Everything has a price, including this waterfall in Wales. The price, in case you are wondering, for the waterfall, is about £950,000.
It’s in the Berwyn Mountains, near Oswestry, and is 240 feet high, making it one of Britain’s tallest. It’s called Pistyll Rhaeadr and is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales.
I did not know there were Seven Wonders of Wales, much in the same way that I did not know you could buy a waterfall.
As well as the waterfall, the sale will also include Tan-y-Pistyll (‘little house under the waterfall’) a ‘fantastic’ business that includes a tea room, a two-bedroom apartment, chalet, caravan, camping field, prayer lodge used for wedding ceremonies, a three-bedroom detached house and about 25 acres of land.
Quite an odd thing, isn’t it, buying a waterfall? I am sure there are various complexities about ownership that I am smoothing over in the name of good copy, but it strikes me as quite strange that something such as a waterfall could be owned.
I suppose it is no different than owning a field, but there is something so majestic, magical, Arthurian about a waterfall that the idea of it being owned by a person seems like laughing in the face of God. Like putting a sticker on an elephant.
Looking at the pictures, the surrounding landscape is the very best of Wales. It’s properties such as this which call into question the entire concept of land ownership, at least to my mind. I am not one to begin a call for a type of Right to Roam revolution, but there’s a certain absurdity to labelling this landscape as ‘property’.
The house itself is a little more prosaic, though still has charm and potential.
I am trying to imagine what I might do with this place if I did buy it. Create some kind of Modernist palace to take maximum advantage of the waterfall most likely. Maybe dig some kind of underground cave and pretend to be Batman. I know the council will probably stop me but a man is allowed to dream.
‘What shall I liken it to?’ said George Burrow in the 19th century, when he saw the waterfall, which is for sale for about £950,000. ‘I scarcely know, unless it is to an immense skein of silk agitated and disturbed by tempestuous blasts, or to the long tail of a grey courser at furious speed. I never saw water falling so gracefully, so much like thin, beautiful threads as here.’
In case you were wondering, it takes about 20 minutes to walk the footpath from the bottom of the waterfall to the top of the waterfall. The waterfall website advises wearing good shoes. The tea room can seat about 38 people inside and more outside if the weather is nice, which considering it’s in Wales, will be unlikely.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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