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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Sunday 30 April 2017

[Brecon Trip] Sunday Extra Walk - The Brecon Beacons Horseshoe – Bannau Brycheiniog

Length: 15.3 km (9.5 mi) or 22.8 km (14.2 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 740m or 1030m; Net Walking Time: 5 hours or 7 hours
Toughness:  8/10 or 10/10     

Meet at 09.30 in the south east corner of the Morrison’s car park in Brecon’s town centre, near the four-way road junction opposite the Bus Interchange (drivers: please bring your cars). 
The start of the walk is at the remote Neuadd Reservoir car park, map reference SO 036 170, 9 km north of Merthyr Tydfil, when all cars have arrived. Directions: Drive north from Merthyr Tydfil, past Pontsticill, along the west side of the large Pentwyn reservoir. Where the road bends right along the top of the reservoir (near CF48 2UT), go straight on (north) along a single track tarmac lane (the Neuadd Reservoir's access road) and continue to a Brecon Beacons National Park car park.
If we do have more walkers than spaces, the ‘spare’ walkers will have to either…
Take the 10.51 bus T4 (direction Merthyr Tydfil/Cardiff) to Storey Arms, arrives 11.07, and take the alternative start from there up to the ridge (see pdf). The only return bus is at 18.03. Or…
Take one the alternative start routes from Brecon to the ridge (see pdf).

The ridge linking the four table-top peaks  traversed on this walk (Corn Du, Pen y Fan, Cribyn, Fan y Big) forms the majestic core of the Central Brecon Beacons and contains the three highest tops in South Wales. As a result, this classic horseshoe walk around a steep sided glacial valley is amongst the best ridge walks in South Britain, featuring some spectacular views in all directions.
From a remote reservoir north of Merthyr Tydfil you climb steeply to reach the ridge, from where the gradient is mostly fairly gentle over good engineered paths as you follow a sequence of steep escarpments to Corn Du and Pen y Fan. Pen y Fan is the southern-most mountain in Britain and a large glacial grassy mound with steep glacial sides. Continuing along the ridge up to Cribyn and Fan y Big requires some steep descents and re-ascents, but both tops can be circumvented.
An out-and-back extension further along the ridge – to Waun Rydd alongside an upland bog – offers more superb views, lastly along the Usk Valley. This adds 7.5 km/4.7 mi and 288m ascent.

Route finding is easy (in clear weather), as the whole of the horseshoe route is visible at all times. Despite some steep drops this walk is not scary or dangerous, but it is exceptionally exposed to the elements.

Lunch: Picnic on the ridge.
Tea: lots of choice in Brecon (see pdf) or en route to Brecon in Talybont-on-Usk (see pdf) or in Libanus.

For all walk options, a summary, route map, height profile, photos, walk directions or gpx/kml files click here.T=swc.278

1 comment:

Thomas G said...

n=30 today in initially w=dry-but-overcast-then-rainy weather.
The weather turned out not quite as bad as forecast, as it took to 13.30 for the first on-and-off drizzle to arrive, later turning to steady light rain. This meant dramatic views for the majority of the people for the majority of the walk. 3 had opted for the short ascent from the A470 by the Storey Arms to Pen y Fan, amongst them a dedicated flatland-only walker.
27 drove to the remote Neuadd Reservoir. 4 fast ones sped ahead for the main walk plus Waun Rydd extension. 11 did the same long version but much slower, initially staying together with the other 12 that would then avoid tops 3 and 4 to walk the direct shortcut route back to the cars. So plenty of the many options of this walk got tried out today!
Rewarding walk on largely good paths, many engineered to avoid further erosion on this popular route.