12 OF THE BEST BRECON BEACONS WALKS IN WALES

Located in the south of Wales, Brecon Beacons National Park has plenty of great walks on offer. The picturesque Brecon Beacons have glorious hills, mountains and waterfalls ready to be explored by hiking enthusiasts. In this guide, we’ll talk about the twelve best walks in the Brecon Beacons. We’ll provide trail specs, a link to a map, a trail description and some epic photos of the best walking routes in Brecon Beacons. Then, we’ll cover information about how to get there, where to stay and things to know before walking in the Brecon Beacons.

Before you get stuck into this guide on the best Brecon Beacons walks, make sure to watch our short hiking production below for even more inspiration!

Walking in Brecon Beacons National Park

Brecon Beacons was given national park status in 1957 with a designated area of 1,344 km² (519 square miles). That’s plenty of gorgeous countryside to explore with many awesome Brecon Beacons walks to do. So, what is Brecon Beacons famous for? Well, it’s well known for its rolling hills, sublime mountains and epic waterfalls. All of which, can be seen by walking in Brecon Beacons National Park. To that end, you’ll find out about all the best walks in the Brecon Beacons by scoping out the list below.

Just to clarify, Brecon Beacons National Park is made up of four mountain ranges in South Wales, with Brecon Beacons (otherwise known as the Central Beacons) making up just one of these ranges. From west to east, the other Brecon Beacons mountain ranges include Black Mountain, Fforest Fawr, and the Black Mountains – yes, two very similarly named mountain ranges just to confuse visitors. Indeed, by walking the Brecon Beacons mountains, you’ll be covering the best walks in South Wales.

The Best Brecon Beacons Walks List

In this Best Brecon Beacons Walks guide, we’ll detail twelve fantastic walking routes, some of which, we’ve written specific articles about. If you’re particularly interested in one of the walks on this list and want more details about how to get there, what to expect and to see some more photos from that specific walk, just click on the link to that guide. That way, you’ll be able to see the individual article we wrote about that route.

Read our hiking guides on the NC500, the West Highlands of Scotland and the underrated West Pennine Moors

1. Four Falls Walk

• Type: Red Track + Green Track (Out & Back with Loop)
• Distance: 10km
• Time: 3 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 310m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Four Falls Trail Car Park (Gwaun Hepste) – £4
• Map: Wikiloc

Definitely add the Four Falls Walk to your Brecon Beacons walking itinerary. It was hands down our favourite walk in the Brecon Beacons, located in serene Waterfall Country. Indeed, it’s on this walk, that you’ll see all of the best Brecon Beacons waterfalls.

The sensational Sgwd Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd y Pannwr and Sgwd-yr-Eira waterfalls were a pleasure to chase. But, don’t ask me how to pronounce them any time soon. The cascades along the River Mellte produced varied waterfalls which were all charming and exciting to explore.

For clarification, the Four Falls Walk mainly involves following the red track (Four Falls Trail) with multiple green tracks (Waterfall Link Paths) connecting you directly to the waterfalls via short out and back walks. We parked at the Gwaun Hepste Car Park; but, it’s also possible to do the Four Falls Walk from Cwm Porth Car Park. Basically, we followed the red and green tracks to form an epic circular walk. Certainly, when it comes to Brecon Beacons circular walks, this is one of the best!

To get you even more excited for the incredible Four Falls Walk in Brecon Beacons, we’ll briefly detail the hike below and each of the four waterfalls.

Read more: Four Waterfalls Walk – Explore Waterfall Country In The Brecon Beacons

Sgwd Clun-Gwyn (Waterfall 1)

After a flat start, the narrow trail beings to gradually descend. At around 2km, you’ll reach the first of the four waterfalls – Sgwd Clun-Gwyn. This waterfall is the smallest of the four; but, is still powerful and breathtaking.

