Brecon Beacons National Park is an expanse of immeasurable natural beauty. Rugged mountain ranges spill down to valleys while limestone caves and dramatic waterfalls highlight a landscape of flower-filled meadows, forests and grassy hills. Brecon Beacons National Park is a paradise for biking, hiking, horseback riding and touring on canals. Discover more than 250 ancient monuments, villages crowned by castles and designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Crisscrossed by scenic roads and marked routes, the park sprawls for 42 miles (68 kilometers) across South Wales and is loosely split into several areas. In the northeast are the Black Mountains, a range of red sandstone hills traversed by lazy rivers. The Brecon Beacons dominate the park’s central skyline and include its highest peak, 2,907-foot-tall (886-meter) Pen y Fan. Toward the western border is the solitary Black Mountain, which looms over the mystical Great Forest.
Enjoy the park’s adventure pursuits. Explore miles of guided trails, hillside paths and towpaths by foot and bike. Participate in canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding and whitewater rafting on the canals and rivers. Try caving and potholing, go fishing on placid lakes, spot rare birdlife and gaze up at a night sky painted with thousands of stars.
Add in visits to medieval castles, including Blaen Llynfi Castle and Carreg Cennen Castle. Tour prehistoric sites, such as Garn Goch Iron Age Hillfort and over 30 standing stones. Learn about the region’s industrial history at Blaenavon World Heritage Site. Marvel at the gorges, sinkholes and waterfalls of the Great Forest’s Waterfall Country.
Experience the warmth of Welsh hospitality at the guesthouses, pubs and teahouses of market towns and villages. Abergavenny, Brecon, Crickhowell, Talgarth and Talybont-on-Usk are all interesting places to spend a night.
Reach Brecon Beacons National Park easily by catching a public bus from Cardiff or Swansea. Buses also travel between the park’s towns and villages. Board the Brecon Mountain Railway for a scenic journey in the shadow of towering peaks. Rent a longboat and cruise gently down the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. Guidebooks and maps are available on the park’s official website and at its visitor centers.
