The Nedd, 25 Jan 2026

The Nedd (River Neath)

4 of us ran the River Neath, graded 2-3. None of us had run this river before.

It was a very fair description in the guidebook, fast and bouncy, for quite a lot of the run. There's potential for quite a bit of playing about in stoppers and some good standing waves along the way for surfing. There are indeed about 6 or 7 weirs, most of which are broken, and with a little care and judgement these allow a safe passage through, with one notable exception. It's obvious when you reach it (as it has a warning sign on the left bank!). It has obviously been a substantial structure of brick, which now forms a jumble of obstacles in three drops. It doesn't look too technical, but you wouldn't want to take a swim, as the final 3rd drop on it has a nasty looking stopper on the main shoot. Needless to say, we portaged around this, a bit tedious, but there's an easy get out and get in above and below it.

There are 2 potential starts. The upper one at Dinas rock is a bit of a scramble down to the river but gives access to a good sporty section of 2km of the river. A second access is by steps off the main bridge at Glyn Neath, which would be the better start for a beginners group as the upper access almost immediately leads straight into a short section of large boulders (grade 3?) Giving no chance to warm up. A rude awakening!

We ran this at gauge reading between low and medium at .65, which was fine, just a little scrapey in a couple of places. 

Overall - well worth doing and closer to Stroud than many Welsh rivers with convenient parking and good cafés at each end as well. What more do you need? 

Obviously, it's a good pub.....there are 2 back near the start at Ponteddfechan.

NB, if the river is not at the correct level, this is the starting place for many excellent walks/hikes.