Walks in Wales
Corn Du, Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn in the Brecon Beacons
Wales is the perfect hikers and walkers country. The country has everything from high rocky mountains, widespread grass and peat moors, glacially shaped hills and rolling countryside to lush valleys, both the wide and narrow. Most mountain walkers are drawn to Snowdonia where 14 mountains of over 3,000 feet challenge the most adventurous outdoor types. South of Snowdonia there is the completely different world of the Cambrian Mountains, most of them being isolated and lonely which can be a wonderful draw to the walkers who seek solitude. The Cambrian Mountains are also famous for spawning some of Great Britain's iconic rivers such as River Severn and River Wye which both originate on Pumlumon Fawr. Continue south from the Cambrian Mountains and there are the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains with jewels such as Pen Y Fan and Sugar Loaf. Apart from the mountains and hills the valleys attract such as the Elan Valley and Wye Valley, both drawing lots of leisure walkers and countryside lovers. And finally there is the coast. Wales has some of the best in Great Britain including the rugged Pembrokeshire coast which is famous for its coastal path.
"For walks in the Pumlumon area of the northern Elenydd, try this recommended website which is compiled by local enthusiasts who know their area better than anyone".
Interactive map of the walks
| Walk | Miles | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aber Falls (Rhaeadr Fawr) | 2.8 | A short walk in Gwynedd, North Wales along the valley of Rhaeadr Fawr to marvel at the famous spectacle of Aber Falls. |
| Foel Drygarn Hill Fort | 3.0 | A walk in Pembrokeshire to an evocative bronze age hill fort on the summit of Foel Drygarn. |
| Machen, Coed-cefn-pwll-du and Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Path | 3.2 | I did this walk through beautiful woodland when the Bluebell carpet was stunning. One of my best woodland walks. |
| The Skirrid (Ysgyryd Fawr) | 3.6 | A short walk up Abergavenny's famous holy mountain. The walk along the ridge provides striking views. |
| Betws-y-Coed, Gwydyr Forest, Llyn Elsi and Sarn Helen | 3.8 | A Snowdonia walk from the popular village of Betws-y-Coed to Llyn Elsi in the Gwydyr Forest. |
| Tryfan by the Heather Terrace | 3.8 | Llyn Bochlwyd, a small lake and Tryfan, a great hill make for a great walk with lots of great views. |
| Newborough Beach and Llanddwyn Island | 3.8 | This walk on Anglesey is famous and rightly so. Newborough Beach is gorgeous and Llanddwyn Island is special. |
| River Usk and Monmouthshire Brecon Canal (from Brecon) | 4.3 | A short walk from the centre of Brecon alongside the bank of the River Usk and then inbound along the canal towpath. |
| Moelfre, Lligwy Bay, Capel Lligwy, Din Lligwy and Lligwy Burial Chamber | 4.3 | A walk on the island of Anglesey from a delightful modern coastal village to a series of ancient sites. |
| Y Garn and Devil's Chimney | 4.5 | Short but full of thrills from the start. An ascent and descent of Y Garn is followed by the exciting climb down through the Devil's Kitchen.. |
| Pont-rhyd-y-groes and Ystwyth Gorge | 4.5 | A Water Wheel and a miners footbridge over a dramatic gorge are just delights of this fascinating walk. |
| Cadair Idris and Mynydd Moel | 5.7 | The classic circuit of Cadair Idris and Mynydd Moel from Minfforrd via Nant Cadair Gorge and the Minffordd Path. |
| Y Garn and Nantlle Ridge | 5.7 | A stiff climb of Y Garn to start with, then part of the Nantlle ridge before taking it easy visiting some old mine workings. |
