A veteran amateur photographer was killed in a plunge into a river gorge at a countryside beauty spot, an inquest has heard.
Gerald Davies, 76, set off in his Mini Cooper to take pictures of Clydach Gorge in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
But an inquest heard he never returned home and was found dead in the gorge nine days later.
Mr Davies, of Tredegar in Blaenau Gwent, was known as a “keen historian, railway enthusiast and photographer”.
But the pensioner – who assisted the lay readers at his local church – went missing on August 14 with friends puzzled by his disappearance.
Friend Kenneth Davies discovered Gerald Davies’ car five days later on the Old Black Rock Road near the village of Clydach, Monmouthshire, seven miles from his home.
Mr Davies reported it to police and confirmed his friend had recently taken photographs in that area.
Police appealed for information from people who may have been in steep-sided Clydach Gorge, which runs for around three and a half miles within the Brecon Beacons National Park and is a popular tourist destination with footpaths, the National Cycle Network, and a car park next to the River Clydach.
Andrew Zerbinho and his partner from a cave rescue team searched down to the river and discovered a body.
He told the inquest in a statement the terrain was difficult and said the footwear Mr Davies was wearing was “inappropriate to the conditions”. Mr Zerbinho also reported slip marks, suggesting Mr Davies may have lost his footing.
The post-mortem examination confirmed Mr Davies had suffered traumatic injuries consistent with a fall in the gorge.
Senior Gwent coroner Caroline Saunders said: “I am satisfied that death was ultimately attributed to the injuries that Gerald sustained in a fall in the gorge.”
She recorded a narrative conclusion that Mr Davies died from the injuries but it had “not been possible to determine whether Gerald fell as a result of a medical incident or lost his footing”.
After he died Gwent Police chief inspector Amanda Thomas said: “I’d like to thank everyone in the community who has helped in the search following Gerald’s disappearance.
“The efforts displayed by the community was phenomenal – thank you to all those involved.”
