Updated 15/2/2020
You will quickly discover raw beauty when you Roadtrip Wales’s Brecon Beacons. This National Park is just one of 14 others found in the United Kingdom.
Roadtrip Brecon Beacons National Park
What better way to explore this beautiful region than by taking a self-drive trip, and letting the winding roads transport you to stunning scenery and dramatic mountain landscapes.
This detailed step-by-step 3 day itinerary, will enable you to Roadtrip Wales’s Brecon Beacons under your own steam, and allow you to really appreciate all that the park has to offer.
Why Visit?
- Quaint Market Towns
- Stunning Mountainous Landscapes
- Iconic Hay Festival
- Whiskey At Penderyn Distillery
- Waterfalls and Lakes
- Scenic Walking
Roadtrip Brecon Beacons National Park : 3 Day Itinerary
BRECON BEACONS NATIONAL PARK
This Park encompasses everything that is beautiful about nature.
Covering a total area of approximately 520 square miles of Mid and South Wales, and stretching 42 miles from east to west, it can be split into three distinct areas.
The central region of Brecon Beacons and Fforest Fawr (Great Forest) has the Black Mountains to the East and the Black Mountain Region to the West.
The nature smorgasboard offers mountains, peaks, waterfalls, reservoirs, castles, stunning landscapes and quaint market towns. And all to be explored making it an ideal place to discover by road, in your own vehicle.
This 3 day itinerary begins and ends in Brecon, a market town nestled near the Northern border of the National Park.
DAY ONE
- Start & Finish : Brecon
- Overnight Accommodation : The Town House, Brecon
MORNING: BRECON (approx half an hour)
Brecon is a lovely market town nestled near the Northern border to the Brecon Beacons National Park and a great starting point for exploring the area.
Start the day with a wander around the impressive Cathedral perched on a hill overlooking the River Honddu.
Built in the 11th century, and starting life as a Benedictine Priory, highlights include an architecturally impressive timber roofed, carved Norman Font, a chapel draped with Zulu War banners, stain glass windows and a modern looking yet unique wooden crucifix, carved from driftwood found on Rhossilli Beach.
- Location: Cathedral Close, Brecon LD3 9DP
- Open: 10am-4pm
- Alongside the cathedral is Pilgrims Tea Rooms & Heritage Centre
- Parking is at a pay-and-display car park next to the Cathedral.
- Check out the history of the cathedral
From Brecon, follow signs to Hay-On-Wye, passing Talgarth and Glasbury en-route.
HAY-ON-WYE (approx one hour)
Hay-On-Wye is a pretty market town with narrow lanes, quirky shops and is a renowned second-hand book capital, making it a delightful place to meander.
If your visit coincides with the prestigious Hay Festival (May), you will have to share the winding streets with the hordes! Enjoy elevenses in one of the numerous cafes.
- For those with a GPS device, the entrance to the main car park in Hay is located at these co-ordinates: Latitude: 52.07320208384462 / Longitude: -3.125929534435272
- The main car park is located close to the craft centre opposite the rear of Hay Castle. Pay and display coin machine.
Head South from Hay and on the edge of town take a sharp left onto Forest Road (signposted Capel-Y-Ffin). The narrow single track with numerous passing places winds its way up to the Gospel Pass.
With hedges either side, you only get the odd glimpse of the surrounding landscape.
The Gospel Pass (the second highest road in Wales) climbing steadily, snaking its way up to 1,801 feet, is flanked on the West by Waun Fach and Lord Hereford’s Knob and to the East by Hay Bluff.
The summit rewards you with open remote moorland and fantastic views of long narrow valleys of the Black Mountains.
Stop and say hello to the wild ponies that roam this open uncultivated stretch, and savour the open vistas before you start a steady descent into the greener Vale of Ewyas.
A lonesome farm sits amongst the rugged pastureland. A beautiful setting in the Summer but isolated come the depths of Winter.
The winding road falls into shadow as the trees either side, form a canopy, with the odd shaft of light making itself visible through the darkness. Reaching the other side, you arrive in Capel-Y-Ffin and your next stop.
ST MARY THE VIRGIN CHURCH (approx 15 minutes)
A ramshackled whitewashed Chapel, nestled amongst ancient yew trees, it could easily be mistaken for a dilapidated cottage. Surprisingly though, it is still providing a place of worship for local villagers after all these years.
