Pen y Fan

About Pen y Fan

No summit in South Wales rises higher than Pen y Fan, and at 886 metres it is also the highest British hill south of Cadair Idris. It stands within Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons National Park) and is the county top of historic Brecknockshire.

Pen y Fan pairs with Corn Du, 871 metres, roughly 550 metres away; the two together were once known as Cadair Arthur, or Arthur's Seat. The National Trust owns the mountain and the ground around it, and its work parties tackle the path erosion that heavy walker numbers have caused.

The hill also has a military role, forming part of UK Special Forces selection. In July 2013 three soldiers died after collapsing during a test march known as Point-to-Point on SAS selection.

Background written from facts in the Wikipedia article on Pen y Fan (CC BY-SA 4.0). Heights, prominence and grid references come from the Database of British & Irish Hills, not from Wikipedia.

Access rights here

General position for Wales — local byelaws, seasonal restrictions and closures can override it. Full details: access rights in Wales · check another location.

Daylight at this summit today

Sunrise

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Sunset

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Daylight

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Civil twilight ends

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Computed astronomically for 51.884, -3.437. Plan your finish with the daylight safety planner.

Long-distance paths past this hill

2 waymarked long-distance routes run within 2.5 km of the summit — useful if you are linking this hill into a longer walk, or want a made path for the approach.

Route lines © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); distance from the summit computed by OpenFell.

The Pen y Fan group

4 other listed summits sit in the same prominence group, with Pen y Fan as the independent hill at its head.

Grouping is by prominence alone: a summit belongs to the nearest higher Marilyn it connects to without a deeper intervening col. Over a large massif that can gather hills no one would walk in a single day, and which few would describe as parts of the same mountain — it is a measure of independence, not a suggested route.

Nearest listed peaks