WALKING ON THE BRECON BEACONS
by
Andrew Davies and David Whittaker
2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY
About the Authors
Andy Davies
Andy lives with his wife and two sons near Marloes, Pembrokeshire where he works in marine nature conservation and writing and photographing for books. Landscape, wildlife, underwater and lifestyle photography are an important part of his life and he also pursues his own personal work creating limited edition prints of abstract and impressionistic wildlife images that can be seen at www.andydavies.info.
David Whittaker
David has enjoyed the mountains of Britain all his life, walking and climbing in Wales, Scotland and the Lake District. He has also trekked and climbed in Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet, Ladakh, New Zealand, Equador and Patagonia.
He was head of a university unit of forensic dentistry, working here and abroad. He is now Emeritus Professor in the subject and in 2003 was appointed OBE for his work.
© Andrew Davies and David Whittaker 2010
Second edition 2010, reprinted 2012 (with updates), 2014 and 2017
ISBN: 978 1 85284 554 4
First edition 1995
Printed by KHL Printing, Singapore
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All photographs are by the authors unless otherwise stated.
Dedication
To our families and friends who have shared this area with us and especially to Tim, David and Jean.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks are due to Jean Davies for transcribing many of the cassette tapes made while walking the routes, to David Davies for producing the finished diagrams and to Dorothy Whittaker for patient forbearance during long evening hours of writing.
We would like to thank the National Museum of Wales, publisher of Studies in the Origin of the Scenery of Wales I – The River Scenery at the Head of the Vale of Neath, for permitting us to adapt Dr FJ North’s diagrams on the geological formation of the waterfalls and on Craig-y-Ddinas and Bwa Maen. We would like to express our gratitude to the Merthyr Tydfil and District Naturalists’ Society, publisher of The Historic Taf Valleys: Volume 2 – In the Brecon Beacons National Park by John Perkins, Jack Evans and Mary Gillham, for their kind permission to adapt their diagram on the glacial activity in the head of Nant Crew. Thanks are due to Richard Preece, the Countryside Council for Wales Reserve Warden for the Brecon Beacons National Park National Nature Reserves, for his informative comments on the routes that pass through Craig Cerrig-gleisiad and Craig Cwm-du. Help was also received from the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. Ben Evans, Project Manager, South Wales Coalfield Geo Heritage Network, gave expert assistance with geological information together with Professor Tony Ramsey.
Advice to Readers
While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/554/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.
Warning
Mountain walking can be a dangerous activity carrying a risk of personal injury or death. It should be undertaken only by those with a full understanding of the risks and with the training and experience to evaluate them. While every care and effort has been taken in the preparation of this guide, the user should be aware that conditions can be highly variable and can change quickly, materially affecting the seriousness of a mountain walk. Therefore, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law, neither Cicerone nor the author accept liability for damage of any nature (including damage to property, personal injury or death) arising directly or indirectly from the information in this book.
To call out the Mountain Rescue, ring 999 or the international emergency number 112: this will connect you via any available network. Once connected to the emergency operator, ask for the police.
Front cover: Waterfalls in the lower reaches of Cwm Llwch
CONTENTS
Getting to and Staying in the National Park
1 NORTH-EASTERN VALLEYS AND RIDGES