Bannau Brycheiniog

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This year I am aiming to run in as many Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and possible. Having visited the Dorset coast, the Chilterns, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Pennine Way, the Lake District and the Cairngorms, it was time to look west to Wales, one of my favourite places to run.

Previously known as the Brecon Beacons (BB), Bannau Brycheiniog (BB) was my starting point, in particular the town of Merthyr Tydfil. It is roughly ten miles from there to BB. 

The road winds up from the centre of town, climbing steadily into the hills. My hydration pack was stuffed with food and water, but I hadn't accounted for the fantastic weather. The sun was blazing down from a cloudless sky and I hadn't packed any sun cream. I stopped at a shop in Pant to buy some and witnessed a sweary shouting match between the shop keeper and an early morning customer. Great start. No sun cream either.

Attempting to forget this unsavoury start, I ran on until the last houses were behind me. I took a deep breath and readied myself to savour the beauty of Wales. A narrow track descended to the Taf Fechan river and then a steady uphill climb to the village of Pontsticill. I could see the mountains in the distance bathed in golden sunlight.

Soon Pontsticill Reservoir came into view, it's surface a deep blue, spotted with white sailing boats. Turning off the road, I headed into the pine forest that overlooked the water. The shade was welcome. The gravel path twisted and turned with the occasional sight of the reservoir through the trees to my right. When I emerged it was all downhill to the shore.

At Torpantau I hit the trails proper. The mountain horseshoe was right in front of me now with all the summits visible. My aim was to run around them from left to right and then descend back to my starting point.

Neuadd Reservoir was the gateway to the climb, a zig zag path rising to Twyn Mwyalchod at 2106ft. I felt strong and ran most of the way to the top until the steep rocky steps forced me to climb. From there it was a relatively straight and flat run on rocky trail across Craig-Gwaun-Taf to Corn Du. There was a huge smile on my face as I skipped across the summits.



The number of people swelled as I summited Corn Du and then Pen-y-Fan. I didn't wait in the queue for a photo, but continued down the steep mountainside and soon arrived at the foot of Cribyn. I pushed myself hard up the climb and then continued to force the pace down the other side and up Fan-y-Big, rewarding myself with a sandwich at the top.



At this point I felt fantastic and even considered doubling back on myself to do the horseshoe in reverse. Instead I played it safe and took the path back towards the reservoir. A good job as I was pretty shattered by the end.

I passed some wild horses that posed for a photo before I powered down the trail past bemused hikers.



Soon I was in Torpantau again. I retraced my steps through the pine covered hillside and arrived at Pontsticill gasping for a drink. The pub garden was packed with locals enjoying the wonderful weather. I had to queue for a while to get my hands on a pint of soda and lime and it went down in seconds. 

Refreshed, I followed the Taff Trail back into Merthyr, stopping at the castle before arriving back at my hotel. 

A total of 34 miles with an elevation of 5331ft. 

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