Sgwd y Pannwr (Waterfall 2)

After rejoining the red track, you’ll continue with the river to your right; although, you’ll be hiking well above the river itself. Eventually, you’ll meet another waterfall link track which initially takes you to Sgwd y Pannwr. This waterfall is a wider set of cascades that gently glide across uneven vertical rock surfaces. Sgwd y Pannwr is a fantastic waterfall to photograph, particularly early in the morning before the sun rises too high.

Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn (Waterfall 3)

After checking out Sgwd y Pannwr, the waterfall link track continues and ends at the third of the four waterfalls – Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn. This waterfall has many levels with individual sets of falls, making it perhaps the most epic waterfall of them all. We were blessed to be able to fly our drone over the various waterfalls that make up Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn and the resultant footage is simply mouthwatering! Anyway, drone or no drone, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn is a charming set of falls and deserves time to explore.

Sgwd yr Eira (Waterfall 4)

Last but not least is Sgwyd yr Eira. After checking out the second and third waterfalls, you’ll retrace your steps on that particular waterfall link track. Next, you’ll briefly resume following the red track and then commence the final waterfall link track. After descending a steep set of stairs, you’ll arrive at the highest waterfall on the Four Falls Walk. Plus, you’ll get to walk behind this one, which is a fun experience in itself.

2. Pen y Fan Horseshoe Ridge + Fan y Big + Blaen y Glyn Waterfalls

• Type: Circular walk
• Distance: 22.5km
• Time: 7 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 1.1km
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Taf Fechan Forest Car Park
• Map: Wikiloc

Being the highest peak in South Wales, Pen y Fan (886m) is one of the most popular mountain walks in Brecon Beacons National Park. There are quite a few options for hiking to the summit of Pen y Fan; many of which are shorter trails focussing on merely reaching the peak (e.g. Pen y Fan and Corn Du circular walk). However, we recommend that you hike to Pen y Fan via its Horseshoe Ridge, an option which is longer and harder, but oh so worth it with the glorious landscape and views.

For those who want an even longer hiking trail and adventure, we also recommend adding on Fan y Big and exploring the many waterfalls of Blaen y Glyn. By doing so, the walk is an additional approx. 6km in length, forming an awesome self-made Brecon Beacons hiking circular walk. This is also an efficient way to experience the best peaks of the Central Beacons mountain range, ticking off both Pen y Fan and Fan y Big in the same hike.

Read more: The Complete Guide To Walking Pen y Fan Mountain

Pen y Fan Horseshoe Ridge

After emerging from Taf Fechan Forest, you’ll pass farmland and begin to slowly ascend to the first peak – Twyn Mwyalchod, via a short out and back. You’ll then head towards Cefn Cul, which is the next peak approaching the horseshoe ridge. There are many rocky outcrops, providing epic views and spots for photos.

Soon enough, you’ll be following the sensational horseshoe ridge, which is a wide trail offering sweeping 360 views of the surrounding mountain ranges.

After passing another peak named Craig-Gwaun-Taf, you’ll steer right and upwards towards Pen y Fan via Corn Du. From Corn Du (873m), there are incredible landscape views with the imposing Pen y Fan just a stone’s throw away. Unfortunately, for us, it was a total white-out atop Pen y Fan; but, otherwise, we’ve heard the panoramic views are to die for!

Fan y Big

After reaching Pen y Fan, it’s time to head to the next peak of interest – Fan y Big. From the highest peak in Brecon Beacons National Park, you’ll steeply descend before the walking trail flattens and follows more epic ridgelines.

After you descend further, you’ll be cruelly met with a short but steep climb to Fan y Big. We can assure you that it’s well worth it! Fan y Big provides possibly the best views of the entire hike, with Pen y Fan and the other mighty Central Beacons ranges in the distance.