LLANTHONY PRIORY (approx. 30 minutes)
Continue to the nearby ethereal ruins of Llanthony, an Augustian Priory founded in the 12th century. With an atmospheric setting, among wooded hills, enjoy a drink at the Hotel built among the ruins.
Sit under the roofless arches and be mesmerized by the sight of swallows circling the ruins like bomber pilots on a reconnaissance mission.
Continue down the valley along a meandering road lined with trees, bending over like old friends embracing.
Take a right hand turn toward Partishow and Llanbedr and after passing Neuadd Farm on the left, tucked into the bend of the road, lies a narrow lane, which ascends the hillside to the simple remote, yet beautiful Partishow Church.
With a font dating back to 1055, an ornate wooden screen and a skeleton wall painting, which despite being whitewashed, keeps reappearing, this Church has a lingering sense of history.
Retrace your steps back to the road and turn right, continuing to the town of Crickhowell, where you can enjoy lunch.
CRICKHOWELL (approx 1.5 hours)
This pretty characteristic town, has an unpretentious air of prosperity with its upscale independent shops, a motte, castle remains and colourful ornate flowers spilling over from every window box.
Walk down Standard Street and meet Beaufort Street with the iconic Bear Hotel, a former coaching inn and local institution. Either enjoy a pub lunch here or wander along the High Street and choose one of the cafes on offer, such as Book-ish.
- When you enter the town centre, there is a large public car park further on the left, just after the Fire Station.
- The Crickhowell Resource and Information Centre backs on to this car park, and provides information on the surrounding area.
After re-fuelling, leave Crickhowell via the 16th century bridge over the River Usk. Take the A4077 (Crickhowell Road) then turn right onto Church Street.
Join the A465, ‘Head of the Valleys’ road, until turning off towards Pant and Brecon Mountain Railway.
BRECON MOUNTAIN RAILWAY
This narrow-gauge tourist railway starts at Pant and climbs along the length of Pontsticill Reservoir. From the car park, turn right and walk along the road to view (for free!) the train and the horses in the adjacent field. If you are a train buff, you may enjoy the workshop viewing gallery.
Back in the car, continue to Pontsticill, turning right over the bridge, and once at the other side pull in to view the dam and valve tower.
Continue to skirt the reservoir and River Taff on the western side up to Torpantau. Turn right at the head of the reservoir.
The Old Barn Tea Room on the right makes delicious scones with jam and clotted cream. The road winds towards Talybont Reservoir with fantastic forest views set high on the hillside.
Stop at one of the lay-bys and find a rock to sit on. Close your eyes. The silence is only accompanied by the delicate rippling of the water and the tentative sound of birdsong. This is the largest still water reservoir in central Brecon Beacons.
As you continue, the narrow road, with 3.5m high hedges either side, repeatedly rewards you with brief glimpses of Talybont Forest as you approach Pencelli on the A4558.
Your journey finishes in four miles back in Brecon, your location for the night.
EVENING
Enjoy a meal at the Brecon Castle Hotel just over the bridge in Castle Square, before turning in for the night at The Town House, a luxury boutique B & B on Market Street.
DAY TWO
- Start & Finish : Brecon / Llandeilo
- Overnight Accommodation : The Cawdor Hotel, Llandeilo
After a good night’s rest, leave Brecon on the A470 South, taking a slight detour on the A4059 to the National Park Visitor Centre in Libanus.
Learn more about the National Park from information officers on site and if you are hungry, grab a breakfast in the delightful tea rooms.
Armed with maps etc, return to the A470 and turn into an adjacent lay-by on the right, your starting point for a visit to a Nature Reserve.
CRAIG CERRIG GLEISIAD NATURE RESERVE (Free)
To get a feel for the sharp escarpments, crags and rocky slopes of the reserve, try one of the waymarked walking trials.
Before you know it, you will leave the road noise behind and be transported to an atmospheric and exposed moorland, which is home to around 80 different bird species and more than 500 species of plants.
Wear appropriate footwear as some paths are steep. Two shorter trails include:
- Under The Cliff Walk (1.5 miles / moderste / approx 1 hour)
- Bluestone Walk (2.25 miles / difficult / approx 1.5 hours)
If you do not wish to go for a walk around the reserve, continue down the A4059 (right hand turn) to Penderyn.
