With the summer on the horizon in the Brecon Beacons , it’s time to put on those walking boots, head to the hills and enjoy another wonderful Walk Wednesday!
It's rare to find a walk that's all downhill, but this one is pretty close. It starts high in the central Beacons, where the A470 vaults the pass close to the Storey Arms Outdoor Centre. It then follows the old road north, dropping easily all the time. Tarmac lanes finish it all off easily enough, and the bus stop is right next to a lovely pub.
Directions:
1. Start by facing the Storey Arms and you’ll see two gates to its left. One leads onto a path that heads straight up towards Pen y Fan and Corn Du; the other leads onto an old drovers’ track which now forms part of the Taff Trail. Follow this, passing through a kissing gate after 100m, and then keep straight ahead until it eventually becomes a tarmac track at Blaenglyn.
2. Continue to a junction with another lane on the right, next to Old Glanrhyd Cottage, and turn right to follow this up and past further farm buildings at Llwyncelyn Fawr. Shortly after this, turn right onto another lane and follow this down to another junction, where you keep left to drop to Libanus Mill.
3. Turn left, over the bridge, and then walk up to the main road, where the bus stop is nearby and the Tai’r Bull Public House is on the other side of the road.
Look out for:
The mountains directly above the Storey Arms - Corn Du and Pen y Fan - are the highest mountains in the National Park and in fact in the whole of Southern Britain.
In good conditions, it’s possible for most reasonably fit walkers to climb them on a good path that leads from the southern end of the wood, next to the Storey Arms.
Allow as much as two hours to get to the top and perhaps another hour to get back down again. Remember, no matter how good the weather seems at the car park, it’s always sensible to take a coat and some extra layers with you. If all this sounds too energetic, there are some great views of both of the peaks later in the walk.
Check out our website for more walking routes; we have got routes and trails for all abilities, with superb scenery along the way for.
Did you know?
This walk follows the line of the old Drovers’ road which ran between Merthyr Tydfil and Brecon. In those days, the Storey Arms, which stands next to the road at the highest point, was a coaching inn. It takes its name from the family who ran it in those days. Later, when the A470 was built, the inn became a café before finally assuming its current guise as an outdoor education centre.
