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1	"Seymour, Gareth" [GSeym	79	Sarn Helen
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From: "Seymour, Gareth" <GSeymour@mp.sihe.ac.uk>
Subject: Sarn Helen
Date: Thu, 22 May 97 09:55:00 PDT

In Reply to Chris Marsden's email.

Present Condition of the middle section of Sarn Helen (Coelbren to 
Ystradfellte).

After driving through Mr. Woods farm you reach the start of this section.( 
There is a continuation before this across fields and the gate is always 
locked). The road has a solid stone base and is no worse than when I first 
drove it 10 years ago. There are a couple of points along the first mile 
where the drains have collapsed and the resulting water has washed the track 
away. These gulleys,the widest of which is 2-3ft have a depth of 8-10 inches 
approx. These are just enough to keep the average car off the road. You then 
start heading downhill where there are a few rocks standing proud due to 
water again washing away soil and smaller stones. These keep your speed down 

4ft high. The bottom of this section is solid stone and has always gathered 
water. This has since been made worse by the forestry vehicles going across 
the road leaving ruts, mud and branches. This has the effect of daming the 
flow and hence the "puddles" can get deeper than the previous 6 inches.  I 
was very dismayed when I first saw this damage. I admit I should have 
written and complained at the time. Next is the section with bare flat rock 
which does have a badly rutted "mud run" at the side of it. The ruts making 
this up are 12 inches plus and it is just not worth trying in a Land Rover, 
hence you drive over the flat rock. This must have been made over 10 years 
ago by military or forestry vehicles.

The rest is again stone based with rock steps down to the stream. The 
continuation is compact stone and patchy tarmac used by the farm.

Challenging...

Clive Williams whom I spoke to yesterday was not too happy with the article. 
The Aberdulais section did have a challenging section a few year back. This 
was a gully which had a permanent stream running down it. Glamorgan Offroad 
club offered on a number of occassions to repair it and when given the go 
ahead were prevented doing so by the land owner who is now happy to take 
money off clubs for using his land for trialling. This section  was more of 
a challenge and this reference in the article was made in the past tense. 
Barriers are locked over the winter months at present. Clive is happy with 
the state of the road and in sections it does not follow the Roman course. I 
did mention a rutted section near Coelbren but he is happy about that as it 
keeps the average car off the route.

I have always used the road for inexperienced drivers or owners of cherished 
vehicles due to its easy nature. Part time 4x4 normally leave it in 2 wheel 
drive. The only time it can be said to be challenging is in winter when 
there is 2 foot plus of snow and the tractor has been along and compacted 
the snow into rutted section. It just got to be too much hassle towing the 
lead vehicle when it got grounded back in November !!.

Restrictions/repairs.

I would have thought this was the last lane under threat from a TRO. There 
are a couple of sections as mentioned needing a bit of filling and the 
forestry have to be made to repair the damage they have done. I have just 
put the phone down after speaking to Mark Chapman. He was not very talkative 
to say the least, unlike Clive yesterday. He mention the fact that repairs 
will have to be carried out and mentioned a TRO to protect from FUTURE 
damage (thats a dodgy excuse!!). The National Parks are planing to make a 
video of the damage. This I must see, expect I'll have to pose as a walker.

Thats all for now.

All leter to Mark Chapman
Powys CC
County Hall
Llandindod Wells.

Fax 01597-826244

Copies to the National Parks.

ps. Mark has not seen the article so am faxing it to him now.

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