Pistyll Rhaeadr

Pistyll Rhaeadr, tucked at the head of a valley in the Berwyn, is the tallest waterfall in Wales, around 240 feet of water dropping in stages through a mossy gorge, complete with a natural rock arch partway down. It is a spectacular subject and drone footage of it circulates widely, but go in with your eyes open. The car park, the café (Tan-y-Pistyll) and the immediate land are all private, so the honest move is to ask at the café before you fly and respect whatever they say; they have been known to welcome considerate pilots and to lose patience with inconsiderate ones. It is not inside a national park, but the falls are an SSSI and sit within the Berwyn Special Protection Area, which is important for upland birds. Flying-wise it is technical: a deep, narrow, tree-fringed gorge with unpredictable turbulence and spray that will fog your lens, plus walkers scrambling on the ledges above the plunge pool. It is also a genuine honeypot, busy in summer and heaving after heavy rain when the falls are at their best. Early on a weekday, after rain, with permission in hand, is the combination that works.