Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) National Park

Brecon Beacons National Park (1957), Renamed Bannau Brycheiniog In 2023. Pen Y Fan, 886 M, Is The Highest Peak In Southern Britain. Also A Dark Sky Reserve And Home To The Fforest Fawr Geopark. · Brecon, Wales

Bannau Brycheiniog, long known as the Brecon Beacons, is an upland national park in south Wales, created in 1957 and renamed in 2023. Its star is Pen y Fan, 886 m, the highest peak in southern Britain, with the flat-topped Corn Du beside it. The wider park is far bigger than that one walk: the Black Mountain in the west, the Black Mountains on the English border, the waterfall country around Ystradfellte, the caves of the Fforest Fawr Geopark and a Dark Sky Reserve. It suits walkers of ordinary fitness, families after waterfalls and stargazers. Be honest about Pen y Fan: on a dry summer weekend the path is a procession, the Storey Arms route is badly eroded and the main car parks fill by mid-morning. Weather turns fast, with cloud, wind and rain on the tops even when Brecon is dry. Allow a full day for the peaks, or two days to see the quieter corners as well, and pack for four seasons in one day.

Upland national park in south Wales centred on the Pen y Fan ridge, reached from the market town of Brecon or the Storey Arms car park on the A470, Brecon, Wales, United Kingdom

The park is open all year and the hills have no gates, so you can walk at any hour, but paths are unlit and rough, and daylight is short from November to February. Visitor centre opening hours vary by season and are usually shorter in winter, so confirm before relying on one. Car parks at Pont ar Daf, Storey Arms, Cwm Gwdi and the waterfall sites are open daily, and several charge at set times, so check the machine on arrival. Cafes and outdoor shops in Brecon and Crickhowell keep normal shop hours, and many are closed or quiet on winter weekdays. Snow and ice can close high mountain roads for days, and the tops can be unsafe without winter kit between roughly November and March. Check the Met Office mountain forecast before setting out.

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