All walks › Bannau Brycheiniog: Central Beacons
Bannau Brycheiniog: Central BeaconsThe Beacons Horseshoe
Pen y Fan, Corn Du and Cribyn linked into a ridge walk, with the escarpment dropping away on your left the whole way round.
- Distance
- 6.8 mi / 11 km
- Time
- 4 hr 30
- Ascent
- 650 m
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
From the Neuadd reservoirs, climb to Craig Fan Ddu and follow the escarpment north over Corn Du and Pen y Fan, returning over Cribyn and down the Gap Road or the Roman road.
Worth knowing
- Far better than the up-and-down tourist path, and only a little longer.
- The escarpment edge is a genuine drop and the wind funnels along it. Keep back in poor conditions.
- Allow four to five hours and treat it as a full mountain day.
What you’ll see
The full northern escarpment, Llyn Cwm Llwch, and the reservoirs in the valley below.
Background
The escarpment is old red sandstone, cut back by ice into the north-facing cliffs that give the range its distinctive stepped profile.