Blaen y Glyn and Taf Fechan Forest

After descending Fan y Big, it is possible to complete a loop back to Taf Fechan Forest. But, we recommend that you add on the beautiful Blaen y Glyn waterfalls too. For almost 1km, you’ll have countless cascades and waterfalls to explore along the quaint Nant Bwrefwr. In fact, the lower you go, the better the waterfalls get!

To finish the walking trail in the Brecon Beacons, you’ll follow the road that connects Blaen y Glyn to the Taf Fechan Forest. Admittedly, it’s a tough uphill climb to the finish. At least, there’s a lovely forest with a moss-covered floor waiting for you at the end!

3. Llyn y Fan Fach & Llyn y Fan Fawr Circular Walk

• Type: Circular walk
• Distance: 14.3km
• Time: 3.25 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 732m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Llyn y Fan Fach Car Park (SA199UN)
• Map: Wikiloc

In the Black Mountain region of western Brecon Beacons, are extraordinary glacial lakes. Walking the circular loop around both Llyn y Fan Fach and Llyn y Fan Fawr offers spectacular views of the lakes as you climb the surrounding Brecon Beacon mountain ranges. Indeed, this is one of the best Brecon Beacons walks and is an absolute must!

Read more: Llyn y Fan Fach Walk – The Best Of Beautiful Brecon Beacons

Llyn y Fan Fach

Starting on a gravel road with the cascading Afon Sawdde to your right, you’ll gradually ascend a wide trail until reaching Llyn y Fan Fach. This is when the steep uphill walking begins, as you circle the lake, with the peak – Waun Lefrith, providing spectacular views of the lake below and other Brecon Beacons mountain ranges.

Llyn y Fan Fawr

Positioned high above Llyn y Fan Fach, you’ll then make your way to the second lake of this hike – Llyn y Fan Fawr. After circling the first lake, the trail flattens out, before sharply descending and re-ascending to Picws-Du. You’ll then gain more elevation, and as you approach Fan Foel, the lake below appears. After reaching Fan Brycheiniog (802m), increasingly marvellous views of Llyn y Fan Fawr are to be enjoyed!

After a steep winding descent, you’ll arrive by the lake’s side, where you’ll begin to circle it. To finish the circular walk, you’ll be roaming and negotiating some boggy sections. The return journey essentially has you at the foot of the mountains, with all of the ranges you had conquered earlier, to your left.

4. The Sugar Loaf

• Type: Out & Back with Loop
• Distance: 6.5km
• Time: 2 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 293m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Trailhead: NP7 7LA
• Map: Wikiloc

Interestingly, the Sugar Loaf summit is 596 metres, falling short of mountain status by only four metres! Nevertheless, hiking the Sugar Loaf is one of the best walks in the Brecon Beacons, with exceptional views of the eastern Brecon Beacons to enjoy.

The trail begins next to farmland, meandering through flat expansive moorlands, before steeply ascending to the rocky summit. The views atop Sugar Loaf Hill are phenomenal for such relatively minimal effort. The Sugar Loaf is one of the best Brecon Beacons walks to do in the late afternoon or even for sunset. With a bit of luck, you’ll have exceptional action in the skies to further elevate your hiking experience!

Read more: Sugar Loaf Mountain Wales: The Best Sunset Hiking Trail

5. Waun Fach & The Dragon’s Back

• Type: Circular walk
• Distance: 11.9km
• Time: 2.5 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 541m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Dragon’s Back Pub
• Map: Wikiloc

Hiking to the summit of Waun Fach, followed by the Dragon’s Back ridgeline is a fantastic walking trail in the Black Mountains region of northeastern Brecon Beacons National Park. Starting from Pengenffordd, you’ll head towards Cwmfforest, gradually ascending as you pass by farmland. Expect wild horses frolicking in the fields, as you climb towards the peaks of the Black Mountains ranges.

Read more: Waun Fach And The Dragon’s Back Walk: The Complete Guide

Waun Fach

After arriving at the first obvious peak, you’ll turn left sharply, before the trail begins to veer right and ascend to Waun Fach (809m).

