Sunshine and Shortcuts: Exploring the Pontsticill Hills

Monday 24 March 2025

Monday morning, same routine as Sunday: after breakfast and checking out of the B&B, a quick dash to Morrison’s Daily for those essential hiking sandwiches. Then, a three-quarter hour drive brought us to our starting point – a convenient layby overlooking the northern reaches of Pontsticill Reservoir. The day was unfolding beautifully, bathed in glorious sunshine.

Today’s plan involved a little modification from the Nuttall recommendation. Their suggested parking spot at the southern end of the reservoir did not appear to exist (as checked out with Google Streetview), so we decided on a slightly shorter route beginning at a layby at the northern end. A few less kilometres meant we could potentially shave some time off and get a head start on the journey home later. Efficiency is key!

Our adventure kicked off with a pleasant stroll across the bridge connecting the two reservoirs. The views towards Corn Du and Pen y Fan, though a little hazy in the distance, were still impressive against the clear blue sky. Once across, we joined the bridleway nestled between the Pontsticill Reservoir and the Brecon Mountain Railway line. A leisurely kilometre followed before we ducked through a tunnel beneath the railway tracks, emerging into a short stretch of woodland and then onto the open hillside.

Just like yesterday, the elusive path marked on the map played hard to get. Undeterred, we navigated in its general direction, crossing a couple of babbling streams and a gentle rise in Cwm Criban before finally intersecting the north-easterly bridleway we were aiming for. Not far away, the intriguing “Inscribed Stone” marked on the map caught our eye, beckoning us towards it. It provided the perfect spot for our mid-morning coffee and banana break.

Suitably refreshed, we took a bearing on the trig point on Cefyn yr Ystrad and began our ascent up the sun-drenched grassy hillside. As the summit came into view, a clear path emerged, guiding us along the upper edge of the disused Cwar yr Ystrad quarry (apologies for the tautology – cwar means quarry). We then circled around to reach the summit trig pillar – a wonderfully sunny perch to settle down for lunch on its concrete base.

Lunch with a view in the spring sunshine – what could be better? Afterwards, we had a little wander over to one of the ancient cairns nearby, which looked suspiciously like it might be a tad higher than the trig point. The debate continues!

Our descent took us north, where we picked up the mine road that winds between the Cwar yr Ystrad and Cwar yr Hendre quarries. A short walk along this track, and then we turned left, heading across the open moorland of Gwaun Nant Ddu towards a restricted byway. This track gently guided us down through the peaceful forest and the valley of Cwm Callan, eventually bringing us past the Dolygaer outdoor education centre and back to our car at the Pontsticill Reservoir.

	Summit	Height (m)		Status
	Cefn yr Ystrad	617		Hewitt, Marilyn, Nuttall

More photos from today’s walk can be seen here (plus those from the rest of the weekend).

Navigating the Mist on Carmarthen Fan

Sunday 23 March 2025

A slightly later start as breakfast was not until 8:30 (the B&B proprietors like a lie in on a Sunday!). A quick stop at the local Morrison’s Daily to grab a sandwich for lunch and we were on our way. An hour and a quarter drive to the Llyn y Fan Fach Car Park, Llanddeusant.

The sheer number of cars upon arrival was a surprise – the car park overflowing, with vehicles lining the grassy verges. The hilltops were cloaked in the mist predicted by this morning’s forecast, a slight disappointment compared to the optimistic plans hatched on Friday evening.

While the masses headed towards Llyn y Fan Fach, we opted for a less-trodden route. Crossing the Afon Sawdde, we followed a track west before turning south onto the Beacons Way. Now, the Beacons Way is a famous trail, you'd think it would be obvious. Not for us! Our Strava recording a brief navigational dance as we veered slightly east, then west, before finally connecting around the 500m contour. From there, it was a steady climb to the junction with the track coming up from the dam.

Our next objective was Garrag Las, and we set off south-west towards Pen-Rhiw-goch, guided by compass as our target was invisible in the mist. A sheep track, it seemed, led us slightly lower than intended, bringing us to the Twrch Fechan stream flowing from Waun Lefrith. We followed its course west, then south-west to a ford, an ideal spot for our customary banana break.

Refuelled, we continued south-west towards Garreg Las. The final approach saw grassy slopes give way to a more rugged landscape of boulders, the material used to build the impressive ancient cairns adorning the summit. After a brief exploration of the higher, northernmost cairn, we retraced our steps to the ford, then followed a track back towards Waun Lefrith. A somewhat untidy heap of stones standing a few metres back from the cliff top path above Bannau Sir Gaer indicated the top. Supposedly the Bristol Chanel and Carmarthen Bay are visible from this spot – but not today!

Another half-hour along the ridge brought us to Picws Du. Sadly, the persistent mist once again denied us the dramatic views down to Llyn y Fan Fach – exactly as it was when we walked this ridge in 2002.

Time was becoming a factor, so as we continued eastward along the ridge, we made the call to bypass a direct route to Fan Brycheiniog. Instead, we looped around to Fan Foel (not on the Nuttall list), where we paused for lunch and a strategic reassessment. The decision was made: we would forgo Fan Brycheiniog (which had done in 2002) and Fan Hir (which we hadn’t!). Our revised plan involved descending the north ridge of Fan Foel, picking up the track below the cliffs, and heading west towards the dams at Llyn y Fan Fach.

