When it comes to hiking, we are spoilt for choice, with over 140,000 miles of footpaths, bridleways and byways in England and Wales alone. Closer to home, we have the moors of Bodmin, Exmoor, Dartmoor to explore, plus the 600+ miles of the South West Coast Path, but there is so much else out there across Britain.
In this blog post, David Somerville shares his recent trip to Wales, where, with his brother, they hiked four different routes across four days. David shares more about the trip and looks at what it is that draws him back to this beautiful part of the British Isles.
A love of hiking
I’ve always loved being outdoors. As kid my fondest memories were playing outside in woodlands near where we lived, spending hours there building camps, finding old rope swings and exploring old abandoned buildings and caves.
Hiking for me has always been a brilliant way to spend time outdoors and when I was younger I would head out at every opportunity – from short local walks, to taking part in organised challenges, plus adventures to places such as the Peak District, Yorkshire Moors and Wales.
Adulthood came with other distractions, including falling in love with surfing, so I hiked less, but still knew I would return to it one day.
Now I’m typically out hiking several times a month and sometimes every weekend. Living right on the South West Coast Path, I’m lucky enough to be able to step out and head along local stretches in Devon (and into Cornwall).
A few years ago, my brother and I started to head out together on trips to hike for a few days at a time, either carrying our kit for overnights in tents or simply doing a series of day-hikes with a stay in a pub or hotel. When you factor in the shower and comfy bed, this option might not be as adventurous, but it certainly helps after a long day of walking!
Why Wales?
This is our second trip to Wales in the past two years, specifically the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (the new official name for what was the Brecon Beacons).
We had considered another location originally for this Autumn’s adventure, but looking back at pictures from the previous year, I couldn’t give up the chance to go back again.
I do feel inexplicably drawn to Wales. I’m not Welsh and none of my family are, but I think the country and people are ace. Perhaps this is fuelled by having spent three years living there at University, plus several holidays as a child and again as an adult.
It has so much to offer the outdoor lover – from stunning mountain ranges, to beautiful coastlines – all set to a backdrop of a small population of people who are hugely passionate about their nation, their rugby and their culture in general.
Trip overview
For this trip, we knew we had a short window of four days, including the two travel days, so decided to fit in two short walks and two longer ones.
Our itinerary was:
- Day one – Ysgyryd Fawr – 3.58 miles / 1,074 feet climbed
- Day two – Lyn-y-Fan-Fawr and Fan Brycheiniog – 10.40 miles / 2,491 feet climbed
- Day three – Blaen-y-Glyn waterfalls and Wellington Bomber memorial – 6.12 miles / 1,581 feet climbed
- Day four – Sugar Loaf – 3.34 miles / 872 feet climbed
On this trip we also opted for pub accommodation, staying in pubs close to the start of each walk. This in itself was both more comfortable, but also more fun, as anyone who has experienced a night in the Valleys at the weekend will tell you. From Tina Turner impersonators, to karaoke starting at 5pm, to finding a pint of Brain’s SA (a favourite beer from my University days) for £1.69 a pint!
Day one – Warming-up on Ysgyryd Fawr
After picking up my brother from Newport railway station, we headed 30 minutes north to just outside Abergavenny, to tackle the short, but sharp climb to Ysgyryd Fawr (or ‘Big Skirrid’ in English).
Sitting on the eastern edge of the National Park, this peak offers spectacular 360° views.
We parked up in the National Trust car park and followed a track through some woodlands, which got steeper as we went. Clearing the woodlands, you get your first views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Climbing higher then took us onto a long ridgeline that led us up to the summit, which sits at 486m.
With the weather being clear, the views were indeed outstanding. We could see the nearby Black Mountains, plus across back into England towards the Herefordshire and Malvern hills and even down to the Bristol Channel.
After taking some moments to soak this all in, we dropped down the far side of the summit and looped back around the base of Ysgyryd Fawr, passing the lower peak of Ysgyryd Fach (Little Skirrid).
We dropped down through the woodlands again and back onto the original path to the car park, before driving an hour west to stay in the village of Abercraf.
Day two – Two lakes and four peaks
Day two was an early start, as we knew we had our longest walk to do. We drove a few miles north, with the sunshine starting to appear from behind the mountains and found a layby just tucked off a narrow road.
