Length: 21.6 km (13.4 mi), with options to shorten
or lengthen
Ascent/Descent: 837/840m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 7 out of 10
Take
the 10.04 bus (line X43 to Brecon, leaves Abergavenny 09.45),
arrives Bwlch,
opposite All Saints at 10.13.
[From the direction of Brecon: take the 08.53, arrives Bwlch, All Saints 09.16, and start early.]
Return buses: to Crickhowell
and Abergavenny: 17.46; to Brecon: 16.43 and 18.43.
This is a varied walk from the small settlement of
Bwlch (‘pass’ in Welsh), starting from a low col high above the Usk
Valley onto the rolling moorlands of Cefn Moel and Mynydd Llangorse.
The following long ridge walk along this outlying peak’s plateau – and
the subsequent optional ascent to Mynydd Troed – command panoramic views
across to many of the much higher giants of the Brecon Beacons National
Park: across the Rhiangoll valley to the south-western flanks of the Black
Mountains massif, west to the Central Beacons and south to Mynydd Llangynidr
and Mynydd Llangattock. A road descent leads to Llangorse village for lunch
and around its iconic lake, of glacial origin and the largest natural
lake in South Wales, with its watersports centre – and the only crannog
outside of Scotland and Ireland. This is a busy touristic site in season.
Leave the crowds behind to further circumvent the
large lake to a remote bird hide and an even more remote church-with-views
in Llangasty-Talyllyn and then up the Allt yr Esgair ('wooded slope
of the ridge' in Welsh). It is crowned by an Iron Age hillfort and a
Roman road and overlooks the valley of the River Usk to the west and south and
Llangorse Lake and the Black Mountains to the northeast.
You then follow the Roman Road back down to Bwlch.
Variations:
· Cutting out the steep out-and-back up to Mynydd
Troed makes this a 5/10 walk.
· Cut out the ascent to the Allt yr Esgair Iron Age
Hill Fort site near the end by contouring around the hill’s flank.
· A more easterly loop back to Bwlch from Mynydd
Troed via its long plateau ridge and down into the Cwm Sorgwm and back up
across Pen Tir makes it a more serious outing: 22.4 km/13.9 mi with 1090m
ascent, 9/10.
Lunch:
The Castle Inn (opening hours uncertain) and The Red Lion
(opening hours uncertain), both in Llangors (12.0 km/7.4 mi if
walking the full walk) and The Lake Café at Llangors Lake. Picnic lunch if walking the extended walk via
Pen Tir!
Tea: several options en route (see the pdf for details), and The New Inn (a multiple CAMRA
award winner) right by the bus stop in Bwlch.
Tea on
the Pen Tir option: Mynydd Ddu Tea Rooms and The Farmers
Arms in Cwmdu, located 5.8 km/3.6 mi from the end of the
walk, and The New Inn (a multiple CAMRA
award winner) right by the bus stop in Bwlch.
For walk directions, map, photos, height profile, and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.308
1 comment:
Talybont man was back walking, but Mr Google Maps was spending the day with the relatives he was staying with, so - with 2 new arrivals - we were n=13 today in w=warm-and-sunny weather.
This is always a low effort/high reward walk along a long and low ridge surrounded by higher ranges and with a scenic long loop around a large lake latched on. Now we also had plenty of heather in bloom, the verdant greens of the bracken and grasses and all the activities at the Lake. The up and down up Mynydd Troed is only for the (fool-)hardy in the midday sun, but 4 of us qualified for that. On the top we met Talybont man and the 2 new arrivals, who are staying in Brecon. They had started an hour earlier off the Brecon bus.
Drinks for some at The Castle Inn in Llangorse, some food and drinks for most at The Lake Café. Everyone went over the top of the Allt, even one walker who tried to follow the skirting route...
Back in Bwlch with time enough for a quick one at The New Inn before the 17.43.
One more hour time for the Talybont/Brecon contingent.
Post a Comment