| Cadair Idris | 6.1 | Second only to Snowdon in terms of popularity, Cadair Idris is a jewel and this walk is the ideal way to appreciate it. |
| Moelwyn Mawr | 6.3 | A walk from Croesor to this wonderful high ridged mountain, parts of which are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. |
| Teifi Pools | 6.4 | A walk in the wild hinterlands of mid Wales. The waters of Teifi Pools may be tamed but not the land. |
| Cefn Cwm Llwch, Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Bryn Teg | 6.7 | A walk to Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in South Wales, by one of the most popular routes. |
| Castell Coch, Taff's Well, Craig yr Allt and Caerphilly Mountain | 6.9 | A south Wales walk from fairytale Castell Coch to Caerphilly mountain by way of the Taff Vale. |
| Cnicht, Matterhorn of Wales | 7.0 | A walk from Croesor to Snowdonia's Matterhorn followed by an exploration of deserted uplands. |
| Crib Goch, Garnedd Ugain & Snowdon | 7.1 | The classic crossing of the Snowdon Massif by way of three Welsh 3,000s. Crib Goch is quite a challenge. |
| Tryfan, Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr | 7.2 | Unreservedly this one of my best days out ever on the mountains. A very challenging walk with lots of scrambling. |
| Rhossili Bay, Worms Head, Rhossili Down and the Beacon | 7.2 | A walk in the Gower Coast National Nature Reserve to an iconic Welsh island steeped in legend. |
| Llyn Dinas, Beddgelert, Pass of Aberglaslyn and Moel y Dyniewyd | 7.5 | If its a wet day this low level walk to Beddgelert, Pass Of Aberglaslyn and Llyn Dinas is a nice alternative. |
| Beddgelert, Moel Hebog, Moel yr Ogof, Moel Lefn and Beddgelert Forest | 7.6 | A Snowdonia walk from Beddgelert to the mountains of Moel Hebog, Moel yr Ogof and Moel Lefn |
| Llanrwst and Betws-Y-Coed | 7.6 | Riverside and forest walking from Llanrwst to Betws-Y-Coed with a nice tarn to visit on the return leg. |
| Snowdon from Rhyd Ddu | 8.0 | This route up Snowdon avoids all the crowds walking from Pen-y-pass or Llanberis. Penned by Adam Gallimore its a beauty. |
| Devil's Bridge, Ystumtuen and Coed Rheidol | 8.3 | A walk of countryside, rolling hills and ancient woodland in Ceredigion which ends with a dramatic finale amidst the waterfalls of the fabled Devil's Bridge gorge. |
| Black Mountains including Pen Cerrig-calch and Table Mountain | 8.7 | A lovely walk including Pen Twyn Glas, Pen Allt-mawr, Pen Gloch-y-pibwr, Pen Cerrig-calch and Table Mountain. |
| Pen-y-Pass, Miners Track, Snowdon, Llanberis (Linear) | 9.0 | Quite simply a classic mountain walk. This one goes up the Miners Path and down to Llanberis. |
| Brecon Beacons Horseshoe to Corn Du, Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Fan y Big | 10.7 | The classic Brecon Beacons Horseshoe walk. This spectacular circuit is probably the best upland walk in South Wales. |
| Sugar Loaf from Abergavenny | 11.0 | A marvellous circular which goes around the southern edge of the mountain to Llangenny before crossing over the top. |
| Crickhowell, Twr Pen-cyrn, Craig y Cilau and Darren Cilau | 11.2 | A circular walk from the popular town of Crickhowell with canal towpath, lowland, a mountain climb and clifftop extravaganza. |
| Pontneddfechan Waterfalls Walk | 12.0 | I think this walk upstream Nedd Fechan and downstream Afon Mellte is one the best waterfalls walks in Britain. |
| Conwy Mountain, Tal y Fan, Drum, Foel-fras, Carnedd Gwenllian, Foel Grach, Carnedd Llewelyn, Carnedd Dafydd and Pen yr Ole Wen | 17.7 | A walk of near 18 miles and 1,855 metres of ascent but not as hard as it appears. The climbing is consistent all the way and once halfway at Foel Fras the rest of the walk is a high level delight. The views are amazing throughout. |
