Travel to Whitewalls - local road closure

[Stuart France]

The Hafod Road (aka the tramroad) is closed since last weekend for about 3 months to mid-May. I saw piles of Heras fencing lying about on the grass then so they must intend to close it off fully. This stops you from driving directly between Brynmawr and Whitewalls or the Daren Car Park. See:

Getting There | Chelsea Spelaeological Society

The official website of the Chelsea Spelaeological Society caving club.

chelseaspelaeo.org

Apparently this is not to resurface miles of appalling tarmac although that needs doing given the potholes are craters and the rest is a non-stop bone skaker, but to deal with carriageway subsidence. The road hasn't broken apart yet but there have been big cracks in the tarmac for a long time showing that it might break off and fall into the fields below. The closed section is between from where Cheeses Lane (i.e. the minor road from the petrol station in Gilwern village via Llanelly Hill Church) joins the tramroad to about half way along the tramroad to the A465 going in the Brynmawr direction.

Cheeses Lane has almost no passing places so it should be avoided. So use one of the other two steep narrow access roads from the Llangattock village area shown in the link above.

 

[alanw]

See https://ukcaving.com/board/index.ph...h-trip-daren-to-cnwc.30069/page-2#post-406574

 

[Rhys]

It's worth noting that the "Cheeses Lane" route directly up from Llanelly church meets the tramway at an impossible hairpin junction. Reversing and multi-point turns are required, so that route is definitely best avoided, as Stuart says. Even if the diversion signs may point that way!

 

[andrewmcleod]

I've always used the 'Cheeses Lane' route to get to the hut; I actually thought that was the recommended route with the very steep lane directly below the hut having big warnings in the CSS hut visitor documents! I'm pretty sure that's how Google has always taken me and I think it would be a long way round doing the whole tramroad (coming in from the east along the A465).

I've just realised your point Rhys - the corner at the top is entertaining but normally you can just carry on about 100-200m or so and turn around (although I reckon I might get my Yaris round it). If they block it off, you won't me able to do that...

 

[asheshouse]

“impossible hairpin junction” !! Used to be my favourite route Simple two point turn in most cars. Not advised for minibuses though.