Llanvihangel Crucorney Circular via Bryn Arw and The Skirrid Walk

Two easily accessible ridge walks south east of the Black Mountains, quiet pastures with views and a Michelin-starred lunch pub

Length	20.5 km (12.8 mi), with 783m ascent/descent. For a shorter walk see below Walk Options.
Toughness	7 out of 10, with 5 ¾ hours walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 12 hours.
Walk Notes	This walk in the south eastern corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park combines two more-than-a-kilometre long unchallenging ridge walks, offering fantastic views of the surrounding Black Mountains’ hills and the Monmouthshire plain, with some quiet pastures with views as well as scenic wooded valleys, gushing spring-fed streams and a Michelin-starred lunch pub. From Llanvihangel Crucorney you cross the Honddu River and ascend through pastures half-way up a hill to re-cross the river and ascend the three-topped Bryn Arw on narrow paths through its bracken-covered slopes. The ridge itself is straight as an arrow and the three tops hardly distinguishable, but the views are superb. Descend steeply into the Cwmbrynarw and follow a spring-fed stream to the Gavenny River and go up along the flanks of The Skirrid to its southerly base. Comparatively, The Skirrid isn’t a massive mountain, but it rises high above the surrounding plain and offers one of the most rewarding ridge walks in South Britain along its 1 km spine to the highest point of the mountain, with its trig point and remains of an Iron Age hillfort and a Roman Catholic chapel. From here you have fantastic panoramic views of most of the Brecon Beacons’ Central and Eastern hills. Descend along the grassy hill flank and through pretty tumbling pastures past the listed medieval Llanvihangel Court back to Crucorney and The Skirrid Inn. Shorter walks, starting from or finishing in Abergavenny, are possible.
Walk Options	Start (map-led) from Abergavenny Station direct to the bottom of The Skirrid (cut 5.3 km/3.3 mi), or to the lunch options Copper Kettle Tea Room (cut 6.2 km/3.9 mi) or The Walnut Tree Inn (cut 7.1 km/4.4 mi). Have picnic lunch, cut out the out-and-back to both lunch places (cut 3.3 km/2.0 mi). Have lunch at The Copper Kettle Tea Room, cut out the out-and-back to The Walnut Tree Inn (cut 2.3 km/1.4 mi). Finish (map-led) in Abergavenny direct from the bottom of the ascent of The Skirrid (cut 600m), or from the lunch options the Copper Kettle Tea Room (cut 1.5 km/0.9 mi) or The Walnut Tree Inn (cut 2.5 km/1.5 mi). A Variation of this Finish, going over Ysgyryd Fach instead of across a golf course and along the Gavenny River, is possible (add 920m to the Golf Course/Gavenny Ending). Car Drivers can walk an easy – if initially steep – out-and-back to the top of The Skirrid from the Skirrid Car Park on the B4521.
Maps	OS Explorer Map: OL13 (Brecon Beacons National Park – Eastern Area) OS Landranger Map: 161 (The Black Mountains/Y Mynyddoedd Duon) Harvey Superwalker XT25: Breacon Beacons East/Bannau Brycheiniog Dwyrain Harvey British Mountain Map: Breacon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog
Travel	Skirrid Inn Bus Stop, map reference SO 325 206, is 7 km north east of Abergavenny, 200 km west northwest of Charing Cross and 144m above sea level and in Monmouthshire, Wales. Llanvihangel Crucorney is served by line X3 (Cardiff - Abergavenny – Hereford) with 7 buses a day Mon-Sat only. Fares from/to Abergavenny are £3.20 single/£5.40 return (10/19). Saturday Walkers’ Club: This walk is doable as a daywalk from London, especially if you have motorised transport, but also if taking a train to Abergavenny to connect to above bus service.
Lunch	The Copper Kettle Tea Room Em-Lee Llanddewi Skirrid, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 8AP (01873 851 929). The Copper Kettle is located 11.5 km/7.1 mi into the walk. The Walnut Tree Inn Llanddewi Skirrid, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 8AW (01873 852 797). The Walnut Tree is located 12.6 km/7.8 mi into the walk and is a Michelin-starred inn with 6 tables of 2 in a tiled bar area, perfect for walkers. Set lunch menus are available.
Tea	The Skirrid Mountain Inn Skirrid View Llanvihangel Crucorney, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 8DH (01873 890 258). The Skirrid Inn is located at the end of the walk. Wales’s oldest Inn.

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
Mountain Safety	This is a challenging but achievable walk in good weather, even for young children, but it is in remote exposed mountain areas. It is possible to twist an ankle on any walk, and it will take hours for mountain rescue to drive to the trailhead, then climb the mountain, to reach you. So: Check the weather, and start early. Take a paper OS map and compass - GPS are great... until the batteries go flat or you drop it Let someone know you're going, and take a mobile, if only to let them know you'll be late. NB: Mobiles only work at higher altitude. SMS is better in poor reception. Choose a route and pace for the least able member of your party. In hot weather, wear a hat, take and drink plenty of water. In any weather, take waterproofs, a survival bag (a big bin bag to keep the wind and rain out), some energy food (chocolate). Be careful drinking from mountain streams - consider water purification tablets (Boots sell them). Take breaks on the way down to give your knees a rest - they are absorbing all the energy you put into climbing!
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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