Llyn y Fan Fach &FAN Brycheiniog 

The Highest Peak of the Black Mountain/Mynydd Du

We offer two different routes to reach Fan Brycheiniog, one from the north entitled the 'Lady of the Lake' and one from the south entitled the 'Complete Ridge'.

Fan Brycheiniog  Grade (A): The Lady of the Lake

DISTANCE: 8.75 MILES, TOTAL ASCENT: 637 METRES
Includes picnic lunch, expert guiding by a mountain leader/geologist, and pick up from Abergavenny station or your local accommodation
Duration: 10am - 6pm
Number of places: 1-6 (or more if using your vehicle)

£58 PER PERSON

(Based on 2 people, price is reduced with more people. We will run the tour with only one person for £87. Full pricing info is on our Booking and Prices page)

This is the shortest route to the highest summits of The Black Mountain (Mynydd Du) and it is packed full of interest from the mythical stories associated with Llyn y Fan Fach to spectacular glacial features. Both routes visit the lake Llyn Fan Fach which recently made the Lonely Planet's list of the world's most usual lakes.

Your guide James Cresswell and a walkign group with Llyn Fan Fach behind.
Your guide James Cresswell and a walking group with Llyn Fan Fach behind.
On the summit of Picws Du
On the summit of Picws Du
Looking at Picws Du, with a moraine in the foreground.
Looking at Picws Du, with a moraine in the foreground.

ROUTE MAP

Click for larger image

Route

The walk climbs a track all the way to Llyn Fan Fach (a lake). After time resting at the lake and learning the about the legend of the Lady of the Lake we climb to to top of the ridge and get impressive views looking down on the lake. We then follow the ridge of the Carmarthen Fan to its summit Picws Du which is the highest point in Carmarthenshire. The route descends a bit at Bwlch Blaen-Twrch before climbing again to the peak of Fan Foel which forms the county boundary of Carmarthenshire and Brecknockshire. We then follow the ridge around to reach the highest point on the Black Mountain: Fan Brycheiniog which is an ancient name for Brecknockshire. Our route then descends to a second, bigger lake, Llyn y Fan Fawr, which is also the source of the River Tawe, the river that flows through the City of Swansea. We then walk around the impressive peak of Fan Foel at the lower level to reach the glacial moraines near Bwlch Blaen-Twrch. From here we follow the stream back to the car park.

Boots Symbol Explained

weather clip art

When booking these tours please also read our Weather page, because they can be affected by bad weather.

Fan Brycheiniog  Grade (B): The Complete Ridge

DISTANCE: 12.7 MILES, TOTAL ASCENT: 744 METRES
Includes picnic lunch, expert guiding by a mountain leader and geologist, and pick up and return from Abergavenny station or your local accommodation
Duration: 10am - 6pm
Number of places: 1-6 (or more if using your vehicle)

£57 PER PERSON

(Based on 2 people, price is reduced with more people. We will run the tour with only one person for £86. Full pricing info is on our Booking and Prices page)

This walk visits the same lakes and mountain tops as Fan Brychieniog Walking Tour (A), but it does it the hard way. This is a classic walk that explores the heart of Mynydd Du giving a real sense of mountain wilderness and a true taste of this remote upland massif.

Llyn y Fan Fach below the mountain ridge
Llyn y Fan Fach below the Carmarthen Fans
Llyn y Fan Fach
Llyn y Fan Fach

ROUTE MAP

Click for larger image

Route

 The route passes the large bog of Waun Fignen Felen and then meanders through a moonscape of shake holes with a visit to the place that a stream disappears underground at a swallow hole, Sinc Giedd. The route then reaches the escarpment of the Carmarthen Fans. We climb to theirsummit at Picws Du, before crossing into Brecknockshire at Fan Foel and Fan Brycheiniog. We return to the car by the spectacular and long mountain ridge of Fan Hir.

Boots Symbol Explained

weather clip art

When booking these tours please also read our Weather page, because they can be affected by bad weather.