Hiking Brecon Beacons Horseshoe -- with wonderful wildlife photos

The Brecon Beacons mountain range in the South of Wales offers stunningly beautiful and remote mountain landscape, with dramatic ridges and crystal clear lakes, crowned by Pen y Fan (886 m), the tallest mountain in Southern Britain.

This hike from Storey Arms takes you to the summits of the three highest Beacons: Pen y Fan, Corn Du (873 m) and Cribyn (795 m). The path is well paved and relatively easy to hike, and from the top of the horseshoe-shaped ridge that forms the Brecons you will get a magnificent view of the vast Brecon Beacons National Park and beyond. The steep slopes on the Northern edge of the Beacons are a truly impressive sight. You may also spot some wild ponies, mountain sheep and falcons on your way up.

How to get there 

 

We took a train to Merthyr Tydfil, the nearest train stop about 15 km from the Beacons and took a taxi to Storey Arms Outdoor Centre. After we finished the hike, we called the same friendly taxi driver to pick us up back to Merthyr Tydfil.  If you come by car, you should come early -- by the time we arrived in the afternoon, there was almost a mile long trail of cars near Storey Arms!

 

What's the weather like? 

We hiked here one afternoon in late April. The weather was clear, warm and sunny, some 15 degrees. We had taken light jackets in case it would be windy at the summit, but we did not need them. We saw many people in t-shirt and shorts.

 

Do check the weather before you travel, since Pen y Fan can be dangerous when the weather is foggy or very windy. There are some sudden cliffs on the top, and while it is easy to stay away from them in clear weather, in fog they could be risky. 

 

Start of the trail near Storey Arms

How long does it take?

We arrived in Merthyr Tydfil around noon, the taxi ride took about 20 min, and we started going up from the Storey Arms around 12:30 or so. We had a few breaks and a picnic at the top and were back by 6 pm to Storey Arms where our taxi driver was waiting for us. So reserve some 5 hours for this including stops.

 

 

Click here for a detailed version.

 

Other interesting things?

 

Along the edge of the Pen y Fan we saw some mountain bikers cycling up the steep slopes -- pretty challenging! We also saw some wild ponies on the ridge, one of them was having a nap and the others were eating and enjoying the beautiful scenery! 

 

There was a very brave sheep high on the steep edge of the mountain -- perhaps the grass is greener up there! We saw plenty of mountain sheep, which seemed to be in need of a haircut after the lockdown ;). 

Wild ponies on the Horseshoe ridge

Lots of mountain sheep grazing here

 

 

The route

The route we took starts from Storey Arms car park and rises up along Beacons Way to the horseshoe ridge where the peaks are. The ascent is along a good and busy route -- almost a staircase -- that the locals call ''the motorway'' due to its popularity. The start of the path is clearly marked on the car park, and the initial section of it crosses a stream and then passes through beautiful pastureland where you will see Welsh mountain sheep grazing. 

The motorway

The Beacons Way takes you the bulk of the way up to the height of 810 metres, but it's not a steep climb as the ascent is about 400 metres along a 2.5 km route. As the trail is relatively gentle, you will see many families and dog walkers hiking it. There is also no danger of losing your way here as the path doesn't cross any other paths.

 

The summit of Corn Du in sight

Once you reach the top of the horseshoe ridge, fantastic views open: you can see all the Beacons along the curved ridge (Corn Du is the nearest, then Pen y Fan, and finally Cribyn), with a beautiful valley underneath. The goal is then to follow along the ridge, climbing the peaks in that order. The first peak, Corn Du, is just a few hundred metres to your left. The climb up is some 50 metres, and it's the only part of the route where you need to be a little bit careful with your steps. Alternatively, you could circle around Corn Du to the Eastern side where there is an easier path. 

Route to Corn Du

Pen y Fan view from Corn Du -- with a red kite in the background

The summit of Corn Du is a great place to rest and enjoy the views
you can see Pen y Fan in the East, a little round lake just below the    mountain, and another dramatic ridge in the North  which offers an    alternative, longer way to the top. But the most spectacular aspect of Corn Du is the vertical cliff on its Northern side. There is a small overhang in the cliff a few metres below the summit -- you may see some people climb there for pictures, but it is rather risky.

View from Corn Du

 

There is a sudden drop on the edge

Corn Du summit

These Hi Tec hiking boots (men) and (women)  are serving us pretty well, comfortable and very supportive.

Looking down from Corn Du

 

The next stop on the trail is Pen y Fan, and to reach it you simply ascend a few dozen meters from Corn Du and then hike up the same amount. There is a big cairn on top of Pen y Fan to mark the summit and that's a popular place for pictures. If the weather is good, you can see incredibly far from Pen y Fan -- all the way across the Brecon Beacons National Park, to the Black Mountain range in the West and to England behind it, and to the Cambrian Mountains in the North. 

Pen y Fan summit

 

Building tiny cairns seems to be a hobby here

The final peak on this route is Cribyn, which is slightly lower than the other two peaks, but no less mighty in its appearance. You can see it in the West while on top of Pen y Fan. To reach it, you follow a trail along the horseshoe ridge to a col between Pen y Fan and Cribyn, coming some 200 metres down, and then ascend again some 100 metres.  The path up Cribyn a bit steep, but it isn't a long distance. Of course, you may also turn back after Pen y Fan to cut the route short if you feel like it. While descending from Pen y Fan towards Cribyn, you see the Southern side of the ridge which is not as steep as the vertical Northern side, and here you may be able to spot Welsh mountain ponies grazing. Also take a look at the sky around the peaks, and you may spot some falcons and other birds. 

 

A lonely wild pony

Path from Pen y Fan to Cribyn

Once on top of Cribyn, you have the best views of Pen y Fan, as the mountain looks most dramatic from this direction. You can also see a reservoir in the South and the town of Merthyr Tydfil behind it. You may stop for a rest on top of Cribyn before heading back essentially the same way. The only difference with the way back is that you probably don't want to climb Pen y Fan and Corn Du again, so you can circle around their peaks along the Southern side of the horseshoe ridge, which is grassland and not too steep for walking.