A walk in the Brecon Beacons National Park comes complete with perfect picnic spots, awe-inspiring views, fascinating historic sites and grand geological features. Easter is a great time to head outdoors for a walk and explore all these perfect landscapes the Brecon Beacons. Read on below to find the best walks for all interests abilities and ages.
Here’s all our short walks, moderate walks and longer walks
Best for Picnics
Pontneddfechan
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to inviting riverside picnic spots on a Waterfall Country walk to Sgŵd Gwladus.
Craig-y-Nos Country Park
Lakes, ponds and big valley views mean that the Craig-y-Nos Circular is the ideal walk for some alfresco eating.
Vaughan Gardens
Take a break from the Talybont Valley walk in a peaceful garden sown with fragrant herbs.
Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
A short distance into the Brecon to Pencelli canal walk you’ll find the perfect picnic spot, complete with ornate woodcarvings that depict the canal’s industrial heritage.
National Park Visitor Centre
With spectacular views, naturally beautiful grounds and children’s trails for little ones to explore, the Visitor Centre is the perfect place for a picnic. Get your fill before walking on Mynydd Illtud.
Best for Wildlife
Castle Meadows
It’s a birdwatching bonanza on this stretch of the Abergavenny Riverside walk. The banks of the river Usk are home to colonies of aerobatic sand martins, along with brightly coloured kingfishers and goosanders.
Talybont Reservoir
It may be man-made, but this 318-acre (129ha) stretch of water is a haven for wildlife. As you pass on the walk from Bwlch to Tor y Foel, keep your eyes peeled for water birds like pochard, tufted duck, mallard and teal.
Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad
Known for unusual alpine-arctic plants like purple saxifrage and serrated wintergreen – found here at their southernmost extreme in the UK – craggy Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad is a natural highlight of both the Glyn Tarrell Geotrail and the Storey Arms to Visitor Centre walks.
Traeth Mawr and Traeth Fach
These neighbouring marshlands en route to Cefn Llechid form part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest thanks to their natural bounty. As well as unusual bog plants and colourful dragonflies, you may spot birds like snipes, curlews and lapwings.
Mynydd Illtud
Explore this undulating common on the walk from the Visitor Centre and you can expect to spot fork-tailed red kites wheeling in the sky above. Also watch out for colourful butterflies and birds like larks and wheatears.
Llangorse Lake
View the ancient Crannog from the Carannog Viewpoint and take a stroll around the largest natural Lake in South Wales. Walk to Llangasty Church and Bird Hide or visit the nearby Walled Garden.
View the ancient Crannog from the Carannog Viewpoint and take a stroll around the largest natural Lake in South Wales. Walk to Llangasty Church and Bird Hide or visit the nearby Walled Garden.
Best walks for History
Craig-y-Nos Castle
Now a hotel, the neo-gothic Craig y Nos Castle was built in the 1840s on a spectacular spot beside the river Tawe. Its most famous resident was opera singer Adelina Patti, who lived there from 1878 until her death in 1919. Catch a glimpse while walking the Craig-y-Nos Circular.
Abergavenny Castle
Founded in the 11th century, this ruined castle is now home to Abergavenny Museum. Packed with artefacts from the market town’s long and varied history, it’s a fascinating stop off on the Abergavenny Riverside walk.
Llanilltud
Found on the walk to Cefn Llechid, the ancient enclosure of Llanilltud has ancient roots. It was a settlement during the Iron Age and later the site of St Illtud’s Church. The church is gone now, but weathered gravestones still stand in the former churchyard.
Bronze Age burial sites
The mighty 886m summit of Pen y Fan has exerted a magnetic pull for millennia. Ascend the peak on the walk from Cwm Gwdi and you’ll find the remains of a burial cairn left by our Bronze Age ancestors. There’s a similar cairn on top of nearby Cribyn too.
Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
Originally designed for the transport of barges laden with coal and limestone, the 32-mile (51km) ‘Mon and Brec’ is now devoted purely to pleasure. Sample one of the National Park’s key pieces of industrial heritage on the Talybont Valley and Brecon to Pencelli walks.
Castell Dinas
At 450m above sea level, the ruined Castell Dinas is reputed to be the highest castle in the UK. Stop off here while walking the Flying high from Talgarth route for awesome views in all directions.
Dinefwr Castle
Dinefwr Castle not only occupies a place of great affection in the minds and traditions of the Welsh people but also majestic hilltop locations above the Tywi valley. The site is forever associated with the princes of Deheubarth, the kingdom in south-west Wales.
Dinefwr Castle not only occupies a place of great affection in the minds and traditions of the Welsh people but also majestic hilltop locations above the Tywi valley. The site is forever associated with the princes of Deheubarth, the kingdom in south-west Wales.
Best for Geology
Dan yr Ogof
With vast subterranean chambers, winding passages and delicate stalagmites and stalactites, the National Showcaves Centre for Wales is a real rock star. Check it out while walking the Craig-y-Nos Circular.
Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad
Both the Glyn Tarrell Geotrail and the Storey Arms to Visitor Centre walk take in the spectacular 150m-high cliffs of Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad. Carved out by glaciers during the last Ice Age, these atmospheric crags are among the National Park’s most compelling features.
Cwm Llwch
The deep hollow beneath Corn Du is another of the National Park’s many classic geological features. Scooped out by the grinding of giant ice sheets, it can be seen as you tackle the Beacons Circuit.
Sgŵd Gwladus
This beautiful 10m waterfall is the cascading climax of the Sgŵd Gwladus walk. Set in a shady natural amphitheatre, it was formed as torrents of meltwater from the last Ice Age carved out the area’s rocky gorges.
