Abecri two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Walked as part of the National Parks Challenge 2026 when I walked from Crickhowell to Nant Ddu. This section is brilliant, combining a delightful canal walk with hilltop views.

Stunning route through and over the valleys of the Brecon Beacons. The Beacons Way makes for easy to follow trails, and the canal is a lovely level way to finish. No navigation issues and accessible for dogs and bikes.

Another beautiful route into the Brecons.

But no accomodation or food and drink at Abercynafon !

I finally did a section near Llandgynidr to the reservoir - so only took me 3 years to review this.

September 2024. Direction: Abercynafon to Crickhowell.

This route is similar to Abecri1, but with a couple of changes due to an access problem near Llwyn yr Eos Farm just outside Llangynidr and also a couple of minor changes on the canal path between Llangynidr and Dardy, effectively staying on the canal path instead of the road.

I`d give this 6 stars if I could. A fantastic walking route taking in a variety of landscapes. I should say to start though, that there are no facilities in Abercynafon, so it`s best to stock up at Talybont-on-Usk before setting out. I couldn`t find a bus service to Abercynafon, the nearest being to Talybont-on-Usk, which is about a four and a half mile walk away, but well worth the extra walk.

The first stretch is along a track through farmland, crosses the River Caerfanell (Photo 1) and then up on a footpath through woodland and forestry. It then crosses the Taff Trail forestry track (Photo 2) and continues up on to the ridge past Bryn Melyn. There are some great views all around, especially down into the Crawnon Valley on one side and down to Talybont reservoir on the other. On a clear day the view from the top of Tor y Foel must be amazing - it was a bit of a gloomy day for my walk, but still some great local vistas, such as the view down into the Usk Valley and Llangynidr (Photo 8). The route down then goes through farm land and after crossing the lane, the footpath continues down to the canal (whereas Brecri1 took a left at Llwyn-yr-Eos Farm to re-join the Lane, but the lane is gated and padlocked). The route then joins the canal for a short stretch into the village. An alternative route could be to just stay on the canal towpath all the way to Dardy, but it`s worth the walk through the village, not least for a choice of two pubs for a stop-off.

After Llangynidr, there is a long but easy stretch along the canal (Photo 10) all the way to Dardy, where the route leaves the canal and follows a lane into Llangattock and then up the streets into Crickhowell

From an accessibility point of view, definitely not one for 4-wheels, but some sections could be OK for trail or mountain bikes. The way up to the ridge is quite steep in places and has gates in places (e.g. Photo 4). On reaching the top of the ridge at Bryn Melyn, the track (Photo 6) is metalled until the start of the grassy path up Tor y Foel (Photo 7) which is open all the way over the top and down to the start of the farmland. From here, there are several styles before reaching the canal path. Wheelers could simply stay on the lane into Llangynidr. At Llangattock, there are some fairly tight kissing gates near the church and through the fields to the road at the start of Crickhowell. Wheelers could just stay on the road through Llangattock and down to the Crickhowell bridge. A fantastic route for walkers though !

Photo 1 - The ford and bridge at the River Caerfanell near just outside Abercynafon
Photo 2 - The Taff Trail and the path to the right up to Tor y Foel
Photo 3 - View down to Talybont reservoir
Photo 4 - Typical swing gate on the way up to the ridge
Photo 5 - Talybont from the ridge near Bryn Melyn
Photo 6 - The mountain track near Bryn Melyn
Photo 7 - The grassy track up Tor y Foel
Photo 8 - The view from Tor y Foel down into the Usk Valley and Llangynidr
Photo 9 - The farmland stretch down towards Llangynidr
Photo 10 - The Mon & Brec canal between Llangynidr and Dardy.

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