Cnwch hill lies immediately south of the Elan Valley Visitor Centre, and forms the southern wall of the gorge in which was built Caban Coch dam, to create the lowest of the Elan valley reservoirs. The hill rises steeply from the dam, and the summit cairn at 456m (1491') is nearly 800' higher than the visitor centre. The heathery hill, and the sessile oakwoods which clothe its sides, are an RSPB nature reserve. A nature trail - used on Hillscape Walking Holidays Caban Coch Walk - zig-zags gently up through the oakwoods to the open moorland above, leaving a short, steep climb to the summit cairn.
The panorama shows Caban Coch reservoir to the left of the cairn, and if you zoom in you can see the Nantgwyllt dam/bridge which separates Caban Coch from Garreg-ddu reservoir. To the left of the visible water, and snaking away round the corner, is the Claerwen valley. The upper Elan valley lies beyond Garreg-ddu dam. The water that can be seen disappearing behind the cairn leads to Caban Coch dam. At the right-hand end of the panorama is the lower Elan valley, leading towards Rhayader, with heathery Carngafallt - another RSPB reserve - to its right. At the left-hand end, the skyline is formed by the highest part of the Elan watershed, including the summits of Drygarn Fawr, Gorllwyn, and Y Gamriw.
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