Travel Guide – Brecon Beacons, Wales

It’s been a while since my little Wales trip but nevertheless I want to show you where we went and what places we have visited.

Only a few hours from London by car is a small paradise, the Brecon Beacons, in the south of Wales. We only spent 2 nights there, but still wanted to do the “real” hike up Pen y Fan.

Accommodation and Food

But let’s start with our accommodation. We booked a beautiful little B&B in Crickhowell, called Ty Croeso. Our room (Mountain View – Croglofft) used to be an attic and had a freestanding bathtub (which I used more than once). The hosts were very friendly and breakfast was fantastic. I can recommend this place without a moment’s hesitation.

In town, there is a fantastic pub-come-restaurant called The Bridge End Inn, located right on the river by the bridge that spans it into Crickhowell. Sadly, it fell victim to the crazy floods this year, but let’s hope it’ll be back up and running this summer.

Along with the standard pub fare and extraordinary lamb, you can even enjoy Michelin Star cuisine at The Walnut Tree Inn. We also went to an excellent gastropub called The Felin Fach Griffin where they had fried Whitebait, which I absolutely loved! There was not one restaurant or meal I didn’t like for the entire trip.

Pen y Fan – Hiking in the Brecon Beacons

If you’re planning a trip to Wales you should definitely bring some hiking gear. Pen y Fan, or simply ‘The Fan’ as it is known to the locals, is the highest point of the Beacons range. There are a few shortcuts to get to the top faster, but we wanted to go the long route over the whole horseshoe mountain range. You should plan in at least 5 hours for the hike if you want to soak in all the views and fresh air.

The hike around Pen y Fan is also the selection route for British special forces, the SAS, and you may well see young men in fatigues training on the mountain. Don’t underestimate the hike, weather conditions can change rapidly and it can be quite steep sometimes. I’d even say this hike was more exhausting than our hike up Lochnagar.

The classic hike up Pen y Fan takes about 3 hours. We took the longer walk that took us over 4 mountain tops and takes 5-6 hours.

We started at Tef Fechan Forest and walked up and down the mountaintops: Fan y Big, Cribyn, Pen y Fan, Corn Du. After Corn Du the way isn’t as exhausting as before, but it will still take you some time to get back. The views to enjoy here are beyond description and just beautiful.

What else to do – Hay-on-Wye, Caerphilly Castle, Gliffaes Country House

There are also plenty of other places to visit around the south of Wales. For example, its castles. We didn’t want to miss out on that and went to Caerphilly Castle.

There are also beautiful towns like Hay-on-Wye, where we had a short stop, got coffee und looked at the local book shops. Hay-on-Wye is called “the town of books” for a reason, after all. Stop by the castle and grab a vintage book for a little donation.

If you’re in the mood for a short walk, coffee and cake, check out the Country House Gliffaes. For those who are interested, you can take a tree map and walk about the grounds to learn about local flora and fauna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This post is also available in English!