Our annual festivals celebrate our very best walking, food, drink, arts, music and entertainment the National Park has to offer. We like nothing better than a good get-together, and all are welcome. Come and join us! Highlights include: Greenman Festival,
Hay Literary Festival, Brecon Jazz Weekend, Crickhowell Literary fest, Abergavenny Food Festival and many a walking festival!
The Brecon Beacons National Park is home to some of the best mountain ranges in the country, including being home to the largest mountain in Southern Britain, Pen y Fan.
Pen y Fan is just one of several walkable peaks and ridges in the central Beacons. By following an exhilarating 11 mile circuit from the Storey Arms, you can also take in Corn Du (873m) and Cribyn (795m). Here's some of our favourite routes.
Wales has been the location for hundreds of films and the Brecon Beacons has had it's fair share! In the 2012 movie The Dark Knight Rises, the Batcave is hidden behind the 88-foot (27 metre) curtain of thundering water known as Henrhyd Falls, the highest of dozens of cascades in the western Brecon Beacons. Find out more here! The classic 1981 horror comedy An American Werewolf in London, was filmed in the east of the Brecon Beacons, in the Black Mountains – and at one point recognisably beneath 677m Hay Bluff, near Hay-on-Wye (SO244366).
Our National Park is ringed with characterful market towns while, further inside our Park, the River Usk, the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal and the shores of Llangorse Lake are dotted with pleasant country villages and sleepy hamlets. Together, our towns and villages reflect our history and heritage as a mining, quarrying and farming region and our role as custodians of a beautiful region of hills, valleys, lakes and waterways. Some are notable historic centres with classic Welsh architecture, interesting museums and ancient churches. Find out more here.
The Brecon Beacons is home to Wales only Whisky producer, Penderyn Distillery. One of the few remaining independent distilleries, Penderyn takes its name from the old Welsh village in which it is located and nestles in the foothills of the ancient Brecon Beacons mountain range. Enjoy a distillery tour and take a journey through the history of single malt whisky making in Wales, and explore the distilling process at first hand.Take a bottle away with you from the gift shop!
You can dine extremely well in our market towns, villages and rural areas. There are places to suit every mood, from down-to-earth and family-friendly to Michelin Star Restaurants.
Or why not try luxury, award winning smoked salmon from Black Mountain Smokery? All their smoked foods are traditionally cured and smoked right here in the Brecon Beacons in the town of Crickhowell . Find places to eat here.
Our regular farmers' markets and food fairs bring our best local farmers, growers and artisan producers and together under one roof. They're friendly occasions. You can meet the makers, sample their wares and stuff your shopping bag with goodies such as cheese, honey, sausages, herbs, chutney and laverbread. What could be better? Find a full list of farmers markets here. Or visit Abergavenny Food Festival when all the local producers come together for a weekend of indulgence!
Visit the Red Kite Feeding Station, west of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Llandeusant, it's one of the most beautiful (and quietest) parts of the National Park. Usually 50 plus kites gather for daily feedings, which you can view from hides (again, with good disabled access). It's a perfectly wild day out. Or if you fancy flying hawks, owls, falcons and eagles then Wings of Wales can offer this epic experience! Visit them at Craig y nos country park where you can walk around the beautiful grounds with the majestic birds flying to your glove.
If you prefer smooth water to rushing rapids, you’ll love our canal. Once an important transport route, it’s now a lovely place for lazy strolling and boating. Peaceful and rural, with a flavour of times gone by, it’s often voted Britain’s prettiest canal. It passes through a generous swathe of the Brecon Beacons National Park, with the appealing towns and villages to visit on the way.
Whatever the weather Cantref Adventure farm, Llangorse Multi Activity Centre, the Play Barn Brecon or Dan Y Ogof Showcaves all make for a fantastic family day out in South Wales!
12. Experience our Dark Skies
Now that the entire Brecon Beacons National Park is an International Dark Sky Reserve, we intend to preserve our night skies, reduce energy wastage, help protect nocturnal wildlife and hold events related to the fascinating topic of astronomy. You're very welcome to come and experience our dark skies for yourself. Here our are top 10 spots!
A warm welcome comes naturally to us in this part of Wales. Those who come for weekends, short getaways or longer holidays in the Brecon Beacons National Park often talk about our friendly hospitality.
Some are surprised to discover just how many places to stay there are within the National Park and its fringes.
The many choices include grand country hotels, comfortable guesthouses, cosy inns and friendly B&Bs tucked away in the hills. For those who want to be more independent, there’s a fantastic range of self-catering cottages, bunkhouses, hostels, campsites, caravan sites and even canal boats.
If you need to book accommodation then you can do so here.