The final leg was an easy two kilometres on a rough road back to the car park, now almost deserted, a stark contrast to the morning's bustle.

The mist proved a frustrating companion on today's walk, stealing the anticipated views. However, the memory of being utterly soaked on our previous Bannau Sir Gaer ridge trek kept spirits (mostly) dry. It was an enjoyable outing nonetheless, underscored by the ever-present need for careful navigation when the mountains cloak themselves in mist.

A quick shower back at the B&B preceded our search for an evening meal. Our hopes of revisiting last year's excellent Sunday dinner spot were dashed – they'd stopped serving. Their recommended alternative was also closed. Thankfully, some helpful local teenagers pointed us in the direction of Wetherspoons. The food wasn't a culinary highlight, but with the beer at £1.99/pint we weren't complaining!

A quick check of my mountain log back home revealed that the missed summit of Foel Hir is the only peak remaining between me and a completed Brecon Beacons list. I’ll be back (as someone once said!).

    

	Summit	Height (m)		Status
	Garreg Las	635		Hewitt, Nuttall
	Waun Lefrith	677		Nuttall
	Picws Du	749		Hewitt, Nuttall

Today's conditions did not permit any award winning photos, but the few taken can be seen here (plus those from the rest of the weekend).

The Fforest Fawr Hills

Friday 21 March 2025

The journey to Abergavenny was uneventful. Once checked in to the Park Guest House, and our kit stowed in our room, we settled down to discuss our route options for the next three days over a cup of tea.

Given the more promising forecast for Sunday, we decided that would be the day for the Carmarthen Fan route, eager for better conditions than our previous, unpleasant experience on much of it back in August 2002. The Fforest Fawr walk would then neatly slot into Saturday and the shorter Cefn Yr Ystrad route would be ideal for our final day on Monday.

We prepared rucksacks and maps for tomorrow. A minor complication arose as our route straddled two sides of the Ordnance Survey map OL12. A clever solution saw Vince displaying the eastern section and myself the western, avoiding any mid-hike map origami.

For dinner, we returned to a bar discovered on our last visit: The Victoria. A short walk brought us to this friendly pub, where our meals were washed down by refreshing Camden Town Brewery Pale Ale.

Saturday 22 March 2025

An hour's drive brought us to the Baen Llia Forestry Commission car park, the promise of blue sky peeking through the grey as we journeyed. Boots were soon laced, and by 09:50, with a cool south-easterly breeze, we set off on what would become a surprisingly sunny adventure.

Our initial ascent took us north-east over a grassy hillside, the track playing hide-and-seek until we finally picked up a discernible path. Fifty minutes later, we reached our first conquest: Fan Llia. The summit marker, a rather humble pile of stones, didn't detract from the expansive views beneath a blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds.

The descent north-west was an easy stroll, leading us to the imposing Maen Llia standing stone. This 3-metre tall Bronze Age monolith provided a dramatic backdrop for our customary banana and coffee break.

 

Continuing our journey, we briefly followed the ancient Sarn Helen Roman road south before tackling a large ladder stile. Another climb, this time south-west over rough grassland that was boggy in places, brought us to the summit of Fan Nedd. Here, a proudly Welsh white trig pillar, emblazoned with a red dragon, stood sentinel. After the obligatory summit photos, a short 400m trek north led us to a substantial, well-built cairn, offering lovely sunny vistas west over Fan Gyhirych towards the distant shapes of Fan Hir and Fan Brycheiniog – two of tomorrow's objectives.

 

Our descent followed a fence north-west down to Bwlch y Duwynt, followed by a short climb to a welcoming red-coloured track. This track gently ascended to the col between Fan Fraith and Fan Gyhirych, the perfect spot to unpack our lunch and soak in the panorama.

A brief out-and-back detour took us across boggy ground to the summit of Fan Fraith, marked by a modest pile of stones. On our return, we navigated slightly to the right, attempting to outsmart the wetter sections.

Crossing back over the main track, we continued north-west across more grassy slopes, our destination the summit of Fan Gyhirych. This peak was crowned by a decaying trig pillar, its faded red paint bearing the Welsh slogans "Cymru am byth" (Wales Forever) and "Yma o hyd" (Still here).

From here, we opted for a slightly shorter route than Nuttall's suggestion, descending south back to the red track. We followed it south-west to the corner of the forest and around past the disused quarries at Pwll Byfre, before ascending by a large swallow hole onto the Beacons Way within the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu National Nature Reserve.

With all the day's peaks conquered, a significant 7km trek along the Beacons Way lay ahead. We first followed it south-east before it turned north-east onto the historic Sarn Helen Roman road, where we passed another standing stone, Maen Madoc.

Despite a forecast hinting at showers, the day unfolded into glorious sunshine – a welcome surprise. This epic trek, clocking in at over 23km, marked our longest walk together in quite some time.

	Summit	Height (m)		Status
	Fan Llia	632		Hewitt, Nuttall
	Fan Nedd	663		Hewitt, Marilyn, Nuttall
	Fan Fraith	668		Nuttall
	Fan Gyhirych	725		Hewitt, Marilyn, Nuttall

More photos from today (and the rest of the weekend) here