The Dragon’s Back

Once you’ve reached Waun Fach, take another sharp left, and you’ll briefly continue along the top of this mountain range. After yet another left turn, you’ll begin to gradually descend on even grassy terrain towards the Dragon’s Back. Having arrived at the Dragon’s Back during a hailstorm, we were lucky to manage just a couple of photos. If you can time your visit to the Dragon’s Back in the Brecon Beacons, we guarantee you’ll have an extraordinary experience walking this trail.

6. Henrhyd Falls

• Type: Out & Back
• Distance: 1.2km
• Time: 0.5 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 28m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Henrhyd Falls Car Park
• Map: AllTrails

Located in Waterfall Country, Henrhyd Falls is an easy to reach single-drop 28-metre waterfall. With the crowds flocking to the Four Falls Walk, you shouldn’t find the Henrhyd Falls walk too busy. Although, with limited rainfall, Henrhyd Falls can look a bit tame at times throughout the year. So, for the ultimate visit to Henrhyd Falls, your visit best be timed following periods of heavy rainfall. Otherwise, even with a less powerful waterfall, being able to walk behind the falls is still an awesome experience!

From the car park, you’ll have a simple path to follow downhill, before turning left and crossing a bridge. You’ll then turn left again, and follow a narrower trail among forest surrounds that leads you directly to the waterfall.

Read more: Henrhyd Falls – How To Visit The Batman Waterfall In Wales

7. Llanthony Priory Circular Walk

• Type: Circular
• Distance: 8km
• Time: 3–4 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 470m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Llanthony Priory
• Map: AllTrails

This is one of the walks in the Brecon Beacons that has a historical attraction thrown into the mix. The trail starts at the Llanthony Priory, which are 12th Century monastery ruins, that have since been partially revamped into a hotel and pub. From Llanthony Priory, you’ll then undertake steep uphill walking, enjoying breathtaking Brecon Beacons scenery along the way. You’ll then descend for the final 2.5km or so, arriving back at the monastery ruins.

8. Blorenge

• Type: Circular walk
• Distance: 11.3km
• Time: 3–4 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 420m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Keeper’s Pond
• Map: AllTrails

The Blorenge circular walk is one of the lesser known walks in the Brecon Beacons that you really should consider doing. Taking place in the Black Mountains, you’ll make your way to Punchbowl, which is a large cwm (valley) and human-made lake. You’ll then depart the Punchbowl, following a road until making a right turn at the Carn y Gorfydd. Then, you’ll follow a path towards the summit of the Blorenge, where you’ll find a trig point and a vantage point providing sweeping views of the countryside.

FYI – if you want something a little shorter, there’s also a 5.3km Blorenge circular walk.

9. Craig Cerrig-gleisiad

• Type: Circular walk
• Distance: 4.3km
• Time: 1.5–2 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 320m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: A470 (VGQ3+PH Brecon)
• Map: AllTrails

This circular walk in the Craig Cerrig-gleisiad and Fan Frynych National Nature Reserve provides some of the best views of all of the walks in the Brecon Beacons. Given the unique plant and bird species there, the area has been given nature reserve status within the national park. During this walk, you’ll initially pass through woodlands before crossing a stream and ascending the ridge to Fan Frynych. Keep in mind, that you’ll often encounter a muddy trail. FYI – some people will extend the walk to include summiting Fan Fawr too.

10. Skirrid Fawr

• Type: Out & Back
• Distance: 4.3km
• Time: 1–1.5 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 295m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Old Ross Road (B4521); 51.842435, -2.975343
• Map: AllTrails

This is one of the best shorter walks in the Brecon Beacons. The initial stages of the walk pass through Pant-Skirrid Wood – a quaint area of woodlands. You’ll then begin to ascend to the peak of Skirrid Fawr, enjoying more open terrain along the way. On a clear day, you should even be able to spot Sugar Loaf and even Waun Fach!

