Length:
21.9 km (13.7 mi) [shorter walk options available, see below]
Ascent/Descent:
approx. 1000m; Net Walking Time: 7 hours
Toughness:
10/10
Meet
at 09.00 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 willing
to take passengers in their cars: please bring your cars). We’ll then allocate
walkers to cars. The start of the walk is in Glyntawe at the bus stop by the
bridge over the River Tawe (called: Glyntawe, near Field Study Centre). This is
on the A4067, south west of Brecon, Grid Reference SN 846 167.
Both
publicans in Glyntawe have expressed their strong preference that walkers who
spend all day on the hill, do NOT park their cars in the pub car parks. Please
use one of the few side roads off the A-road (and not the small lay-by by
the church either).
In
case of more walkers than spaces, the ‘spare’ walkers will have to…
Take
the 09.20 bus T6 (direction Abertawe/Swansea) from Stand 5 to Glyntawe
(near Field Study Centre), arrives 09.52. In any case, the walk will
not start before the bus has passed through.
For
the easiest short option of walking SWC 86 instead (see below), the next bus at 11.20
would suffice.
Return
buses run
at 15.56 and 18.09.
The
Black Mountain (Y Mynydd Du in Welsh), in the Western Brecon Beacons, is often
referred to as the last wilderness in the Brecon Beacons National Park and a walk along it as South Britain’s best ridge walk. It traverses a
series of high peaks along a sequence of steep dramatic escarpments and
features some of the most spectacular upland scenery in Britain. The route
involves remote and rugged terrain, with a couple of glacial lakes and superb
mountain views and leads almost entirely through open country.
From
the Tawe Valley you rise steeply up a grassy hillside onto the first ridge, Fan
Hir, and soon follow its edge with some far views to the two famous peaks
in the Central Beacons: Pen y Fan and Corn Du. After dropping into a saddle you
re-ascend to Fan Brycheiniog and then onto the northerly top Fan Foel.
The views of the moorland and open country to the north are spectacular, and
reveal the isolation of the range. Turn west through a deep saddle to conquer
the even more spectacular ridge of Bannau Sir Gaer.
The
return route along the bottom of the steep escarpments, past some glacial lakes
and moraines, reveals a different and fascinating perspective of the high
buttresses and some steeply carved valleys below.
Fully
written up, shorter circular or out-and-back options, as well as a start from a
car park near the northerly end, are described on the webpage and on page 2 of
the pdf.
For
a very straight-forward short option with easy-to-follow minimal text, consider walking SWC 86.
An
alternative return route from the last top initially leads through open pathless,
sometimes boggy, moorland, then through a veritable moonscape of shake
holes, swallow holes, pot holes and limestone pavement before dropping back
into the Tawe Valley (Cwm Tawe in Welsh).
Lunch: Picnic on the
ridge.
Tea: Tafarn Y Garreg pub or The
Gwyn Arms (note: this latter pub last time had somewhat conflicting
policies regarding walkers: no walking boots, but no socks only either).
For
all walk options, a summary, route map, height
profile, photos, walk directions or gpx/kml files click here.T=swc.279
2 comments:
Llyn y Fan Fach is listed as one of the best wild swimming spots in Wales.....https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/best-wild-swimming-spots-wales....
We had enough cars (and drivers willing to take passengers) to no one of the n=10 walkers having to take the bus. Some drizzle fell during the drive, but for the rest of the day it was dry, albeit mostly with cloud cover and a fair wind on the tops.
The two groups of 5 (the rear group containing the potential swimmers and the short cutters) quickly put some distance between each other on the initial ascent. First views of the escarpment after 45 mins or so showed that the last cloud cover was just lifting, and indeed we never had no views along the route. Early lunch in my group was had in the storm shelter on Fan Brycheiniog, a second one on the beginning of the descent to Llyn y Fan Fach. Plenty of people on that stretch, as it is easily accessible from the Blaenau car park.
We had a third stop at the end of the glacial moraine before the final 400m of descent, with brilliant views, but also with no wind which meant the notorious Highland Midge (Welsh variety) came out in numbers, moving us on rather swiftly.
Back in Glyntawe, the enlarged Tafarn-y-Garreg had a magnetic appeal (Beer! Outside seating! The other walkers!) and we convened there for a not so swift one.
One of the grandest SWC walks in fine company. One swam. W=overcast-but-dry
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