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INTRODUCTION

The Brecon Beacons from Cefn-Cantref farm

Situated in an unspoilt area of South Wales, just north of the former coal mining valleys, the Brecon Beacons National Park is a place of beautiful and diverse landscapes. One of three national parks in Wales, more than half of its 519 square miles are over 1000ft above sea level and it boasts a rich mixture of majestic valleys, dramatic waterfalls and high mountain peaks and ridges.

The routes in this guide avoid the less interesting, more popular routes that most people frequent, and take you to wooded gorges and upland valleys that even the locals may be unaware of. All the 45 routes are circular and avoid using stretches of road wherever possible. A striking feature of the park is the number of rich and varied walks that can be found in a relatively small area, so great distances do not have to be travelled by car to sample the multitude of different landscapes and varied terrain on offer.

The park falls naturally into four geographic areas. These are (from west to east): Mynydd Du (The Black Mountain), Fforest Fawr, Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains (Y Mynyddoedd Duon). These all have different characters making the park unique in offering such varied walking experiences.

Mynydd Du really lives up to its name, having some of the remotest upland wilderness in England and Wales. This is the area to choose when you really want to get away from it all. In contrast, Fforest Fawr (the Great Forest), a former royal hunting ground, has both friendly upland walks and deeply incised river gorges and waterfalls to rival any in the UK. The Brecon Beacons are the highest summits in the park, with Pen y Fan not quite making ‘Munro’ status, being just short of 3000ft. Although this area lacks the challenges of the narrow rocky ridges of the Lake District and Snowdonia, it does provide opportunities for a real mountain expedition in exciting winter conditions. Finally, the Black Mountains, on the English border, have a softer feel to them, without the coarse and rugged Welshness of Mynydd Du.

There is also a plethora of things to see and activities for visitors of all ages and tastes, making the park a great place for families to visit. Favourite attractions for children include Dan-yr-Ogof Show Caves in the Swansea Valley, Brecon Mountain Railway at Penderyn and Big Pit National Coal Museum near Blaenavon. Picturesque market towns on the edges of the park, such as Llandovery, Brecon, Crickhowell and Abergavenny, are also great places to explore.

Geology of the Brecon Beacons

The rocks that shape the park belong to the Old Red Sandstone and were deposited some 395–345 million years ago in the Devonian period of geological time. Old Red Sandstone is a generic term which refers to a group of sedimentary rocks laid down by rivers flowing across coastal plains. Three distinct rock types, conglomerates, sands and muds, were formed from river gravels, sands and muds respectively.

South Wales lay south of the equator in latitudes which are typically occupied by deserts. Prior to this, much of Britain was affected by strong earth movements which caused uplift and sharp folding, resulting in a tract of upland (St George’s Land) which probably extended from the Midlands through central and northern Wales and into Ireland.

Flash floods washed down red muds, sands and grits along ephemeral river channels, building an extensive river flood plain. To the south was the Devonian shoreline, approximately where the Bristol Channel is now, and the warm Devonian Sea where the first fish swam. Europe at this time was drifting northward and, when it crossed the equator, the semi-arid flood plains were gradually submerged beneath tropical Carboniferous seas.

The Old Red Sandstone in the Brecon Beacons can be split on geological grounds into Lower and Upper, the Middle being missing. The Lower Old Red Sandstone comprises a group of up to 850m of red marls followed by a group of sandstones divided into two formations – the Senni Beds, some 310m of dark green chloritic layers interbedded with red, and the Brownstones, 330m of very dark red and purple sandstones. The steep craggy slopes are formed from these regularly bedded Brownstones.

A secondary escarpment is well developed on the northern ridges of Cefn Cwm Llwch, Bryn Teg and Cefn Cyff where the ridge drops steeply from the main scarp, flattens between 540 and 600m and then drops again, the steeper slopes beneath this being cut in the Senni Beds which underlie the Brownstones.

The Upper Old Red Sandstone comprises three groups of rocks. The Plateau Beds are red quartzites and conglomerates up to 33m thick which unconformably overlie the Brownstones. The summits of Corn Du and Pen y Fan are capped by an isolated outlier of some 14m of overlying, massively bedded, Plateau Beds. The second group, the Grey Grits, are unfossiliferous sandstones and conglomerates up to 200ft thick and these pass laterally eastwards into the Quartz Conglomerates which comprise red and brown sandstones, quartzites and coarse conglomerates. Further earth movements during the mid-Devonian period uplifted South Wales, resulting in renewed erosion, creating a distinct break in the geological record, and forming the distinctive ridges and valleys that walkers enjoy today.

