All walks › Bannau Brycheiniog: Black Mountain
Bannau Brycheiniog: Black MountainLlyn y Fan Fach
Glacial lake under a curving escarpment on the Black Mountain, tied to one of the best known Welsh legends, and the finest mountain scenery in Carmarthenshire.
- Distance
- 5.6 mi / 9 km
- Time
- 3 hr 30
- Ascent
- 450 m
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- 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
A track climbs from the road to the lake in around forty minutes. From there a steep path gains the escarpment edge and can be followed round over Picws Du and back down, making a horseshoe.
Worth knowing
- The escarpment edge is a genuine drop. In wind or cloud, stay well back.
- This is the western end of Bannau Brycheiniog and feels far emptier than the Pen y Fan end.
- No facilities of any kind. Nearest anything is Llangadog.
What you’ll see
The lake in its cwm, the curving ridge of Bannau Sir Gaer, and red kites overhead.
Background
The Lady of the Lake legend places the physicians of Myddfai here, a family of healers whose remedies were written down in the thirteenth century.