11. Monmouth and Brecon Canal

• Type: Out & Back
• Distance: 8.7km
• Time: 2–2.5 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 160m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Brynich Loch
• Map: AllTrails

For an easier walk with less elevation gain, consider doing the Monmouth and Brecon Canal walk. Starting at Brynich Loch, you’ll head over the Cefn Brynich Canal Bridge Aqueduct, which crosses over the River Usk. After passing through farmlands and arriving at Pencelli, you’ll retrace your steps to complete the walk. Of course, there are other sections of the Brecon Canal to walk along; but, this section provides an excellent snapshot of the canal and surrounding area.

12. Sarn Helen

• Type: Circular walk
• Distance: 8km
• Time: 2–3 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 305m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Dolwyddelan
• Map: AllTrails

Last but not least is the Sarn Helen walk, which is a bit of a different walking option in the Brecon Beacons. Basically, you’ll be following a section of Roman Road! Indeed, you’ll literally walk along the original Roman cobbles, passing Pen y Benar and Cwm Penamnen along the way.

The Best Brecon Beacons Walks Recap

Brecon Beacons National Park is easily one of the best walking destinations in the UK. Probably only thwarted by Snowdonia National Park in the north, Brecon Beacons is certainly the next best national park in Wales. So, make sure to spend time walking in this beautiful national park, and see how many of the twelve best Brecon Beacons walks you can get through!

Brecon Beacons Walking 3 Day Itinerary Suggestion

Brecon Beacons National Park is jam-packed full of amazing hiking. If you’re visiting for a long weekend trip and have got plenty of energy, you should be able to fit in, at least, seven of the best Brecon Beacons walks. By doing the following Brecon Beacons walks, you’ll be able to experience some of the best hikes on all four of Brecon Beacons’ mountain ranges.

• Black Mountain: Llyn y Fan Fach & Llyn y Fan Fawr Circular Walk and Llanthony Priory Circular Walk
• Fforest Fawr: Four Falls Walk and Henrhyd Falls – it’s worth noting that the south-westerly edge of Brecon Beacons National Park (where these walks are located) is known as Waterfall Country and is absolutely stunning!
• Brecon Beacons: Pen y Fan Horseshoe Ridge + Fan y Big + Blaen y Glyn Waterfalls
• Black Mountains: The Sugar Loaf and Waun Fach & The Dragon’s Back

For those of you who are keen to squeeze all of these Brecon Beacon hiking trails into three days, you can follow this itinerary below.

• Day 1: Pen y Fan Horseshoe Ridge + Fan y Big + Blaen y Glyn Waterfalls and The Sugar Loaf
• Day 2: Four Falls Walk, Henrhyd Falls and Llyn y Fan Fach & Llyn y Fan Fawr Circular Walk
• Day 3: Waun Fach & The Dragon’s Back and Llanthony Priory Circular Walk

By following this Brecon Beacons itinerary, you’ll be able to experience at least one hike on all four mountain ranges in the national park over three days. Of course, pick and choose whichever Brecon Beacons walks from the list presented in this guide to suit your itinerary!

An Important Thing to Know Before Exploring Brecon Beacons Walks In Wales

One of the most important things to know before walking in this area of Wales is the unpredictable Brecon Beacons weather. You should always check the weather before embarking on any hike in the UK and the Brecon Beacons is no different. Weather in the Brecon Beacons mountains can change very quickly, so always be prepared. To that end, make sure to always pack wet weather gear as conditions can turn foul pretty quickly. You can check the MET Office weather here.

Accommodation: Where to Stay For Brecon Beacons Walks

Being keen campers, we’d usually be recommending an epic campsite to stay at during your time walking in the Brecon Beacons. But, Beck and I visited Brecon Beacons National Park when travel restrictions meant a lot of campsites were still closed or running at minimal capacity. So, we decided to spoil ourselves and stay at the gorgeous Tower Hotel in Talgarth, located on the northeast edge of Brecon Beacons.

