a drysuit top, a helmet and harness. Car keys can be carried in a dry bag, supplied by Inspire2Adventure.

After a safety briefing we were off to the gorge itself, a short five minute walk from where we were parked.

GORGE SCRAMBLING

Gorge scrambling is a wet river scramble, and it was just that. Initially, our instructors suggested we try and stay on the rocks and stop our feet getting wet. This lasted for all of two minutes, until we decided it was much easier to get wet feet and walk up through the river. It was thoroughly enjoyable scrambling up the river, finding the best route, helping the others in the group, having lots of fun. The rocks in the river were often wet and slippery so you had to be really careful. At times it was difficult to stay upright, but for the most part the going was easy enough.

SCALING WATERFALLS

The major challenges on the river scramble were two waterfalls that had to be climbed. To climb the waterfalls we were roped and harnessed for safety. The first waterfall involved making your way under a huge rock before climbing up the waterfall itself. It looked easy enough but once you’d negotiated the large rock you were buffeted by the full force of the water coming down the waterfall. You are right in the waterfall, there’s no getting away from it! It was difficult to find hand and foot holes in the rock with the water rushing over you. A thorough soaking was had!

The second waterfall was the highlight of the day, a much larger waterfall than the first. By now we were soaking wet so it was rather cold waiting for a turn to climb the falls. In order to get to the waterfall you had to clamber through a pool up to waist height before attaching the rope and climbing the falls itself. This was a much larger waterfall than the first one, with several manoeuvres being needed to get to the top. It took a fair amount of concentration and strength to get up this one but it was great fun and immensely rewarding.

Being in a larger group meant there was a fair amount of waiting around to climb the waterfalls and this is when you get cold. Standing on the rocks or in the water when the wind is bitter and you’re soaking wet is always going to make you cold. We moved around as much as possible to try and prevent us getting too cold. It must have been a very strange sight, a group of people all wiggling and jigging while standing in the river! We were gorge scrambling in April on a cold day. It would obviously be much warmer with higher temperatures.

TRAVERSING A TUNNEL

The last major obstacle on our gorge scramble was a dark, unlit tunnel. It was very dark! You had to swim through a deep pool to get to the entrance to the tunnel, then up a short climb, before entering the tunnel proper. We then waded through the water in complete darkness. An old mining tunnel, there was a bend in the middle, with another small waterfall to climb inside. Luckily the rocks inside the tunnel weren’t slippery with moss so we were able to scramble through, even without being able to see anything.

EXITING THE GORGE

Once out of the tunnel there was a short scramble up to our exit point from the river. It was then a short hike up the side of the gorge to get out. The views from up here, back down the gorge, were impressive.

A steady descent, which took about 15 minutes, brought us back to the main village of Clydach and our parked cars.

GETTING WARM AND DRY

Once back from the gorge scrambling you have to get out of the climbing gear and change into dry clothes. There are no changing facilities or toilets so it’s a matter of a large towel to get changed. Make sure to take a towel and a complete change of dry clothes for after the scrambling – you’ll definitely need them. Once dry and into warm clothes we were soon warm again. A flask of hot tea would also be a good idea – although i hadn’t thought of that!

Our gorge scrambling took two hours. In a group of twelve we had two instructors.

GORGE SCRAMBLING: MY VERDICT

I thoroughly enjoyed the gorge scrambling and had a huge smile on my face throughout. It did get cold but we were here on a chilly April day. I’m sure it would be much warmer on hotter, sunnier days. The highlights are definitely the waterfall climbs but the whole river is beautiful. If you like adventurous activities then you’ll love gorge scrambling. It’s get fun. My three boys would love this – hopefully we’ll all get to do it together sometime the summer. This is a prefect family adventure for those with older kids.

For more details about Gorge Scrambling and a host of other adventurous pursuits in Monmouthshire and the Forest of Dean, check out Inspire2Adventure. Thank you Inspire2Adventure for putting on this activity for us.

FOR MORE ON WALES READ:

Glamping at Hidden Valley Yurts in Monmouthshire

How to Spend Three Days in Snowdonia With Kids

Hiking Snowdon with Kids: the Highest Mountain in Wales

Walking the Wales Coastal Path on the Gower Peninsula

Disclosure: I received a free gorge scrambling experience. Although a free experience for me, I was not obliged to write about it. All opinions expressed, are as always, my own.

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