Cambria Sports Culture CIC Cymraeg

All walksBannau Brycheiniog: Central Beacons

Bannau Brycheiniog: Central Beacons

Tor y Foel

A rounded hill between the canal and the reservoir, giving the full sweep of the central escarpment for a climb most people can manage.

Distance
4.3 mi / 7 km
Time
2 hr 50
Ascent
420 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

Climb the northern ridge from Talybont to the summit, descending by the Brinore Tramroad and returning along the canal.

Worth knowing

  • The summit view takes in the whole central Bannau escarpment and the Usk valley.
  • The tramroad descent is easy going after the climb.
  • Ponies graze the open ground on the summit ridge.

What you’ll see

The central Bannau escarpment, Talybont reservoir, and the Usk valley with the canal.

Background

The hill sits between two transport routes two centuries apart, the tramroad and the canal, both still walkable.