The Gateway To The Brecon Beacons National Park...

I absolutely love the Brecon Beacons National Park. Whether its an opportunity to explore a new mountain peak or another beautiful trek up Pen y Fan, I'm up for it. This Monday I woke rather early off a night shift, it was a stunning day with blue sky's and plenty of sun so I harnessed up Oscar, packed the camera and headed for the Beacons. 

Given that I was running on just a few hours sleep, I decided to not go for anything too stressful or serious and stopped off at Garwnant visitor centre. This is considered the southern gateway to the Brecon Beacons National park. It has a variety of trials suitable for walking and cycling and it is situated just off the A470 around 5 miles north of Merthyr Tydfil which makes for easy access for anyone wishing to pop in. 

There are 3 different walking trails, along with two mountain bike trails, an adventure playground for children or big kids, along with a luscious picnic area nestled in amongst the trees. My favourite trail is called Wern Walk, it is around 2 miles long and I can usually walk around this in around an hour, however the likelihood is you'll be stopping regularly to take in the stunning views and if your anything like me taking lots of snaps.

One of my favourite views is out to your left as you drive up the hill towards the car park, on a clear day the view down the valley looking onto the Llwyn-on Reservoir is not to be missed. From there you head further up the hill passing the newly refurbished visitor centre and cafe on your right before entering the car park. There is a small charge of £2 to park but there is no time limit to how long you can stay.

To start the trail the advice is to stroll slightly back down the hill then take an immediate right on to the forest track, however I personally prefer to go a bit off track and head through the forest and learning area, as you can see Oscar also prefers this route as there is far more mud... but don't tell Aislinn. For me there is something that is hard to explain, but I just love strolling amongst the rows of tree's in and out of the different rows finding my own path through.

Once you've got onto the road its a nice steady stroll along the track for around a mile. Eventually bearing to your right and down to the hill you'll come across some beautiful views down the valley and the old Wern Farmhouse. Now just the remnants it provides some stunning photo opportunities, admittedly in the summer its a bit harder to access but I've been in the winter months where you are able to get in amongst the ruins and take some incredible photos.

From the old Wern farm the trail meanders along the side of the mountain crossing a small stream, providing an ideal spot for any hot dog... to cool down in. Yes Oscar took the opportunity for a swim, no bad thing though as it helped clean the mud off. The path then continues its journey along the mountain side towards the visitor centre where the cafe awaits with a selection of cakes and sandwiches to refuel any hungry family. 

I couldn't help heading back to the begging of the trail to take a few other snaps of the Llwyn-on reservoir.  

I hope you've enjoyed my post. Please let me know what you think below. 

Until next time...