Welcome to the Welsh Wilderness.

You can still escape the crowds and walk paths less travelled as well as bagging popular peaks like Pen y Fan. 

There are incredible walks and rides from the door

and we can also arrange guided walks (whatever your skill level) with Dafydd

a local, charismatic and enthusiastic guide.

 Fancy some wild swimming? From peaty pools to glacier lakes, check out our  favourites. 

Best of the Brecon Beacons

We are just 3 miles from the border of the National Park and you can see the Carmarthen Fans  or the Black Mountain Range  from Penstacan. We love them. 

Wild, remote and mystical. It's here that the Lady of the Lake is said to have resided. Well, we can't blame her. And while there are quite a few visitors, the Fans are quieter than neighbouring Pen Y Fan.

There's a super recommended circular walk around Llyn Y Fan Fawr & Llyn Y Fan Fach but equally you can just walk to one of the lakes and enjoy the views. It takes up to 40 mins to walk up to Llyn Y Fan Fach. 

The Brecon Beacons Horseshoe is a challenging 10 mile walk with spectacular views and avoids the crowded walk up Pen Y Fanwalk from Storey Arms on the A470.

Here are some other walks you may like to try across the park.   Best walks in the Brecon Beacons 

Countryfile magazine lists some more walks in the Brecon Beacons 

The Cambrian Mountains are entirely different to the Brecon Beacons national park. They are remote and on many of them, routes are indistinct. But the pay off, is stunning wild scenery, which you'll mainly have to yourself. Check out our blog and komoot for downloadable hikes.

Teifi Pools

A series of remote lakes high up on a plateau. Absolutely sensational.  Various well signposted walking routes, not too far from pubs to visit on the way home. Read about our favourite remote lakes

Drygarn Fawr From Caban Coch Reservoir 

Drygarn Fawr is located in the heart of the Cambrian Mountains and is one of Wales' wildest, most remote mountains. It lies to the south of the Elan Valley Reservoirs. Rising above the remote moorland plateau of the Cambrian Mountains, and to the west of the peaks of Radnor Forest, the summit is topped by two distinctive, large cairns. The mountain has a gentle, grassy, conical shape with a few rocks near the summit.

Pumlumon Fawr/Plynlimon from Nant-y-moch reservoir . Pumlumon (5 peaks) is the highest point of the Cambrian Mountains and the highest point in Mid Wales. It is a massif that dominates the countryside of northern Ceredigion.

The highest point of the massif itself is Pen Pumlumon Fawr at 752 metres (2,467 ft). Its other important peaks are Pen Pumlumon Arwystli, Y Garn, Pen Pumlumon Llygad-bychan and Pumlumon Fach.

The longest river in Britain, the River Severn, has its source on the mountain, as do the rivers Wye and Rheidol.

Doethie Valley

This sensational valley is beloved of mountain bikers, walkers and horse riders. You can see more pictures on our blog. But there are various options and walk lengths. In the link you'll see the valley marked out but there are various loops you can do to begin from Llyn Brianne.  

Local favourites

Llandovery is a cycle friendly town.  It's a gateway to mountain biking tracks in forests and mountains and incredible road cycling routes on uncrowded and generally well surfaced roads. Cycling here in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys is spectacular. We have secure bike storage, bike wash off and places where you can mend or tinker with your bike.

Road cycling

There are epic cycling routes that are reachable from here. Including the famous Black Mountain Road best known for its appearances on Top Gear, but also beloved of local cycle clubs.

 You can read our recommended

cycling routes on our blog and there are twelve recommended cycling routes on  Discover Carmarthenshire  

Road cyclists can enjoy a route right across the Brecon Beacons National Park, from Abergavenny to Llandeilo along an oldRoman Road Sarn Helenand the Brecon and Monmouth Canal. There are also plenty of mountain biking routes across the Brecon Beacons 

The Taff Trail runs 55 miles from Cardiff to Brecon across the Brecon Beacons on mainly ancient roads and old railways and is mainly traffic free.

The Devils' Staircase is one of Britain’s most famous climbs – an out-of-the-saddle ascent that at one point hits a thigh-fearing 25pc gradient (thankfully it only lasts for two hairpin bends). There’s no time to congratulate yourself at the top: you lose the height as quickly as you gained it, zooming down towards the crystalline waters of Llyn Brianne.

The lake is spectacular and there are many points where you can sit, grab the banana from your jersey pocket, and wonder if you’ve just been transported to a Norwegian Fjord. This is a 39 mile route.

 Mountain Biking
There are lots of routes perfect for cycling and mountain biking in the Brecon Beacon s which cater for advanced to novice. Check out our blog for more on famous routes including The Black Mountain Blitz and The Gap and the much lauded single track stunner, Doethie Valley which is a few miles from here in the Cambrian Mountains. Plus there's a 6km red route just one mile away from us here at Cwm Rhaeadr.

If competition is your thing, there are two very good events held here locally -  Cross Mountain  and Gritfest

Afan Forest Park is home to 6 world class trails including, the ‘Penhydd’, ‘Y Wâl’, ‘White’s Level’ and 'W²', and has over 100 km of singletrack trails. 

Brechfa is a perfect destination for both pootlers or those who like to ride totally pinned. The Gorlech Trail, designed by Rowan Sorrell, is made up of three big climbs and descents stretching over its 19km. More progressive riders can also test their full arsenal of skills on the fearsome but thrilling features of the black graded Raven Trail!

Visit our blog for more on the black, red and green routes that are all close by.

Families

Make the most of traffic free routes and enjoy Family friendly cycling in the Brecon Beacons  There are plenty of family friendly cycle routes in Carmarthenshire too, plus a cake trail!