The shepherd spent his days on the mountains of Llangattock. He was a lonely man until one day he met a widow who was in need of a home and she agreed to marry him.

She took care of him and the shepherd was content. One day however, she admonished him for walking his dirty boots over her clean floor. Then another night he came home to find the cottage filled with her friends which angered him.

The next day he decided to teach her a lesson. He marched her up the mountain to undertake all his tasks. They returned home in the dark and then demanded that his wife clean and make his supper. He did this day after day and when she was in tears from exhaustion he would fly into a rage and call her lazy. One evening, when she could take no more, she threw herself into the River Usk and drowned.

The shepherd searched for his wife, every day until one day he didn’t return. Because of his cruelty, the shepherd had been turned into a rock and stood looking down on the valley where his wife had vanished.

Supposedly each Midsummer’s Eve, in the light of the moon, the rock returns to human form and the lonely shepherd once more roams the land, calling for his wife. For many years after his cruel acts the women of the valley, fearful of meeting the lonely shepherd, would whitewash the rock to be sure of seeing him approaching through the darkness. You can still see the white paint on the rock today. 

The Devil's Bridge in the Clydach Gorge rather than the more famous one in Ceredigion, is so named because apparently you can see the Devil’s face in the rocks below the falls, I couldn’t spot it myself but let me know if you do!

The Gorge is a place full of legends and mythical creatures like a shape shifting goblin by the name of Pwca who would take the form of an animal such as a rabbit, horse, goat etc - always black. If the Pwca crossed your path, it would bring terrible fortune upon you.

Witches would also brew evil concoctions in their cauldrons using the rare plants that grow in the area. It is also said that Shakespeare himself so inspired by the mystical properties of the Gorge, wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream here.