Our hike today was a 10 mile loop that included two glacial lakes and four mountain peaks.
We started by following the Nany-y-Llyn river, climbing for around 45 minutes up the open moorland, passing numerous waterfalls and grazing sheep. Reaching a plateau, we were now on the shores of Llyn-y-fan-fawr (the Big Lake).
Stopping for breakfast and views across this mirror-calm and crystal clear lake, we then saw the task ahead of us, with the peaks looming high above us.
Fuelled up, we headed up towards the first (and highest) peak of Fan Brycheiniog (802 metres). Pausing to take in the spectacular views back down to the lake and then across the other mountains in the area, we then headed round the ridgeline to Fan Foel (781m).
Dropping down a dip, we then climbed straight back up to Picws Du (749m), before traversing the ridgeline around to the summit of Waun Lefrith (677m). Another break was called for, this time giving us the chance to look back across the peaks we had climbed.
We then dropped down to Llyn-y-fan-fach (‘Small Lake’), which was equally impressive as its big brother.
Heading back around the base of the mountains, we ended back at Llyn-y-fan-fawr. We had hoped to spot one of the Wellington Bomber crash sites en-route, however must have missed it somehow.
Our final descent from the lake, following the Nany-y-lyn river back downstream to where we had parked (some four hours or so previously).
Reflecting on the day, we both agreed this was the best walk we had ever done in the Brecon Beacons. The combination of high peaks, beautiful lakes and complete peace made it outstanding. Plus compared to many other parts of the National Park, it was relatively quiet in terms of hikers.
Day three – Waterfalls, Wellington Bombers and wind
Our third day took us to the Central area of the National Park, close to the famous Pen-y-Fan, which we had climbed the previous year. This time we wanted to hike around one of the valleys nearby, on a route that was new to us.
The weather again started off dry and sunny, however this was due to change quite rapidly with an early Autumn Atlantic storm heading our way.
We parked in a car park at Blaen-y-Glyn and walked downhill through dark pine forests until we reached the river and series of spectacular waterfalls. Crossing the river, we then headed upstream for a mile or so, before climbing up onto the open moorland and then up a steep path to the top of the first mountain.
Here we got our first taste of the impending storm, with winds starting to pick up. We headed along a ridgeline before dropping down slightly to a Word War Two Wellington Bomber crash site. Here, in 1942, a Wellington Bomber crashed in poor weather conditions, killing all five of its Canadian crew members. A stone memorial has been built to honour them and you can still see wreckage from the crash, which over the years has been neatly placed in two distinct piles.
Climbing up again, we reached the ridge of Bwlch-y-Ddwyallt at 754m high. Walking along this curved glacial escarpment we could really feel the full-force of the wind as it gusted and funnelled up the valley below us.
We traversed around the ridge for about a mile until we reached Craig-y-fan-du (678m). Heading along another ridgeline that ran parallel to the valley, the wind was now much mellower and made for easier walking.
After another few miles we began our steep descent back to the car park, having completed a loop of just over 6 miles.
Day four – Sugar Loaf in the clouds
Our final day of the trip and again we were blessed with a dry day, however the leftovers of the previous evening’s storm meant many of the mountains were shrouded in low cloud.
This was the case for Sugar Loaf – out last peak to tackle – which sits at 565m.
Driving up and up from Abergavenny, we reached a high car park that was the start point for this short 3.5 mile walk. We headed up along the path, which soon opened up onto the wide mountainside, with the peak of Sugar Loaf right in front of us.
Climbing up and up, we started to lose visibility quickly and knew that the views from the top were going to be somewhat limited.
Arriving on the flat summit, this was definitely the case, but the cloud was fast moving, so we got glimpses across the surrounding area.
As we then dropped back down the mountain we saw even more of the stunning scenery and the sunshine came back out to give us some final warmth as we headed back to the car park.
So that was it. Our trip was done and it was another cracker!
Overall we covered 23.44 miles and climbed a total of 6,018 feet in altitude – which our legs could certainly testify for!
If you have never visited or hiked in the Blannau Brycheiniog then I would strongly urge you to do so soon. It’s a stunning part of the British Isles, with walks for all abilities and scenery to take your breath away.
Do you have an outdoor adventure tale you would like to share? We’d love to hear it, so drop us a message.