Pen y Fan from the Cribyn face path

Earth movements

Mountain building earth movements which took place at the base of the Old Red Sandstone and at the end of the Upper Palaeozoic have been named the Caledonian and Hercynian, respectively. Caledonian movements spanned a time interval of more than 100 million years, at least from latest Cambrian to post-Silurian, and were responsible for folding and faulting of rocks, resulting in geological structures aligned in a north-east–south-west direction. After these mid-Devonian movements died away, there was little mountain building until late Carboniferous times. At the end of the Coal Measures, the Brecon Beacons were on the southern flanks of a southward-moving continent which eventually collided with a northward-moving land mass to the south. Enormous compressive forces caused strong folding and faulting of Upper Palaeozoic rocks. The outstanding feature that resulted from these tectonic movements is the syncline of the South Wales coalfield and the regional southward tilt of the rocks of the Brecon Beacons originated as part of its northern limb. A major structure disrupts the northern rim of the coalfield and runs through the lower parts of the Waterfall Country. This is a complex fault system known as the Neath Disturbance which grew intermittently from Dinantian times, reaching its zenith in late-Carboniferous times.

Glacial origins of U-shaped valleys

The valleys were originally formed by streams cutting down through the Old Red Sandstone rocks, forming a V-shaped cross-section. For some two million years this area was in the grip of the Ice Age which ended about 10,000 years ago. Glacier ice carved out U-shaped valleys and towards the end of the Pleistocene, when climatic conditions were still sufficiently cold for significant quantities of snow to collect, many cwms were formed.

Changing Woodland

Trees started to recolonise the Brecon Beacons after the last Ice Age around 12,000 years ago. Arctic-alpine vegetation first established itself, and was then invaded by a scrubland of dwarf birch with some juniper. Taller birches and, to a lesser extent, Scots pine, followed.

Woodland flowers in Cwm Cumbeth

The climate continued becoming warmer and drier and, around 9000 years ago, pine and birch remained on lower hill slopes but the upland was covered in hazel, with valleys full of damp oak woodland with lime and elm. Woodland grew at much higher altitudes than it does today, up to 600m, above which grew alpine grassland.

Climatic conditions then became even warmer and more humid allowing the formation of blanket peats 7000–5000 years ago. Alder, elm and oak thrived in damp valleys. Drier conditions returned, elm disappeared and beech made its first appearance. The climate started to decline again and has continued to do so to the present day. Sessile oak, ash and beech woodland developed in this period and still dominate the landscape today.

Human Impact

The Brecon Beacons may appear to be a bleak and inhospitable place to live but prehistoric man is known to have settled here since Mesolithic times (Middle Stone Age c6000BC). The climate in Mesolithic, Neolithic (New Stone Age c3000–1800BC) and Bronze Age times (c1800–400BC) was much warmer and drier than today’s and the mountains were covered in oak, birch, alder and lime woodland, with an understorey of hazel and willow.

Woodland glades would have contained grasses, heathers, species of rose and various flowers. Prehistoric man fed, clothed and housed himself by hunting and gathering, and, by about 2500BC, woodland clearance and mixed farming was practised. During the very dry summer of 1976 when the water level was extremely low, many scrapers, arrowheads and knife blades were found in the Upper Neuadd reservoir.

An improvement in Britain’s climate from about 4500 years ago heralded the start of the Bronze Age and was associated with the spread of agriculture into the uplands at the expense of the wildwood. This change is suggested by a gradual decline in tree pollen and an increase in plantain pollen and bracken spores in peat cores taken locally. It is also known that cereals were cultivated in the Brecon Beacons area. The climate deteriorated again from about 3000 years ago and resulted in a retreat of farming from the uplands. Peat bogs spread across formerly productive farmland.

The Neolithic tradition of constructing stone circles was continued into Bronze Age times but now came the construction of large dry-stone cairn burial mounds on the summits of Mynydd Du and Fforest Fawr. Copper tools and other objects are recorded from at least 4500 years ago. The use of copper was followed shortly by bronze. However, stone tools continued to be made and used in Wales until about 3400 years ago.

A marked increase in deforestation took place during pre-Roman Iron Age times in order to create new grasslands, as sheep were an important part of the subsistence economy. Similar factors have controlled the appearance of the landscape from this time to the present day as farmers continue to make a living from the land.

Birdlife

Merlins have declined due to loss of open heather moorland which has been decimated by conifer planting, agricultural improvement of moorland and overstocking of sheep. Their principal prey are meadow pipits which return to the moor in spring. Before this, merlins feed on small birds from surrounding lowlands, mainly chaffinches, tits and goldcrests. Ravens are numerous in the Brecon Beacons and are the great scavengers of the hills. Buzzards are also common and, together with ravens, are carrion feeders and find sheep carcasses whenever they can. Curlew can be found nesting among rushes of the higher streams but their camouflage is so good that you will rarely spot a sitting bird.

Dunlin nest among eroding peat hags and are at their most southerly breeding limit in the world. Golden plover are another true wader of mountain moorland and are again close to their southerly limit. You may disturb red and black grouse when walking across open moorland such as Waun Llysiog. Both species spend the winter on the mountains but the loss of bilberry, heather and cotton-grass moorland through conifer planting has resulted in their decline.

Bracken-covered valley slopes support dense populations of whinchat and also provide nesting areas for mallard, nightjar, stonechat, wren, tree pipit and yellowhammer. Damper patches may hide the dark-capped reed bunting. Skylarks are constant companions in spring and summer on grassy uplands, the air full of song as they fly above you. White rumped wheatear reside in dry-stone walls and bouldery scree. Look out for stonechat, linnets and yellowhammers in the gorse.