It’s a small family-run hotel, restaurant and pub, which is rated very highly on Booking.com with plenty of reviews. The host, Jan, is very kind and generous. Not only did she cook us a delicious full English breakfast on our final morning; but, because we missed breakfast our first morning to go and hike early, she went to the shops and packed us a take-away breakfast the night before. This even included lunch and snacks for the day – Beck and I were blown away by her generosity.

Admittedly, the Tower Hotel wasn’t a budget stay by any means. But, we were very pleased with our stay, as shown by our 10/10 review.

Brecon Beacons Camping

The Brecon Beacons National Park is very well set up for campers. So, you’ll find a wealth of options littered throughout the park. Let’s go through some of the best Brecon Beacons camping options, based on where the best walks are located.

• Campsites near Pen y Fan: Grawen Caravan and Camping Park is perched within the foothills of the southern Brecon Beacons, under the towering ridge line of the Pen y Fan Horseshoe Ridge walking trail. Otherwise, Plas Dolygaer is also close to the trailhead car parks. This campsite and bunkhouse is open all year round and available for private hire too.
• Campsites near the Sugar Loaf: Cuddfan Bell Tent Site, Psycodlyn Farm Caravan and Camping Site and Riverside Caravan Park are all closely located to the Sugar Loaf Mountain.
• Campsites near Llyn y Fan Fach: Wildman Woods Campsite is located near the trailhead for the Llyn y Fan Fach and Llyn y Fan Fawr Circular Walk. FYI – this campsite is mostly set up for tent pitches.

How to Get to Brecon Beacons National Park

Located in South Wales, Brecon Beacons National Park is fairly straightforward to get to from nearly anywhere in England. Accessing many of the trailheads would be time-consuming to reach by public transport though. So, we highly recommend Discover Cars for the best car hire deals (if you don’t have your own set of wheels).

To find out more about renting a car with Discover Cars, read our Discover Cars review and Discover Cars Insurance review.

Getting to Wales

Flights: To do this trip from abroad, it probably makes sense to catch a flight to Cardiff. When booking flights, you should definitely use Skyscanner to search for the cheapest flights. When flying abroad, we always get the ball rolling with a Skyscanner search. Although, with the pandemic, we have changed tactics and decided it’s safest to book directly with the airlines.

What to Pack For Walking in Brecon Beacons

These are some of our hiking gear essentials for exploring Brecon Beacons National Park.

To find out more about all of the gear that we use and recommend, read our guides about our favourite hiking gear, travel gear and camera gear. Otherwise, read our comprehensive travel packing checklist.

Trail Navigation For Brecon Beacons Walks

Some of these Brecon Beacons walks are straightforward and easy to follow. But, some of the hikes listed are either long trails or multi-trail combinations and can be tricky to navigate if you’re unfamiliar with the area. So, we recommend using Wikiloc or AllTrails maps for GPS-guided directions.

For those not so prepared, if you’re needing navigation help during your hike and don’t have any phone reception, consider using Maps.me. Although, you need to have at least downloaded the map of the general area beforehand.

Bonus Tips

• Complete the Four Falls Walk early: on the weekend, this trail can become extremely busy. The car park was actually full by late morning. So, make an early start and you’ll have a much more peaceful experience checking out these glorious waterfalls.
• Explore more of the Waterfall Country: there are many other waterfalls in Brecon Beacons National Park. Click here to find out about other waterfall trails in the sensational Waterfall Country.
• It’s not just about walking; there are things to do in Brecon Beacons: visit the historic Carreg Cennen Castle or the lovely Lower Neuadd Reservoir.
• Take cash for parking: just in case, as some car parks in the Brecon Beacons only take cash.

What other UK hiking destinations would you like us to write about it? Let us know in the comments below.