This stunning mountain road which begins by crossing the top of Beacon Reservoir’s Dam, climbs quickly leaving gentle arable landscape and moving onto exposed starker green moorland.
Sheep adorn the coarse grass verges of this rugged and wild landscape.
The open road sways through the stunning vistas parting its arms to display sweeping valleys crisscrossed stone walls and rolling hills.
PENDERYN DISTILLERY
Producing award winning single malt whiskies and spirits, you can enjoy tastings on an hour-long tour, but be sure to book ahead to avoid disappointment.
Leave the A4059 and turn right after the distillery into Church Road for a lunch stop at the Red Lion Inn.
After lunch, head North on Pontpren / A4059 for about 3 miles, before turning left into Gwaun Hepste car park (OS Grid Reference: SN935123).
- If this car park is FULL, continue a few miles further, to the Cwm Porth car park (pay and display, requires 4 x £1 coins)
The trail leads to 4 waterfalls, the first one being Sgwd Clun-Gwyn, which you will hear roaring thunderingly before you reach them. Aim to spend 2 hours here and wear appropriate footwear.
Back in the car, continue on the A470 and climb into the windswept area of Fforest Fawr.
Just 60m off the road, after approximately 5 miles, can be seen the massive sandstone block of Maen Llia. Thought to be the highest standing stone in South Wales, at 3.7m, it has a pointed head and could possibly have been a territorial marker.
Continue to Heol Senni, then turn left and start your descent down the Senni Valley on the A4067.
The road twists and turns cutting a smooth path through verdant green landscapes dotted with forest, purple wildflowers and peaks.
On your right, overlooked by Fan Gyhirych at 725m, is Crai Reservoir. Glaciers once flowed into these waters, a landscaped sculpted by ice.
Continue your descent to Ystradgynlais and join the A4069 to Brynamman, the start of an epic trip to finish your day in style.
The A4069, or Black Mountain Road, is a driver’s delight and needs to be driven in daylight to enjoy its every turn.
Stretching across the Western side of the National Park, it snakes over the Black Mountain Range in a smooth and yet purposeful manner.
Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride, as you climb steadily through remote moorland dotted with sheep and the occasional narrow bridge crossing over mountain rivers.
This sweeping pass guides you to a staggering height of 1,617 feet above sea level and a lay-by with panoramic 360-degree views with, miraculously, a lone ice-cream van.
Grab your cone, find a vantage point on the grass and simply absorb the stunning scenery stretching as far as the eye can see.
This is nature at its best and it should be studied studiously and unhurried.
Back in the car, your roll coaster ride continues as you weave your way through a succession of tight hair pin bends as you wind and snake your way downwards towards Llandovery.
Leave the A4069 just before Llangadog on the Bethlehem Road, joining the A483 to Llandeilo your destination for the night being The Cawdor Hotel.
EVENING
Toast your journey thus far with a glass of wine in the bar and enjoy a meal here or in the dining room, before retiring for the night to one of their cosy bedrooms.
DAY THREE
- Start: Llandeilo / Finish: Brecon
After a hearty breakfast, wander around this historic market town, nestled above the River Towy.
Stroll past the quaint pastel coloured houses, browse the independently owned shops and delightful Church, before hitting the road.
Take the A483 towards Ffairfach before turning off to Trapp and following signs to Carreg Cennen Castle.
CARREG CENNEN CASTLE (~1hour)
The weather-beaten ruins cling to a limestone craggy hill top, yet stand defiant as the castle did back in its heyday.
In 1277 this Welsh stronghold was surrendered to the English and rebuilt. Use your phone’s torch to explore the cave and imagine if you can, being held captive in the dungeon!
Walk around and take in the amazing views, keeping a keen eye out for red kites soaring overhead.
- Location: Trapp, Llandeilo SA19 6UA
- Open: 1 Apr-31 Oct / 9.30am-6pm and 1 Nov-31 Mar /9.30am-4.30pm
- Cost: Adults £5.50
- Parking is available within easy reach of the castle farm, with approx. 50 spaces.
- Toilets are located in the car park
Head back to the main road and turn right towards Gwynfe, along the narrow winding roads. Be sure to look out for the castle high up on the hill, to get another viewing perspective.
Cross under the A4069 to Llanddeusant, stopping at Llyn Fan Fach car park.