Woodland birds include blue tit, great tit, coal tit, pied flycatcher, nuthatch, redstart, tawny owl, green woodpecker, lesser-spotted woodpecker, great-spotted woodpecker, jay, wood pigeon, blackbird, treecreeper and wren. Warblers migrate in summer from southern climes to nest on the woodland floor.

The fields, wooded slopes and river of waterfall country provide a wide variety of habitats for numerous birds. Lapwing are commonly seen in the valleys together with redshank and snipe. Birds found associated with woodland and along the river bank include breeding dipper, grey wagtail, goosander, pied flycatcher, redstart, wood warbler, woodcock, buzzard and sparrowhawk.

Getting to and Staying in the National Park

The Brecon Beacons National Park is a day trip from Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol and the Midlands and an ideal short-break destination from London, only 200km (120 miles) away. There are excellent rail and motorway links with the rest of the UK and Cardiff International Airport is just over an hour from the park.

In summer, the Beacons Bus offers the opportunity to have a car-free day in the mountains on Sundays and Bank Holidays from May to September from many places in South Wales and Herefordshire.

If you want to stay over, the park has accommodation to suit all pockets, from grand country hotels to secluded campsites. More information on transport and accommodation can be found at Brecon Beacons Tourism (www.breconbeaconstourism.co.uk) along with suggestions on where to eat.

The Brecon Beacons National Park Authority manages the area and runs a number of visitor centres and a guided walk programme. Further information can be found on its website www.breconbeacons.org and in the comprehensive Visitor Guide.

A Solitary Guided Walk?

The inspiration for this guide came from a realisation that many walkers wish to know more of the countryside they come to enjoy and explore. One solution is to join one of the many guided walks organised by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. However, these are so popular that as many as a hundred people may join a single ramble. This is not only a logistical problem for the warden, but the sheer numbers destroy the wilderness quality of a walk in the countryside, with little chance of seeing undisturbed wildlife.

Another approach is a ‘guided walk’ with a difference – a walk guided by a book which gives you all the interesting facts that a walk with an expert would provide but still retains the magical wilderness feeling of an isolated mountain summit or the tranquillity of a river ramble. This guide aims to provide you with information on all aspects of the landscape, as if you were being accompanied and advised by several experts at the same time.

All the route descriptions are accompanied by a commentary that includes geomorphology, hydrology, geology, botany, zoology, ecology, ornithology, archaeology, local history, land-use and environmental issues. Designed to be used by all ages, the guide does not assume any previous mountain walking experience or countryside knowledge.

Sgwd Isaf Clun-gwyn

Using this Guide

This book is divided into seven geographic sections:

1 Brecon Beacons – North-Eastern Valleys and Ridges

2 Brecon Beacons – Eastern Valleys and Ridges

3 Brecon Beacons – South-Western Valleys and Ridges

4 Fforest Fawr

5 Waterfall Country

6 The Black Mountain/Mynydd Du (Western Brecon Beacons National Park)

7 The Black Mountains/Y Mynyddoedd Duon (Eastern Brecon Beacons National Park)

It is designed to be used in conjunction with the Brecon Beacons National Park Outdoor Leisure Maps (1:25,000): Western Area OL12, Central Area OL11 and Eastern Area OL13. The 45 routes described include low-level and high-level routes of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty to cater for different weather conditions and abilities. A fit mountain walker will not find any of the routes particularly strenuous. All the routes are circular, include as few roads as possible and explore little frequented areas.

For each route, the start point (including grid reference), distance, total ascent and map required are listed at the beginning of the route description. Routes are illustrated with extracts from 1:50,000 OS maps, with the main route marked in orange and any alternative routes marked in blue and extensions in green (alternative and extended routes are described at the end of the main route description). Features along the walk that appear on the map are highlighted in bold in the route description to help you follow your progress. The route descriptions are also accompanied by information boxes which are often cross-referenced by other route descriptions, using the title of the box and the walk number (for example, see ‘Cefn Cyff,’ Walk 10).

The tables of Routes by Difficulty and Routes by Interest in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 are provided to help you choose a walk suitable for the weather, the time you have available, your fitness level and your interests. Once you have chosen a suitable walk from the table, you will find it summarised in the introductory box at the beginning of each route. Some of the valleys, especially the northern ones, offer a multiplicity of routes and walks have been chosen using the ridges in a particular direction so as to present the best unfolding panorama. Valleys have been included to give shorter, less strenuous walks or as an alternative in bad weather when all but the most adventurous might eschew the high places.

How long will a route take?

A general rule of thumb for calculating the minimum time that a particular route might take to walk is to allow 1 hour for every 5km (3 miles) forward and an additional half hour for every 300 metres (1000ft) of ascent. This formula, known as Naismith’s Rule, is based on a fit hiker walking on typical terrain under normal conditions. Once you have walked a few of the routes in this guide, you should have a clearer idea of how you need to tweak the rule to work for your own level of fitness.

Don’t forget to add in time for rests, breaks for lunch and reading this book to arrive at a rough indication as to how long you’ll be out on the hill.

Ling

Bilberry

Speckled wood butterfly

Cowslip

Bluebells