Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons)
Four blocks of Old Red Sandstone upland — the Black Mountain (Y Mynydd Du), Fforest Fawr, the central Beacons and the Black Mountains — run across south Wales, with Pen y Fan (886 m) the highest point in Britain south of Eryri. Walking is mostly on broad grassy ridges and sculpted escarpment edges, with waterfall country in the limestone belt around Ystradfellte. The park adopted its Welsh name, Bannau Brycheiniog, in 2023 and is still widely known as the Brecon Beacons.
- Country
- Wales
- Area
- 1,347 km²
- Designated
- 1957
- Listed hills
- 34
- Highest listed hill
- Pen y Fan 886 m
Access in this park
Most of the upland is mapped CRoW open access land, so you can walk off-path on foot across the mapped areas. Wild camping needs the landowner’s permission, as everywhere in Wales.
Conditional Right to roam (Wales): Right to roam only on mapped CRoW open access land.
Permission needed Wild camping (Wales): Permission needed everywhere.
Designation as a park creates no right of access in itself — the law of Wales applies inside the boundary, and park byelaws, seasonal restrictions and closures can override the general position. This is general information, not legal advice. Full detail: access rights in Wales · check a specific grid reference.
All 34 listed hills, tallest first
Every summit from our hill dataset whose summit point falls inside the park boundary. Follow a name for its full record, live summit weather and daylight times.
| # | Hill | Height | Classifications | Grid ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pen y Fan | 886 m | HewittNuttallHistoric County Top +5 | SO012215 |
| 2 | Corn Du | 871.5 m | Nuttall | SO007213 |
| 3 | Craig Gwaun Taf | 826.4 m | Nuttall | SO005207 |
| 4 | Waun Fach | 811 m | HewittNuttallMarilyn +2 | SO215299 |
| 5 | Fan Brycheiniog - Twr y Fan Foel | 802.5 m | HewittNuttallMarilyn +2 | SN824220 |
| 6 | Pen y Gadair Fawr | 800 m | HewittNuttallSimm | SO229287 |
| 7 | Cribyn | 795 m | HewittNuttallHuMP +1 | SO023213 |
| 8 | Fan Foel | 781 m | Historic County TopCurrent County/UA Top | SN821223 |
| 9 | Waun Rydd | 769.2 m | HewittNuttallMarilyn +2 | SO062206 |
| 10 | Fan Hir | 760 m | HewittNuttallSimm | SN830209 |
| 11 | Bwlch y Ddwyallt | 754.1 m | Nuttall | SO055203 |
| 12 | Bannau Sir Gaer - Picws Du | 749.1 m | HewittNuttallSimm | SN811218 |
| 13 | Fan Fawr | 734 m | HewittNuttallMarilyn +2 | SN969193 |
| 14 | Fan Gyhirych | 726.1 m | HewittNuttallMarilyn +2 | SN880191 |
| 15 | Pen Allt-mawr | 719.6 m | HewittNuttallHuMP +1 | SO206243 |
| 16 | Fan y Big | 716.7 m | Nuttall | SO036206 |
| 17 | Rhos Dirion | 713.4 m | Nuttall | SO211333 |
| 18 | Pen Cerrig-calch | 701 m | HewittNuttallSimm | SO216224 |
| 19 | Twmpa | 690 m | HewittNuttallSimm | SO224350 |
| 20 | Chwarel y Fan | 679 m | HewittNuttallHistoric County Top +2 | SO258294 |
| 21 | Waun Lefrith | 676.1 m | Nuttall | SN798214 |
| 22 | Fan Fraith | 668 m | Nuttall | SN887183 |
| 23 | Fan Nedd | 663 m | HewittNuttallMarilyn +2 | SN913184 |
| 24 | Mynydd Llysiau | 663 m | HewittNuttallSimm | SO207279 |
| 25 | Pen Twyn Mawr | 658 m | Nuttall | SO242267 |
| 26 | Allt Lwyd | 653.1 m | Nuttall | SO078189 |
| 27 | Pen Twyn Glas | 646 m | Nuttall | SO213257 |
| 28 | Garreg Las | 635 m | HewittNuttallSimm | SN777203 |
| 29 | Fan Llia | 631.9 m | HewittNuttallHuMP +1 | SN938186 |
| 30 | Craig Cerrig-gleisiad | 629 m | HewittNuttallSimm | SN960217 |
| 31 | Fan Frynych | 628.3 m | HewittNuttallSimm | SN957227 |
| 32 | Y Gyrn | 618.7 m | Nuttall | SN988216 |
| 33 | Cefn yr Ystrad | 617.3 m | HewittNuttallMarilyn +2 | SO086137 |
| 34 | Garreg Lwyd | 616 m | HewittNuttallHuMP +1 | SN740179 |
Hill data from the Database of British & Irish Hills v18.3 (CC BY 4.0); park boundaries from the Office for National Statistics (OGL v3.0). Hills are assigned to a park by summit position, so a top just outside the boundary will not appear here even if the walk starts inside it.
Long-distance paths through Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons)
6 waymarked long-distance routes cross the park boundary. Distances are for the whole route, not just the section inside the park.
| Route | Total length | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Cambrian Way | 483 km · 300 mi | Wales |
| Offa's Dyke Path National Trail | 292 km · 181 mi | Wales, England |
| Heart of Wales Line Trail | 231 km · 143 mi | Wales, England |
| Wye Valley Walk | 224 km · 139 mi | Wales, England |
| Beacons Way | 155 km · 97 mi | Wales |
| Taff Trail | 101 km · 63 mi | Wales |
Route lines © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); park crossings computed by OpenFell against the ONS park boundary. See all UK long-distance paths.
Plan a walk here
- Walking-time calculator — Naismith with terrain and fitness corrections.
- Daylight safety planner — set your turnaround against sunset.
- Access checker — what a specific grid reference allows.
- Access rights in Wales — roaming, paths, camping and dogs in detail.
- Safety notes — conditions change fast; build in margin.