Campsites in the Brecon Beacons

The wild and rugged Brecon Beacons National Park offers a fantastically beautiful landscape of mountains, valleys, forests, lakes, waterfalls and caves. Situated between South and Mid-Wales, the park also has some wonderful manmade attractions from ancient sites to medieval castles and historic churchyards. But the outdoors is the big draw here, offering perfect conditions for a variety of activities including walking, mountain biking, white water rafting, canoeing, caving and wildlife watching. Add to this some charming market towns and quaint traditional villages, and you have all the ingredients for a fantastic holiday.

Don’t Miss

• Pen-y-Fan

• Llathony Priory

• Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

• Carreg Cennen Castle

Sightseeing

The Brecon Beacons National Park is actually made up of 4 mountain ranges: the Black Mountain range in the west, the Brecon Beacons and Fforest Fawr in the middle and, confusingly, the Black Mountains in the East. Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre is a good place to pick up information about the history of the landscape and what you can do here. It’s also a nice place to chill out - the setting is stunning and excellent food is available.

There are some amazing historic buildings within the park that are well worth a visit and which are all the more impressive for the incredible scenery that surrounds them. Tree Tower Court and Castle combines a well preserved medieval defended house and the remains of a 12th century motte and bailey castle. Do not miss the beautiful, partly ruined Llanthony Priory and its stunning setting far up the Vale of Ewyas in the Black Mountains. Privately owned Carreg Cennen Castle is open 364 days a year and beneath this brilliant ruin is an intriguing cave which can be explored by hiring a torch from the owners.

There are also over 250 ancient monuments in the park, from prehistoric to Roman sites, including stone circles, burial chambers and hill forts.

The vibrant market town of Abergavenny is a gateway to the park and has a great food scene. The cathedral town of Brecon lies within the park and its narrow streets are well worth exploring. Hay-on-Wye is known for its literary festival and for being “the town of books”. There are also a number of pleasant traditional villages to be discovered within the park.

Activities

The highlight of this park is leaving the road and getting out into the mountains. There are tons of trails for walkers, hikers, fell-runners, mountain bikers and wildlife watchers.

Top of the list for many visitors is conquering Pen-y-Fan, the highest mountain in the park, indeed the highest in England and southern Wales. Also very popular is the 4 Falls Trail near Ystradfellte, a 2 hour walk taking in four magical waterfalls, one of which you can walk behind. The Beacons Way is a challenging 8 day linear walking route designed to take in the best of the park.

Caving and climbing and other rock sports are very popular activities in the park.

The rivers Wye and Usk run through the park producing good white water and perfect conditions for white water rafting, canoeing and canyoning.

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is a real draw for nature lovers. This tranquil waterway that runs through moorland and steep valleys offers plenty of opportunity for relaxed exploring – you can hire boats and the towpath is brilliant for walk or cycling.

In early 2013 the whole of the Brecon Beacons National Park became the 5th place in the world to achieve status as an International Dark Sky Reserve, recognising and protecting the park for possessing an exceptional quality of starry nights. Enjoying the night skies here is thoroughly recommended - astronomers should not forget their telescopes!

Family days out

Dan-yr-Ogof, also known as the National Showcave Centre for Wales, is one of the UK’s best natural wonders and an unforgettable experience. There are extra attractions here to entertain the kids, including one of the world’s largest collections of life size dinosaur models, a farm and Shire horse centre, and a play barn.

The Big Pit National Coal Museum is set in a real coal mine and offers exhibitions to entertain all ages, including an underground tour with a real miner.

Cantref Adventure Farm is a great little farm with animals to meet and rides for younger kids. You can also go horse riding there.