Hay & the Black Mountains

Table Mountain, Crickhowell

Crug Hywel, the flat-topped hill that gives Crickhowell its name, crowned by an Iron Age fort whose ramparts you can walk. Steep pull, short walk, very good payoff.

Distance: 3.4 mi / 5.5 km
Time: 2 hr 15
Ascent: 350 m
Difficulty: Demanding
Shape: There and back

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

Climb the steep path from Llanbedr up the shoulder to the flat summit, walk the ramparts, and return the same way. Can be extended onto Pen Cerrig-calch behind if you want more.

Worth knowing

Steep and continuous for the first forty minutes. Take your time.
The summit plateau is exactly as flat as it looks from the valley, which is why the fort is there.
Parking at Llanbedr is very limited; consider walking out from Crickhowell instead.

What you’ll see

The hillfort ramparts, and the Usk valley spread out below.

Background

The fort is Iron Age. The town below takes its name from it: Crug Hywel, Hywel’s mound.