The A470 runs north–south through the park from Merthyr Tydfil to Brecon, passing the Pen y Fan car parks. Waterfall Country is to the south-west, Crickhowell and the Black Mountains to the east.
1 Pen y Fan and Corn Du
The shortest route climbs from the Pont ar Daf car park on the A470 to Corn Du and on to Pen y Fan’s flat summit. The longer horseshoe walks from the north are quieter and more rewarding.
Practical: About 2–3 hours return on the short route. Exposed in wind and cloud; parking is paid and fills early.
2 Waterfall Country (Sgwd yr Eira)
Four rivers cut gorges through the sandstone and limestone near Ystradfellte. The Four Falls Trail links several falls; at Sgwd yr Eira the path runs behind the water.
Practical: Allow 3–4 hours for the main circuit. Start at Cwm Porth or Gwaun Hepste car parks, or Pontneddfechan.
3 Brecon and its cathedral
A Georgian market town with a cathedral founded as a priory in the eleventh century, a riverside promenade and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, popular for boat trips.
Practical: Cathedral free. Canal boat trips run in season.
4 Llangorse Lake
The largest natural lake in South Wales, with a reconstructed crannog (an early medieval lake dwelling), birdlife and watersports.
Practical: Free to walk the shore paths; activity centres nearby.
5 Crickhowell and the Usk
A small town with independent shops, a ruined castle and a seventeenth-century stone bridge over the Usk. The flat-topped Table Mountain (Crug Hywel) above town makes a good short climb.
Practical: Free. Table Mountain is about 2–3 hours return.
6 Carreg Cennen Castle
Perched on a limestone cliff in the far west of the park, this ruin has a passage cut into the rock below it that you can explore by torchlight.
Practical: Ticketed; bring a torch. The walk up from the farm takes about 10 minutes.
7 Brecon Mountain Railway
A narrow-gauge steam railway running from Pant, near Merthyr Tydfil, alongside the Taf Fechan reservoirs into the park.
Practical: Seasonal timetable; book ahead in school holidays.
