All walks › Brecon & the Usk Valley
Brecon & the Usk ValleyMynydd Illtud Common
Open common on a plateau with the whole Bannau skyline laid out in front of you. Almost flat, and the best view-per-effort ratio in the national park.
- Distance
- 2.5 mi / 4 km
- Time
- 1 hr 10
- Ascent
- 50 m
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 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
Strike out from the visitor centre across the open common, loop round past the small lake and the church at Llanilltud, and return. Navigation is easy in clear weather; the common is featureless in mist.
Worth knowing
- The classic postcard view of Pen y Fan and Corn Du is from here, and you barely have to climb for it.
- Ponies graze freely and are used to people. Do not feed them.
- The visitor centre café is reliable, which cannot be said of everything in the park.
What you’ll see
The full central Bannau skyline, semi-wild ponies, skylarks and a small reed-fringed pool.
Background
Common grazing land for many centuries, with a small medieval church at Llanilltud on the far side. The common has never been enclosed, which is why the view is uninterrupted.