Take a 30 min stroll (approx 1 mile) to reach the shores of the lake, lying in the shadow of the Black Mountain.
Legend states that the ‘Lady of the Lake’ rests in the waters and that her children became the first physicians of Myddfai.
Retrace your steps to Llandeusant and continue to Myddfai, a small village with a population of 415, but a heart of gold.
MYDDFAI COMMUNITY HALL (~1 hour)
This is a delightful community run tearoom and gift shop, so enjoy a tasty lunch or maybe pick up a hand-crafted present or souvenir.
- Location: Myddfai, Llandovery SA20 0JD
- Open: Mar-Oct 10.30am-5pm daily except Monday / Nov-Feb 11am-4pm Wednesday to Sunday. Open all bank holidays except Christmas & New Year
- Free WiFi
There are home grown herbs on sale and a wall display about the herbal remedies used by the physicians of Myddfai.
From Myddfai, take one of the narrow meandering roads that cut across country and have you wondering whether you are in a maze.
In parts, it feels as if you are driving through an enchanted forest with only dappled light as your companion.
The road guides you through twists and turns culminating at a gate, which when opened and driven through, takes you past a post, on which a small plague welcomes you to the Black Mountain.
There is a good chance you will be led down the fern fringed narrow track, by a number of sheep, running in front of your car.
You will eventually meet the A40 where you will turn right towards Trecastle.
Take a right hand turn and follow signs to Usk Reservoir, which is set in a remote area amongst forest and moorland, overlooking Mynydd Du, or the Black Mountain.
Enjoy the rolling hills dotted with forest and great stretches of beautiful open verdant landscape. Sit on the shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of this Dark Sky Discovery designated site.
Retrace your route, re-joining the A40 at Trecastle, taking you all the way to Brecon.
You will enter the town over the Usk Bridge taking a left-hand turn into Westgate, where a car park will be on your left (pay and display).
On foot, turn right out of the car park and continue down Ship Street to the quirky Hours Cafe & Bookshop for some well deserved coffee and cake.
Feeling refreshed, stroll around Brecon’s narrow streets, where the town’s Norman past can be seen in several Georgian facades. A fitting end to a wonderful roadtrip around Wales’ Brecon Beacons National Park.
RECREATE THIS TRIP YOURSELF
Use the following list of Resources to easily recreate this scenic Roadtrip around Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, UK.
ARRIVING
Within easy reach of the M4, M50 and A40 road networks. Nearest airport is Cardiff International, an hour’s drive away.
ACCOMMODATION
- The Town House in Brecon, is a luxury boutique B&B overlooking the River Honddu. The Grade II Listed Georgian Town House has a great central location. Choose from 3 beautifully, individual en-suite bedrooms (the photo on Day One, shows the Deluxe King Room) and enjoy a sumptuous breakfast in the stylish guest lounge. If you enjoy attention to detail and luxury, this will be perfect for you
- The Cawdor Hotel In Llandeilo, is located in the heart of the town and is a local institution. Mixing modern and antique styles together, this 4-star boutique hotel is a winner. Spacious, individually styled bedrooms offer luxurious en-suite bathrooms, while the Dining Room serves delicious food. The Hotel is a 5 minute walk from Llandeilo Train Station and perfectly situated for exploring the Brecon Beacons. Check it out and see what you think!
FOOD
A variety of food can be found at Brecon Castle Hotel Brecon, Bear Hotel Crickhowell, Book-Ish Crickhowell, Red Lion Inn Penderyn, The Cawdor Hotel Llandeilo and Myddfai Community Hall.
SIGHTS
The 3-Day Itinerary covers Brecon Cathedral, Llanthony priory, Brecon Mountain Railway, Craig Cerrig Gleisiad Nature Reserve and Penderyn Distillery.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Summer, especially July tends to be warmest, although Wales can get it’s fair share of rain anytime. Bring suitable clothing and footwear.
Brecon Beacons National Park is an area of remarkable beauty and this trip has hopefully shown you some of it’s stunning areas.
A self-drive road trip is a great way to explore an area, as it enables you to stop whenever it suits you and take your time discovering the sights.
Have you visited this National Park in Wales, or have you never made it further north than London during your time in the UK? Leave a comment, or share any tips you may have.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase through this link. This income goes towards the sites running costs and enables us to provide our readers with free content. Read our Disclosure.