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Storey Arms to Libanus or Circular via Ystradfellte walk

Strenuous route in the Fforest Fawr: 4 peaks, upland moor, limestone plateaus, and a glorious descent into the Usk Valley. Stretches of pathless terrain

Brecon Beacons Circular Long Tough

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Fri, 05-May-23 Friday Walk - 4 peaks, Upland Moor, Limestone Plateaus, a glorious descent into the Usk Valley: Storey Arms to Libanus or Circular (via Ystradfellte) [New Walk] [Brecon Trip] 12 sunny and cloudy with short bursts of rain
Thomas G
Length: 30.0 km (18.7 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 900/1137m
Net Walking Time: ca. 8 hours
Toughness: 10 out of 10
Many other – longer or shorter – options, are possible. See the webpage or the pdf for details.
Take the 10.41 Bus T4 from Brecon Interchange Stand 1, direction Merthyr Tydfil (for Cardiff). Bus calls Llanfaes, St David’s Church and arrives Glyn Tarell/Storey Arms at 10.56.
Return buses: 17.50 and 19.47 from Libanus, a few minutes earlier from Storey Arms and Llyn-y-celyn. A taxi from the pub in Libanus back to Brecon won’t cost the earth.

[Note: the T4 only runs every 2 hours in the morning, and the 8.41 would mean we arrive at the lunch pub long before it opens. Hence the late start, which on the first day may make sense anyway, giving time to stock up on supplies for the picnic lunch walks and/or to get bearings in town.]

This strenuous route explores the easterly part of the Fforest Fawr area of the Brecon Beacons, starting from a high pass between the Central Beacons ridge and the imposing Fan Fawr.

Often ignored by walkers due to its vicinity to Corn Du and Pen y Fan, Fan Fawr is an impressive hulk of a mountain, after a steep ascent providing for fantastic views across the Fforest Fawr out to Black Mountain and across to the Central Beacons. You then descend along the broad and gentle flank of it, eventually along the watershed between the Hepste and Mellte catchment areas, two of the three main rivers of the Waterfall Country just to the south. Stretches of this descent are fundamentally pathless and with some watery although not boggy areas, but in good weather the onwards route is not difficult to discern. In bad weather though, good navigation skills are essential!
You cross over from sandstone terrain into the limestone upland of the Mynydd y Garn with its shake holes and limestone outcrops, and follow the limestone rockface of the Gwaun Cefnygarreg atop the Mellte valley to lunch in Ystradfellte. Rising out of the valley, you cross another limestone upland and ascend the gentle ridge of Fan Llia and Fan Dringarth, after which several shorter options to finish are described.
But the main route ascends Fan Frynych, a glorious viewpoint overlooking the Usk Valley, followed by a long, scenic descent into the valley. Lastly, you cross the grassy common-with-views of the Mynydd Illtud as well as pass the National Park Visitor Centre en route to Libanus with its pub and bus stop.

A (map-led) shortcut greatly reduces the effort. An extension via Twyn y Gaer (hill) is described.

Lunch: The New Inn in Ystradfellte (11.5 km/7.1 mi, open from 13.00, food all day).
Tea: YHA Brecon Beacons on the Llwyn-y-celyn ending, The Tai’r Bull Inn in Libanus.
For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.401
Alternative Walks for today:
SWC 306 Brecon Circular via Y Gaer, Battle and Pen y Crug (meet at the bus station and see whether anyone else wants to join you).
  • 04-May-23

    Two of us are planning to do the Brecon Circular via Y Gaer Battle and Pen Y Crug walk option. Meeting at 10.30 at the Bus Stop Brecon Bus Interchange where the walk starts. Picnic lunch.

  • 04-May-23

    I’m planning to do the shortcut, which cuts out about half the walk. Is anyone else?

    Catherine

  • 05-May-23

    If the weather is as forecasted and it means catching the earlier bus from Storey Arms, I might take the short cut.

    Heetan

  • 05-May-23

    14 SWCers assembled at the bus interchange to split into 5 getting on the bus to walk the 30k main walk, 4 getting into cars to walk the 15k short walk (dropping 1 car each at Libanus and Storey Arms), 3 walking the alt. walk Brecon Circular. And also 2 runners. They were the SWC Trail Running subgroup and one of them is going to run the Brecon Beacons Mountain Marathon tomorrow. So that was his last warm up run already done and the only exercise of the day to preserve himself.

    As for the 5 bus takers, we had a whale of a time out on those hills.

    Just 3 short bursts of rain in the morning, and another one just as we left the lunch pub, else it was sunny or passing clouds type weather. The pathless bits on the upland plateau were just about the right length before one or other had enough, vistas were dramatic, birdsong was aplenty (mainly larks I'd say as an ignoramus) and progress was good.

    We reached the New Inn after 3 1/2 hours of walking and spent 75 mins in there. A very well run pub in a remote location at the right distance for a long walk, what more could you ask for?

    Up onto the limestone plateaus and then the Fan Llia/Fan Dringarth ridge, where we were engulfed in low clouds and with no views. Until the clouds broke, first on the left towards Fan Nedd, then revealing Cwm Senni, then even lifting where we were. And we spent the rest of the walk in early evening sunshine.

    1 peeled off to finish at the Storey Arms, 4 walked on to The Tai'r Bull Inn in Libanus.

    We knew we'd miss the last bus by about half an hour and the food service at the pub by about 15 minutes but they served a very decent Butty Bach. And a taxi was easy enough to get. Joint dinner at the Chang Thai in town. Job done.

    A very fine day, especially if compared to the forecast weather.

    I'm taking liberties by inclouding the 3 that walked the alt. walk into the total count but not the runners: 12 sunny and cloudy with short bursts of rain

    p.s.: from what I hear, the short walkers and the alt. walkers had a good day as well.

  • 06-May-23

    Three of us opted for the Brecon circular, which was a lovely loop through the local countryside. We walked out of town along the river and soon found ourselves walking through lambing fields and bluebell woods,eventually reaching the remains of a Roman fort, with great views of the Beacons. We had our picnic in the pretty church yard at Battle, enjoying a sunny interlude as we ate. After Battle we climbed along a quiet road, then turned back towards Brecon. We had to clamber over a couple of gates that had been tied shut as we descended through fields towards Llwyncelyn Farm. After a wander through pretty woods, we ascended steeply to the top of Pen y Crug where we enjoyed spectacular views over Brecon. As we arrived back in town shortly before 5 we visited the Cathedral, and two of us went for tea and cake at Coffee1.

    Thanks to Thomas for posting a lovely walk.