Ardal · The Brecon Beacons

Bannau Brycheiniog

The south's own mountain range, barely an hour from Cardiff and a world apart. Pen y Fan and the central Beacons pull the crowds; Waterfall Country around Ystradfellte hides gorges where you can walk behind the falls; the Black Mountains fold quietly east towards the border. The whole park is an International Dark Sky Reserve, and its market towns — Brecon, Crickhowell, Abergavenny — have turned post-walk eating into a way of life.

Getting there: the A470 from Cardiff reaches the central Beacons in about an hour, the A40 strings the towns together, and the T4 bus runs the Cardiff–Brecon corridor if you would rather not drive.

Guides in Bannau Brycheiniog

Wales-wide reads that visit this area