Brecon Circular via Y Gaer Battle and Pen Y Crug Walk

Lowland walk along rivers, via a Roman Fort and a low ridge to an ancient hill fort

Length	18.1 km (11.3 mi), with 484m ascent/descent. For a shorter or longer walk see below Walk Options.
Toughness	5 out of 10, with 4 ½ hours walking time.
Walk Notes	This short excursion from the heart of the busy market town of Brecon leads out along the Promenade along the Usk River and then through fields and woods to the remains of Y Gaer (CICVCIVM Roman Fort), built around AD 75 and established as a Roman cavalry base for the conquest of Wales. Rebuilt in stone during the 2nd half of the 2nd century AD, it still features interesting remains of walls, gatehouses and turrets. Follow the Ysgir River north up the valley and onto Battle Hill, a modest grassy ridge from where you nevertheless have extensive views of all the spectacular mountain areas around Brecon. A descent through woods and across pastures leads to the remains of Pen-y-crug Iron Age hillfort, with its up to five surviving ramparts, located on The Crug (pronounced cree-g), a hill overlooking Brecon. Despite its modest height, it has extensive views of the central Brecon Beacons, and also views to a number of neighbouring hillforts. En route back down to Brecon and past the cathedral and Norman castle remains, you pass the covered well of Ffynnon Maen-du, one of several springs on the slopes of Pen-y-crug. A shortcut cuts the long ascent to Battle Hill and the remaining short walk still provides an interesting introduction to the area with its rivers, woods and views from the Pen-y-crug hillfort site. An extension through the Priory Groves Woodland Gorge, starting from the cathedral, and going up the Honddu valley, is a fascinating excursion up this lovely gorge, which – in parts – is almost alpine in character, despite being only a stone’s throw from the town centre. This can also be done as a (short but rewarding) standalone walk.
Walk Options	A Shortcut from Battle to Pen-y-crug (entirely on tarmac) cuts 4.7 km/2.9 mi and 156m ascent/descent (rated 3/10). An Extension at the end through the Priory Grove Woodland Gorge and along the River Honddu adds 4.3 km/2.7 mi. This can also be walked as a standalone 5.7 km loop from the centre of Brecon (you just have to find your way to the cathedral churchyard’s lychgate and pick up the text there). Outbound and Return route of the Extension meet at the Forge Bridge. This enables cutting out the outlying 2.0 km of the Extension.
Maps	OS Explorer: OL12 (Brecon Beacons National Park) OS Landranger: 160 (Brecon Beacons)
Travel	Brecon Bus Interchange, map reference SO 047 285, is 227 km west northwest of Charing Cross, 136m above sea level and in Powys, Wales. It is served by lines T4 (Cardiff- Pontypridd–Merthyr Tydfil – Brecon– Newtown), with up to 10 buses a day Mon-Sat and 12 on Sundays T6 (Swansea – Neath – Ystradgynlais – Brecon), with 14 buses a day Mon- Sat and 6 on Sundays T14 (Brecon – Hay-on-Wye – Hereford), with 5 buses a day Mon-Sat 43/X43 (Abergavenny – Brecon), with 12 buses a day Mon-Sat and 5 on Sundays. Saturday Walkers’ Club: This walk is doable as a daywalk from London, especially if you have motorised transport, but also if taking trains to Cardiff, Abergavenny or Neath/Swansea to connect to above buses.
Lunch	Picnic
Tea	Numerous options in Brecon. Consult the pdf for details.

Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog	The Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog National Park is in south Wales. It consists of bare, grassy, glacial mountains, with north facing escarpments. Its peaks, just shy of 1,000m (3,000ft), are the highest mountains in the southern UK. The national park is also noted for reservoirs, and the Dan yr Ogof caves. Its 4 mountain areas, from west to east are: The Black Mountain/Y Mynydd Du (singular!) : Fan Brycheiniog (803m) and the Dan yr Ogof caves. Fforest Fawr : Fan Gyhirych (725m), Fan Nedd (663m), Fan Fawr (734m), and the Henrhyd waterfalls (Sgwd Henrhyd) The Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog : Pen y Fan (886m), Corn Du (873m), Cribyn (795m), Fan y Big (719m), Waun Rydd (769m). South of Brecon/Aberhonddu, north of Merthyr Tydfil. The Black Mountains/Y Mynyddoedd Duon (plural!) : Waun Fach (811m), Black Mountain/Twyn Llech (704m). Abergavenny/Y Fenni to the south. Hay-on-Wye/Y Gelli Gandryll to the north. Our Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog Walks
Welsh Glossary	aber: estuary, confluence, river mouth; afon: river; affwys: abyss; allt: hillside, cliff; aran: high place; ban/fan/bannau (pl): peak/beacon/crest, hill/mountain; big: peak; blaen: source of river, head of valley; bod: dwelling; bre: hill; bron: hill-breast; bryn: hill; bwlch: gap/col/pass; cadair: chair; cae: field; caer/gaer: stronghold, fort; capel: chapel; carn/garn/carnedd/garnedd: cairn, heap of stones, tumulus; carreg/garreg: stone, rock; castell: castle; cefn: ridge, hillside; celli: grove/copse; cerwyn: pot-hole; cist: chest; clog/clogwyn: cliff; clun: meadow; clwyd: hurdle/gate; clydach: torrent; coch/goch: red; coed: wood; craig/graig: rock; crib/cribyn: crest, ridge, summit; crug: mound; cul: narrow; cwm: hanging valley/corrie/bowl/dale; cyfrwy: ridge between two summits (saddle); ddinas: fort; dibyn: steep slope, precipice; dim: no; din: hill-fortress; disgwylfa: place of observation, look-out point; dôl: meadow; du/ddu: black, dark; dwfr/dŵr: water; dyffryn: valley; -dyn: fortified enclosure; eglwys: church; eira: snow; eisteddfod: meeting-place, assembly; esgair: ridge; fach/bach: small; fawr/mawr: large; fechan: smaller; ffald: sheep-fold, pound, pen, run; ffordd: way, road; ffridd: pasture; ffrwd: stream, torrent; ffynnon: spring/well; gallt: wooded hill; ganol: middle; garth: promontory, hill, enclosure; glan/lan: river-bank, hillock; glas: green (when referring to grass, pasture or leaves), blue (when relating to the sea or air); glyn: deep valley, glen; gors: bog; gorsedd: tumulus, barrow, hillock; gwyddfa: mound, tumulus; gwylfa: look-out point; gwyn/gwen: white; gwynt: wind; hafn: gorge, ravine; hafod: summer dwelling; hen: old; hendre(f): winter dwelling, old home, permanent abode; heol: road; hesgyn: bog; hir: long; is: below, lower; isaf: lower/lowest; llan: church, monastery; llawr: level area, floor of valley; llech: slab, stone, rock; llther: slope; lluest: shieling, cottage, hut; llwch: lake, dust; llwybr: path; llwyd: grey, brown; llwyn: bush, grove; llyn: lake; llynwyn: pool/puddle, moat; maen: stone; maes: open field, plain; mawn: peat; mawnog: peat-bog; melyn: yellow; merthyr: burial place, church; moel/foel: bare, bald/bare hill; mynydd: mountain, moorland; nant: brook/stream, dingle/glen; neuadd: hall; newydd: new; ogof/gogof: cave; pant: hollow; parc: park, field, enclosure; pen: head, top/end, edge; penrhyn: promontory; pentre(f): homestead, village; perfedd: middle; perth: bush, brake, hedge; plas: hall, mansion; pont/bont: bridge; porth: gate/gateway, harbour/bay/landing-place/ferry; pwll: pit, pool; rhiw: hill, slope; rhos: moor, promontory; rhudd: red, crimson; rhyd: ford; sarn: causeway; sgwd/rhaeadr: waterfall; sticill: stile; sych: dry; tafarn: tavern; tâl: end, top; talar: headland (of field); tan/dan: below; tarren/darren: escarpment; tir: land, territory; tor: break, gap; tre/tref: settlement, hamlet, town; twlch: tump, knoll; twll: hole, pit; tŵr: tower; twyn: hill; tŷ: house; uchaf: upper, highest; uwch: above, over; waun/gwaun: moorland, meadow; wen/wyn: white; y, yr, ‘r: the; ynys: island, holm, river-meadow; ysgol: ladder, formation on mountain-side/school; ysgwydd: shoulder (of mountain); ystafell: chamber, hiding-place; ystrad: wide valley, holm, river-meadow.
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