A moderate route in Brecon Beacons. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: Layby on the A470 (SN 971 222).
IMPORTANT — MOUNTAIN SAFETY: This walk crosses the high open moorland of the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) with three Hewitt summits above 600m. The upper ridge is frequently in cloud and the path between SN 966 202 and Fan Fawr at SN 969 193 is particularly hard to follow in poor visibility. Navigation skills and a GPS device or map and compass are essential. Full mountain kit is required. Check the weather forecast carefully before setting out.
A fine but frustrating outing on the western outliers of the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog), taking in three Hewitt summits across one of the most interesting and varied sections of this magnificent national park — with the cloud firmly down for most of it. The approach from the A470 layby is pleasant enough, following a stream up to the track junction before striking out across the open moorland to Fan Frynych and the dramatic northern escarpment above the Craig Cerrig Gleisiad National Nature Reserve. The Beacons Way provides a fine ridge path south to Craig Cerrig Gleisiad, though the views into the cwm below were stubbornly withheld on the day. The transition to the South Wales Traverse and the final push to Fan Fawr — the highest summit at 734m — proved the most navigational challenging section, the path fading and reappearing in the thick cloud and the zig-zag GPS track telling its own story. The steep descent from Fan Fawr to the Storey Arms demands care at the top where the ground is slippery, but the path quickly improves and delivers a fine straightforward finish down to the road. The return on the Taff Trail is easy and pleasant. On a clear day this walk would be outstanding — the views from Fan Fawr alone across the full sweep of the Beacons would make it exceptional. Come back on a better day.