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WALK 8

Cwm Cynwyn and Bryn Teg

Start	Pont y Caniedydd (SO 039 244)
Distance	8km (5 miles)
Total Ascent	641m (2102ft)
Map	OL12 Western Area

The route enters Cwm Cynwyn and crosses the stream to the other side of the valley, avoiding the busy and rather monotonous walk along the Roman Road. An ascent of Cribyn via Craig Cwm Cynwyn is followed by an exciting descent along the prow of Cribyn and an easy walk back along Bryn Teg ridge. The headwall ascent to Cribyn and the first part of the descent to Bryn Teg are steep. Adverse weather makes the use of map and compass mandatory, and in snow and ice conditions crampons are desirable. The walk is quite energetic. A nature reserve, the glacial nature of the valley, the views from Cribyn and the Roman Road are the main points of interest.

Cross the bridge and head south up the road, passing Bailea Farm on the way. On the right of the road in the valley of Cwm Sere is a woodland nature reserve (see Walk 7) and at the head of this valley is the north-east face of Pen y Fan. To its left is Bryn Teg ridge. Ignore the turning on the left to Bailea Farm and follow the road up the hill to where it swings sharp left and through a gate. Ignore this turning and follow the stony track straight ahead to a gate in the hill fence on the far side of which is a National Trust sign for Cwm Cynwyn. This stony track is popularly known as the Roman Road (see Walk 11).

Fifty metres on the left is a gate which leads into a walled enclosure at the end of which is a second gate. Follow through these and down the rough track to another gate and so to the farm (New Cwmcynwyn) via the lane to the right. Pass through the farmyard to a gate and through this to a stony lane where ahead is a fine view of Fan y Big. At the bottom of this stony lane the track bears to the right up the valley. Ignore this and continue dropping down left alongside the green moss-covered stone wall to the stream.

Cross the river, aiming for the gate opposite. In spate, this river may be very difficult to cross. If so, retrace to the stony lane south of New Cwmcynwyn Farm and continue up the right side of the stream rejoining the route at the stone sheep pens.

Cwm Cynwyn and the Black Mountains from Bryn Teg

Keep left up the hill to the top and round to the right into the grounds of Old Cwmcynwyn Farm.

The fireplace still has its oak lintel in place and a surprisingly large tree emerges halfway up the front of the chimney breast. Its roots have penetrated through the stones and into the ground below.

From the ruins turn left by the wire fence and up the track to a stile and so to the path running along the hillside 50m above. Turn right (SSW), following the path towards the head of the valley. The hill fence turns right and drops down to the river bed.

In front of you on the right is the prow of Cribyn and the ridge running round from that to the gap of the Roman Road and Fan y Big on your left.

Continue along the east side of the valley above the stream down to the right. Eventually the indistinct path you are following meets the stream bed at a hawthorn tree and old stone enclosures (hafodydd).

The ruined stone enclosures in this area were originally small buildings and pens, called hafodydd, used when flocks were moved to higher pastures in the spring. One stone is inscribed with ‘G.H.’, the initials of the Gwynne Halfords of Buckland, a large land-owning family in Victorian times.

Leave the stream course here and strike up left onto the lower reaches of Fan y Big on which there is a double row of small rock outcrops which should be passed on the left-hand side. Traverse right above the lower outcrops and climb steadily to the Roman Road.

You will want to catch your breath after this sustained climb and there are plenty of interesting features to see from this good viewpoint. Down below in the head of the valley is an interesting glacial feature (see ‘Head of Cwm Cynwyn’). Up above to the west is the impressive crag of Craig Cwm Cynwyn (see Walk 10) formed from resistant Brownstones (see ‘Geology of the Brecon Beacons,’ Walk 21). Finally, you may well be resting on a once busy Roman thoroughfare.

Looking along Craig Cwm Cynwyn to the summits of Cribyn and Pen y Fan

HEAD OF CWM CYNWYN