Crickhowell Circular via Mynydd Llangatwg and Craig y Cilau
Length: 18.9 km (11.7 mi), with options to shorten
or lengthen
Ascent/Descent: 680m
Net Walking Time: 6 hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Meet at 09.35 at Crickhowell
Square Bus Stop.
[From the direction of Brecon: take the 08.45 (Line 43),
arrives 09.35. From the direction of Abergavenny: take the 08.43 (Line
43), arrives 09.04.
Return buses are on 16.23, 17.37 and 18.04 direction
Brecon, and on 16.50 and 17.24 direction Abergavenny.]
From the centre of the rightly popular town of
Crickhowell, the route leads across the Usk River and the Monmouth & Brecon
Canal up steeply through quiet pastures-with-views up to the easterly end of
the Llangattock Escarpment and the fascinating limestone pinnacle of the Lonely
Shepherd, overlooking the Clydach Gorge. From there you follow the escarpment
westwards, past ex-quarries, surreal looking grassy spoil heaps, a couple of
raised bogs and some extensive cave systems leading deep into the underlying limestone
layers.
The natural amphitheatre of the Craig y Cilau
escarpment with its spectacular high limestone cliffs and extensive cave
systems, is negotiated with some easy walking along a former tramroad
contouring the dramatic grassy ledge with some superb sweeping views across the
Usk Valley to The Black Mountains, from the Mynydd Llangorse and Mynydd Troed
via Table Mountain and Pen Cerrig-Calch to Sugar Loaf. You continue through the
Craig y Cilau National Nature Reserve, where the Eglwys Faen cave system allows
for some optional caving and down the slope to the raised bog of the Waun Ddu.
A very scenic descent and re-ascent leads through
the beautiful Cwm Onnau and across into the very lush Usk Valley, from where
you contour through more pastures with extremely fine views of the Central
Black Mountains back down to the canal and via Llangattock village to
Crickhowell with its many tea options.
Walk
Options
A
Morning Shortcut cuts 1.5m and 40m ascent.
A rougher version of that shortcut, up a long and steep bouldery track,
cuts another 1.4 km.
Cut out the out-and-back to the Lonely Shepherd limestone pinnacle with
views: cut 1.4 km.
Caving (for beginners) can be done in the Eglwys Faen complex. Bring your
headtorch and an extra layer or two! Good profile soles necessary, scrambling
experience reassuring. And mind your head!
An Afternoon Shortcut, cutting the ascent out of the Cwm Onnau and into
the Usk Valley, cuts 2.8 km.
An Extension of the route, higher up the Cwm Onnau adds 2.0 km and 35m
ascent. This starts with 20 minutes along the grassy verge of a busy road
though.
Lunch: Picnic. Best location: on the grassy ledge below the Llangattock
Escarpment, with views across the Usk Valley.
Tea:
Plenty of options in Llangattock and Crickhowell. Check the pdf or the webpage for details.
For walk directions, maps, height
profiles and gpx/kml files click here.
T=swc.370
1 comment:
Dr. Google Maps had left for London late on Sunday and A Friend of Folk Music, who had only arrived for the Sunday walk straight from Sidmouth Festival, had called off this walk after feeling under the weather. We wish her well.
n=12 walkers then in w=warm-and-sunny weather, with 7 starting from Crick, and 5 joining in Llangattock across the river. The hardest bit of the walk is the steep ascent right from the start up to The Lonely Shepherd on the escarpment. Temperatures weren't quite as high as later in the day then, small mercies and all that... 7 indulged in 20 minutes of caving in Entrance 1 of the Eglwys Faen cave system, while the remaining 5 waited outside in the sun. 2 then took the afternoon shortcut. The remaining 10 got to the Old Rectory Hotel in Llangattock just before 4, which left an hour for beverages on their terrace before carrying on to Crick for the 17.24 bus (for those who left today).
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