Three Peaks, Zero Views: A Wet and Wild Hike in the Brecon Beacons

Sunday 14 September 2025

Breakfast was half an hour later than usual this morning, as our B&B hosts take a well-deserved lie-in on Sundays. Over dinner last night, we decided that today’s plan would be to complete Nuttall route 13.2. I walked this route solo back in June 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Vince had already bagged Waun Rydd and might have passed close to Bwlch y Ddwyallt, but Allt Lwyd would be new for him. All three peaks were firsts for Jack.

We set off after a quick stop at Morrisons to pick up sandwiches for lunch, then made the 17-mile drive to the Talybont Reservoir car park. It was already quite busy when we arrived, but we managed to find a spot to squeeze in. The forecast was for wet and windy weather, and as we laced our boots, it was clear the forecasters had got it right.

Only five minutes into the walk, Vince realised he’d forgotten his gaiters. Having already gained a bit of height on the lower slopes of Allt Lwyd, we quickly agreed that turning back wasn’t worth it. Low cloud hung over Craig y Fan and Waun Rydd, and the first drops of rain began to fall. Vince sensibly pulled on his over-trousers.

We reached the summit of Allt Lwyd in just over an hour. The top was completely misted over, offering no views, but we still took our traditional summit photos beside the small cairn before dropping down slightly for a quick banana break out of the wind.

From there, a well-made path led us north-west along the broad ridge towards Waun Rydd. The weather worsened steadily, with driving rain that soon had Jack and I stopping to pull on our waterproof trousers. Our route met a path running from Carn Pica to Rhiw Bwlch Ddwyallt. We turned left onto this and followed it past two small lakes on our left. After the second lake, we looked for a path branching right and soon found an obvious grassy track leading up to the summit of Waun Rydd. Once again, there were no views, just another set of wet and windswept summit photos

We pressed on south-west, rejoining the main track and following it west to a col, then another few hundred metres along a ridge to reach Bwlch y Ddwyallt, our final summit of the day. The photos from here say it all - three soaked and battered hikers, and nothing to see but grey mist.

We briefly considered stopping for lunch but decided against it. None of us felt like sitting still in the rain, so we pressed on, eager to get back to the warmth of the car. Retracing our route (bypassing Waun Rydd this time), we made for Carn Pica. I remembered this fine cairn from my previous visit in 2021, when it was being rebuilt under sunny skies - it was a completely different story today.

The path continued over Twyn Du, an unexpected and rather unwelcome extra climb. The descent from there was tricky, with the ground turning into a mudslide in places. We picked our way down carefully to avoid any undignified slips. Vince claimed to have landed on his backside, but since Jack and I didn’t see it, we let him keep his dignity. I wasn’t so lucky—I stepped straight into a drainage gully and crashed onto my knees. Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt and, being last in line, managed to escape unnoticed.

The final stretch followed a pleasant green lane as we left the Access Land. Instead of turning right onto the bridleway across the fields, I suggested continuing straight down to the road by the dam for a quicker and simpler return.

As if to have the last laugh, the rain intensified just as we reached the car. We scrambled to strip off our wet outer gear and jump inside. Although I’d stayed dry under my outer layers, I managed to get soaked while wrestling off my waterproofs.

We sat in the car, eating our sandwiches and enjoying a hot drink while the rain drummed on the roof. Back at the B&B, we gratefully accepted our host’s offer to use his drying room -an essential end to a wild but satisfying day in the hills.

Summit	Height (m)	Status
Allt Lwyd	654	Sub-Hewitt, Nuttall
Waun Rydd	769	Hewitt, Marilyn, Nuttall
Bwlch y Ddwyallt	754	Nuttall

 

All the weekend photos can be seen here