| Wales Coast to Coast Long Distance Footpath | ||
| 01: Conwy to Llyn Ogwen | 17.1 | Conwy Mountain. Tal y Fan, Drum, Foel-fras, Garnedd Uchaf, Foel, Grach, Carnedd Llewelyn, Carnedd Dafydd, Llyn Ogwen. |
| 02: Llyn Ogwen to Pen-y-Pass | 8.4 | Llyn Ogwen, Tryfan, Glyder Fach, Glyder Fawr, Llyn Cwmffynnon, Pen-y-Pass. |
| 03: Pen-y-Pass to Beddgelert | 10.5 | Pen-y-Pass, Crib Goch, Garnedd Ugain, Mount Snowdon, Watkin Path, Afon Glaslyn, Llyn Dinas, Beddgelert. |
| 04: Beddgelert to Maentwrog | 12.8 | Beddgelert, Pass of Aberglaslyn, Nantmor, Croesor, Moelwyn Mawr, Ffestiniog Railway, Maentwrog. |
| 05: Maentwrog to Bontddu | 18.3 | Maentwrog, Bryn Cader Faner, Cwm Bychan, The Roman Steps, The Rhinogs, Pont-Scethin, Braich, Bontddu, Afon Mawddach. |
| 06: Bontddu to Minffordd | 10.5 | Afon Mawddach, Penmaenpool Bridge, Llyn Gwernan, Pony Path, Cadair Idris, Penygadair, Craig Cau, Minffordd Path, Llyn Cau. |
| 07: Minffordd to Machynlleth | 9.3 | Minffordd, Corris Uchaf, Abercorris, Ceinws Esgairgeiliog, Centre for Alternative Technology, Afon Dyfi, Machynlleth. |
| 08: Machynlleth to Ponterwyd | 15.5 | Machynlleth, Glyndwr's Way, Forge, Mynydd Bychan, Afon Hyddgen, Nant-y-moch Reservoir, Ponterwyd. |
| 09: Ponterwyd to Devil's Bridge | 6.4 | Ponterwyd, Bryn Bras, Parson's Bridge, Ystumtuen, Borth to Devil's Bridge Pontrhydfendigaid Trail, Devil's Bridge. |
| 10: Devil's Bridge to Tregaron | 16.1 | Devil's Bridge, Pont Rhyd-y-groes, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Pontrhydfendigaid, Strata Florida, Tregaron. |
| 11: Tregaron to Rhandirmwyn | 22.1 | Tregaron, Cambrians, Camddwr, Hafdre, Llyn Brianne, Nant-y-Bai, Rhandirmwyn. |
| 12: Rhandirmwyn to Llandovery | 7.0 | Rhandirmwyn, Llettyrhaflaeth, Pen y gaer, Maes y-gwandde, Llandovery. |
| 13: Llandovery to Cray Reservoir | 17.9 | Llandovery, Myddfai, Llanddeusant, Beacons Way, Llyn y Fan Fach, Picws Du, Fan Foel, Fan rycheiniog, Fforest Fawr, Cray Reservoir. |
| 14: Cray Reservoir to Talybont-on-Usk | 19.6 | Cray Reservoir, Heol Senni, Tai'r Bull, Three Rivers Ride, Llanfrynach, Pencelli, Monmouthshire Brecon Canal, River Usk, Talybont-on-Usk. |
| 15: Talybont-on-Usk to Crickhowell | 12.5 | Talybont-on-Usk , Monmouthshire Brecon Canal, Llangynidr, Blaen Onneu, Craig y Cillau, Darren Cilau,Llangattock, River Usk, Crickhowell. |
| 16: Crickhowell to Little Mountain | 17.7 | Crickhowell, Llangenny, Sugar Loaf/ Y Fal, Abergavenny/ Y Fenni, Blorenge, Mynydd y Garn-fawr, Mynydd Garnclochdy, Mynydd Garn-wen, Little Mountain. |
| 17: Little Mountain to Bwlch-y-cwm | 18.4 | Little Mountain, Pontymoel, Blaen Bran Reservoirs, Mynydd Henllys, Risca, Mynydd Machen, Coed Cefn-pwll-du, Rhymney Valley Ridgeway, Thornhill. |
| 18: Bwlch-y-cwm to Cardiff Bay | 9.8 | Castell Coch, River Taff, Taff Trail, Hailey Park, Blackweir, Bute Park, Cardiff Castle, Millennium Stadium, National Assembly, Cardiff Bay. |
Feedback and Suggestions:
I am always pleased to received feedback on the structure and content of the website. I also welcome suggestions on how I can improve the website which may include new areas to cover, new walks or route alterations to existing walks. To contact me with feedback and/ or suggestions please complete the Walking Englishman Feedback Form. Thank you.
(Note: Walking without proper preparation can be dangerous. Information and downloads on this website are provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check the material and use accordingly. Postscript: My walk reports are not route guides and should not be treated as such. They are written with personal reflections of my walks)
