Sgwd yr Eira - The Hanging Waterfall with a path behind.

The waterfalls along the rivers that run south through Fforest Fawr and join at Pontneddfachan are stunning and the setting among steep, wooded gorges is fantastic walking country. This area is a great contrast to the uplands of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

There is a walk called the 4 Waterfalls Walk which is signposted by the park authority. They recommend starting at the village of Penderyn which makes access easy to the waterfalls and is a good route if you don’t have time for a full day of exploring the rivers.

A good circular route that takes in all four rivers and the waterfalls is to start at Pontneddfechan, parking at Craig y Dinas, walk back through the village and follow the path up the side of the Afon Nedd behind the pub.

Waterfall on the Afon Nedd

After about 4 km the path can be followed across to the car park near a large cave mouth that swallows the Afon Mellte and is popular with cavers. This is just south of the village of Ystradfellte.

From here there are well marked paths leading south to the Four Waterfalls Walk. After visiting whichever of the waterfalls you have the time and energy for then follow the signs to the waterfall called Sgwd yr Eira. This is a hanging waterfall with a path running behind so you can cross the Afon Hepste and follow the paths south back to the car park at Craig y Dinas.

This can also be done by starting at the cavers car park near Ystradfellte and stopping at the pub in Pontneddfechan for lunch!

The Afon Nedd

The Afon Nedd

Castell Dinas

There is parking just below Castell Dinas at Pengenffordd a few miles south of Talgarth in the Black Mountains. Follow a well marked path onto the open mountain  – visit the Iron Age hillfort of Castell Dinas if you have time – and then straight on up the steep ridge to the more level top ridge that runs along to Waun Fach – the highest peak in the Black Mountains – and Pen y Gadair Fawr just beyond it. Waun Fach itself is uninspiring, while Pen y Gadair Fawr has the more usual flat top of the Beacons mountains and a cairn on top which makes it a focal point for walkers.

Waun Fach

On the way to Waun Fach through the Feb ice

The Brecon Beacons from Waun Fach

Brecon Beacons from Craig y Fan Ddu

One of the the best Brecon Beacons Walks that avoids the Pen y Fan circus is to head for Talybont-on-Usk on the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons range. You can walk from Talybont-on-Usk or go over the canal and drive along the edge of the reservoirs until reaching some car parks at the foot of the mountains.

There are footpaths here that will take you up on to Craig y Fan Ddu and heading towards the peaks of Fan y Big and Cribyn. It’s a wild moorland up on the craig with great drops into the wide open valleys and extensive views across the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains.

Most of all it is a lot quieter than the Brecon Beacons Walks around the Storey Arms area, and in my view even more stunning and interesting walking country.

Brecon Beacons WaterfallActivities in the park include:

• walking
• hiking
• rambling
• cycling
• mountain biking
• horse riding
• sailing
• windsurfing
• canoeing
• fishing
• rock climbing
• hang-gliding
• caravanning
• camping
• caving

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Pen y Fan from Corn Du

The walking routes from Storey Arms, south of Brecon, to the twin peaks of Pen y Fan and Corn Du are the most popular in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Pen y Fan is the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons at 2906 ft (886 m). The two peaks are close together and have distinctive flat tops that can be seen throughtout the area.

If you park opposite the Storey Arms Outdoor Education Centre then the easiest walking route to Pen y Fan is to follow the path behind the centre up to the top of Corn Du and then across to Pen y Fam itself.

A short distance south along the main road is another large car park.

From here you can cross the stream via a foot bridge and ascend on the well worn, and now mostly stone laid, path to the summits.

Pen y Fan from Cribyn with Corn Du in the background

This path gives you a choice of first ascending Corn Du or bypassing it to go direct to Pen y Fan.

Other routes to the highest peaks in the Brecon Beacons National Park are via the ridges and peaks of the central range.

Brecon Beacons View

The Brecon Beacons National Park was designated in 1957. It was the last of the three Welsh parks to be designated. The others are Snowdonia and the Pembrokeshire Coast. Brecon Beacons Walks are very popular with visitors.

It covers 519 square miles and stretches from Llandeilo in the west to Hay-on-Wye in the east. It covers the Black Mountains on the east, the Black Mountain in the west, the Brecon Beacons themselves south of Brecon, and

Fforest Fawr (Great Forest) from west of the Brecon Beacons to the Black Mountain.

Most of the national park is moorland. There are many forestry plantations with farms and lowland grazing in the valleys. Most of these areas are open for Brecon Beacons Walks.

Walking in the Brecon Beacons

The Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre was opened in 1966 and is located south of Brecon. Its aim is to help visitors and tourists to interpret the area.

Views from the Brecon Beacons are extensive and range from the South Wales valleys almost to the coast, the mountains of Mid Wales, the border areas and West Wales.

There are great circular walks to be had right across the Brecon Beacons mountains. Check the map for suitable parking places and footpaths or bridleways that give access to the common land, and from there you can plot a course across the mountains and back to the starting point.