Afon Cilieni

Nearby Rivers: Newport and Brecon Area - Usk Catchment

A medium grade spate tributary of the river Usk.

Pentre’r Felin to Park Farm bridge

3 km class III (one rapid IV); no portages

Turn off in Sennybridge northwards from the A40 trunk road up towards Pentre’r Felin. Access can be made (discreetly) in the village itself GR920304. The water needs to be clearly in spate to be worth doing. Once on, the canoeist is immediately faced with a fast, tree-lined, class III torrent which requires some weaving to descend. There are some excellent waves and holes which fortunately lack the viciousness of the ones found on the Nant Bran. As you quickly reach the first proper road bridge at GR938302 there is a solid class IV rapid, which is exciting to shoot. This deserves inspection for the right line, though at time of paddling it was best run on the right-hand side because of an irritating tree growing from the sweeter, left-hand side: a wild buzz. It is better to continue on down through more fast water, join the Usk which will be really big and bouncy and finish one kilometre further down at the next bridge GR947296.