Horseshoe ridge… 9 miles

Brecon Beacons, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/walks

A challenging hike in this dramatic, isolated and iconic part of mid- that will reward you Look out for rare with spectacular views of the Beacons and surrounding landscape. birds such as Red Kites (pictured

Start: The old pump house, Lower Neuadd Reservoir Grid ref: SO033180 Map: OS Explorer OL12 here) and Ringed Ouzels. The ridge How to get here and local facilities is a great place to

Foot: The and the Taff Trail pass close by. see Red Kites Cycle: National Cycle Network Route 8 - Lon Las Cymru and the Taff trail pass close by from gliding effortlessly and also from Talybont-on-Usk to the east and Cardiff from the South. The infamous Gap road along, searching passes close by and can be joined from the trail at Torpantau. See www.sustrans.org.uk for a thermal and a good meal. Beacons Bus Carries bikes over the summer from Cardiff to Brecon. Train: Merthyr Tydfil (12 miles/19 kms), (48km/30 miles), then catch X43 bus. © Helen Olive www.redkites.net Buses: X43 by Sixty Sixty, Cardiff - Abergavenny. Alight at Storey Arms. See www.transportdirct.info Walkers on Corn Road: Alongside the A470 Brecon to Cardiff (8 miles/12 kms from Brecon) and from the A40 Brecon Du, stopping for a to Abergavenny road, using country lanes to access the site. rest and to take in Facilities: WCs, including disabled access toilets, at the Pont-ar-daf car park 300 metres south of the the view of the Storey Arms along the A470. Parking, local pubs. surrounding Contact us: 01874 625515 / [email protected] .

Tommy Jones t Bronze Age burial Obelisk can be Keep an eye out for these ancient cairns, which are approximately 5000 years old and located at found on the the summit of and . When the cairns were excavated, archaeologists found western side bronze age turf that was still green and heath bed straw in flower (perfectly preserved), so we know between the the cairns were built some time in early summer. summit and the Gyrn. t Geology © NTPL/Paul Harris

Cwm Llwch valley,"Complete nestled inwith the its bottom woods, is vLlynillage Cwm and Llwch,farms, aDudmaston wonderful example of an upland A visitor walking in glacial moraine. ThisEstate important spells out glacial the hundreds landscape of givesyears usof localfossil history…" evidence of the first land plants; the low cloud in the SSSI designation for the Central Beacons focuses on the important communities of arctic-alpines Rachel, Lady Labouchere Brecon Beacons. left behind after the last ice age, in addition to the important geology found in this area. Further Due to the down the valley you can see evidence of an old army firing range, which gives you an idea of the impressive height variety of ways this landscape has been used over the years. of the Beacons t Pen y Fan you can often find This is the highest point in the southern UK and it is easy to see the how the pressures of its beautiful scenes popularity have taken their toll; the patchwork quilt of intensive agriculture appears thrown out onto like this in the area. the landscape, the matrix of hedgerows acting like seams fixing one field to the next. On a good day the panoramic view gives a great insight into the way we use the land and the impact we have on it. © NTPL/Paul Harris

Walk distance, terrain and accessibility: 9 miles, about 4 hours. A difficult upland walk; this area is notorious for its rapidly changing and severe weather. Sturdy boots, warm clothing and good water proofs are essential. An OS map and compass are a must. Dogs are welcome but please keep them on a lead and control them around livestock.

Route and directions

1. From your starting point at the old pump house make your way to the left of the reservoir, through a gate and start to ascend the steep climb onto the Craig Fan Ddu ridge.

2. Once you have got your breath back turn right and follow the ridge around towards Corn Du. Looking to your right you start to get a sense of the sheer scale and beauty of the glacial valleys.

3. As you approach Corn Du the path forks – right will take you around to Pen y Fan or left takes you up over the second highest peak in the Beacons (873m)… take the left fork here. As you make your way towards the Bronze Age burial , look to your left for views of , , Mynydd Du and in the far distance the Carmarthen Fans.

4. Continuing around the crest of Corn Du, drop down into the saddle and up onto Pen y Fan. From Pen y Fan there is a steep descent off the summit until you get onto a stone pitched path that takes you down Craig Cwm Sere and up the steep climb to the summit of . Looking back you can see the near vertical north face of Pen y Fan which falls away into the Cwm Sere valley.

5. At the Cairn turn right and follow the ridge along the back of Cribyn. Some sections along this path are fairly boggy where the peat has been exposed and started to erode, this is evident in a number of places around the Beacons. Carry on down until you come to the gap road. This was the first track to enable horse drawn carriages to cross the mountain range; it is thought to be a roman road however no archaeological evidence has ever been found to prove this.

6. Crossing the track you leave National Trust land over the style and follow the fairly steep path to the summit of . This is a great vantage point to stop and admire the route you have taken.

7. From Fan y Big follow the Craig Cwm Oergwm ridge heading back towards the Neuadd Reservoir. As the ridge arcs around to the left,split from the path and head straight on making your way diagonally down towards the lower Neuadd reservoir. © Reproduced by permission 8. Coming back onto the gap road and through the metal gate you follow the tarmac road of Ordnance Survey. All rights reserved. back round to the pump house and the car park where you started. OS licence no. AL 100023974

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