The 3 Best Brecon Beacons Walks and Hikes
4 Minute Read
The Brecon Beacons are a National Park in south Wales, UK. They are known for their soaring mountains and magnificent valleys. They entertain a host of glacial features such as narrow escarpments and dark-water cwms (cirqures). This guide covers my top 3 favourite Brecon Beacons walks.
I’ve spent years hiking throughout the Brecon Beacons and the park contains some of my favourite wild camping spots in the UK. (One of these locations is included below). I’ve chosen these routes as they are circular walks which allows you to start and finish in the same place.
Here’s my top 3 Brecon Beacons Walks:
- Pen y Fan
- The Black Mountains
- Llyn y Fan Fach
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See also:
How to Walk the Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Mam Tor and Kinder Scout Circular Walk
1. Pen y Fan
Why not start with the biggest one. Pen y Fan is the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons National Park at 886 metres. There are many routes you can take to get to the top. A large number of people choose one of the busy car parks at the base which only have a short jaunt to the summit, but I’d advise against this.
There’s a much better walk that takes in far more views on your approach to the summit: the horseshoe loop.
See also:
Day Hiking Gear Essentials
This trail starts at one of the smaller car parks farther down the valley. From here you’ll follow a path up through forest and grazing fields before reaching the Lower Neuadd Reservoir.
There’s then a steep climb up the valley side before you reach the top of the ridge. This might come at the end of your walk depending on which direction you go in but I’d always say start with the toughest section first! The route then leads you towards the summit with sensational views down into the Upper Neuadd Reservoir and across the National Park.
After reaching Pen y Fan it’s another steep drop down before you follow a gradually descending path along the other side of the valley and back to your car.
This route is about 17km and passes over Corn Du (873 m) and Cribyn (795m) as well as the star of the show, Pen y Fan. There are a few places to park around the forest near Torpantu, the closest to the trail being Neuadd. See the full trail map here.
2. The Black Mountains
Pressed up against the border of England are the rolling peaks of the Black Mountains. (Not to be confused with the Black Mountain range to the west)! This is another ridge-line horseshoe walk that surrounds a reservoir.
It isn’t as grand as Pen y Fan but it’s much less busy which is a huge plus. I enjoyed having the ability to see across the border into Monmouthshire on one side and the Brecon Beacons National Park stretching away on the other.
Waun Fach (811m) is the highest peak in this area and has a far lower footfall than Pen y Fan but still with some amazing views.
This trail passes through more woodland than the other walks (some of it plantations) and gives this hike an extra dimension as the Brecon Beacons are rather bare of forested vegetation!
There’s a 27km loop trail that I recommend. You don’t have to walk the whole thing and it’s easy to cut off some sections to shorten the trip. See the route map here.
The parking isn’t particularly good in this area and you may have to go to the Black Mountain (Mynydd Du) Car Park and scramble up some hills before you join the main path. There aren’t always signs available and you may need to go off-road in places but this all adds to the adventure!
See also:
What Hiking Food to Eat
3. Llyn y Fan Fach
This is the name of the mountainous lake around which you’ll walk. Confusingly, this area of the Brecon Beacons is called the Black Mountain range. It’s important to distinguish between this area and the Black Mountains mentioned above as they’re really quite far apart!
This is my favourite hike in the Brecon Beacons. It’s the most wild and least visited of all the walks I’ve done in the National Park. I think the scenery is absolutely spectacular.
If you enjoy wild camping this is an excellent spot to pitch up for the night due to its relatively low footfall and an abundance of good places to camp. You can either camp along the ridge or down beside the lakes you’ll pass on your hike: Llyn y Fan Fach and Llyn y Fan Fawr.
See also:
How to Wild Camp in the UK
Multi-day hike kit list
Both these spots are also a great place for some wild swimming! Slipping into the icy black water to soak your aching muscles is quite an experience!
I recommend doing a 15km loop that begins at the Llyn y Fan Fach Car Park car park. See the full route here.
What to Pack
If you’re planning on wild camping, you need to make sure you pack the right kit. You’ll be staying overnight, away from basic facilities, so you must bring the right equipment and food.
Make sure you have a sturdy tent, a warm sleeping bag, and a robust sleeping mat.
Good hiking footwear is also essential. I prefer trail running shoes over hiking boots as they’re more flexible and lightweight.
Bring layers for your clothing: zip-off hiking trousers, a t-shirt, fleece, down or shell jacket, and a waterproof layer. If it’s hot, bring a cap, suncream, and sunglasses. If it’s cold (it usually is at night), carry some thermals to sleep in and a hat and gloves.
Bring a good camera with you as this is a stunning place for photography. Many walkers go just to snap pictures of the sprawling landscapes! I like to make trail videos of my hikes instead – you can see some of them here.
Carry at least 2 litres of water – with a water filter in case you need more – and pack food that’s energy dense and high in calories. More information on hiking food here.
I use a collapsable stove and a stainless steel mug to boil any water for breakfast and dinner. All this equipment must then fit into a good quality and comfortable backpack between 40-50 litres in size.
More info:
Multi-day hike kit list
Before You Go
Thanks for reading my travel guide on the best Brecon Beacons walks. If travel guides like this interest you, head over to my blog page to find out more!
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All three of those walks look amazing. I think we’ll aim for the Black Mountains first. We were booked to do some horseback riding there a few months ago, but all got cancelled because of Covid. Next year, now, hopefully.
They really are, and this is a fairly reduced list. A lot of great places to explore in the Brecons. That’s a shame, but the way it’s looking you’ll be able to do that in the Spring! Good luck and hope you enjoy!