From the Cambrian Way ridge of the Black Mountains to Pistyll Rhaeadr — one of the Seven Wonders of Wales — and a Wellington bomber's final resting place on the Brecon moorland.
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An outstanding Brecon circular combining the Allt Lwyd Nuttall with the Waun Rydd plateau, and two sites of significant historical interest. The dramatic cwm edge path gives amazing views into the valley below and towards Pen y Fan. The poignant Wellington bomber crash site commemorates five Canadian airmen who perished here on 6 July 1942 — their training flight descending through thick cloud to its end at Cwar y Gigfran. Carn Pica cairn, likely built on an ancient burial site, marks the most easterly tip of the main Brecon ridge.
Read full description →A rewarding circular via the Beacons Way and South Wales Traverse, taking in two Hewitts of equal height. Garreg Lwyd offers 360-degree views of the eastern Brecons and southwest Wales; Garreg Las looks west towards Fan Brycheiniog and Fan Hir. An interesting potholes section on the Beacons Way, a boggy valley crossing requiring care, and fascinating old lime workings on the return add variety to the day.
Read full description →An exceptional ridge walk via the Cambrian Way taking in three Hewitts and a Nuttall with superb Black Mountains views throughout. The clear and well-defined ridge path gives excellent walking for some distance, with views across to the Skirrid and Sugar Loaf appearing early. Pen Cerrig-calch, Pen Allt-mawr and finally Mynydd Llysiau follow in succession; the descent through Park Wood and past a waterfall rounds off a classic Black Mountains day.
Read full description →A superb and varied mountain day combining one of the oldest and most dramatically positioned historical sites in Wales — Castell Dinas, a Norman castle built within a Bronze Age hillfort — with the highest summit in the Black Mountains. Y Grib's dramatic narrow ridge provides one of the finest ridge walks in Wales before the broad summit plateau of Waun Fach is reached. A classic and rewarding circuit.
Read full description →A magnificent circuit in the Clwydian Range combining two fine summits, a dramatic Iron Age hillfort and the iconic Jubilee Tower. Moel Arthur's well-preserved hillfort earthworks are remarkable up close; the Offa's Dyke Path southward provides superb open ridge walking with Wales falling away on both sides. The ruined obelisk of the Jubilee Tower on Moel Famau — the highest point in the Clwydians — provides views from Snowdonia to the Cheshire Plain on a clear day.
Read full description →An excellent circular via the North Berwyn Way, taking in Moel Fferna with marvellous 360-degree views across the Berwyns and Clwydians. The route winds through woods before emerging onto open moorland. The descent through Cynwyd Forest requires care at junctions — a dead-end discovered through trial and error is honestly reported. Liberty Hall, remains of an old shooting lodge, and a disused mine add historical interest. The navigation notes are characteristically candid throughout.
Read full description →An outstanding but extremely challenging very wild walk beginning at the spectacular Pistyll Rhaeadr — one of the Seven Wonders of Wales — where the Afon Disgynfa falls 240 feet in three stages. The walk quickly becomes pathless and brutal: boggy ground, peat hags, thick grass, 5ft bracken (go early in the year), and a faint path that disappears near the Post Gwyn summit. Only for experienced navigators. The waterfall on the return and refreshments at the car park are a fine reward.
Read full description →An excellent circular taking in two Hewitts with optional Nuttall extensions for peak-baggers. The ridge gives great views weather permitting. A candid warning about the descent: the tempting footpath at SH 961 303 marked on the map leads into hard walking through felled forestry with uneven ground and no real path — discovered the hard way. Stay on the good track to SH 956 307 instead. The kind of honest routing note that saves others an unpleasant surprise.
Read full description →An outstanding but extremely challenging circular requiring excellent navigation throughout — extensive wild walking, pathless boggy terrain, thick gorse and steep ground from Garnedd Fawr onwards. Foel Goch Hewitt rewards with brilliant panoramas across Bala, the Arans, the Arenigs, the Berwyns and North Snowdonia. The climb to Moel Emoel through heavy gorse is hard work. Suitable only for experienced mountain walkers with confident navigation skills.
Read full description →Three Hewitts in challenging conditions around the New Radnor firing range — low cloud, wind and driving rain meant no views on this occasion, but the walk delivered character in abundance. Bache Hill's summit looks almost man-made, possibly an ancient burial site (two wild campers in their tent were enduring the same conditions). The firing range requires careful attention to warning signs throughout. Great Rhos at 660 m is the highest of the three — surely magnificent on a clear day.
Read full description →A magnificent circuit of the two highest peaks in southern Britain, approached by the far more rewarding eastern ridge rather than the busy Storey Arms tourist path. Pen y Fan at 886 m is every bit the summit its reputation promises. The descent on the Cambrian Way brings the walk's most contemplative moment — the Tommy Jones obelisk above Llyn Cwm Llwch, marking where a five-year-old boy was found twenty-nine days after he disappeared. The lake below is beautiful and haunted in equal measure.
Read full description →Three Hewitt summits on the western outliers of the Brecon Beacons across one of the most interesting and varied sections of this magnificent national park. The dramatic northern escarpment above Craig Cerrig Gleisiad National Nature Reserve is a highlight. Navigation between SN 966 202 and Fan Fawr (734 m) is challenging in poor visibility — the path fades in cloud. On a clear day this would be outstanding; come back on a better day than the cloud-shrouded outing described here.
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