Visiting the Brecon Beacons

I must admit that after our long weekend in Pembrokeshire I was slightly put off and wasn’t looking much forward to our next adventure in the Brecon Beacons.

Well, I worried unnecessarily. It was dark when we arrived to our charming accommodation, a typical Welsh cottage, but the view from the bedroom in the morning blew us away. That’s what you call a good start. We couldn’t wait to venture out and explore and even the rainy and windy weather could not stop us.

For our first day I picked locations that could work in bad weather, so we started our Brecon Beacon experience by visiting Dinefwr, a National Trust place.

 

What is the Breacon Beacons?

But first let’s have a look at what the Brecon Beacons mean. It means the mountain range in South Wales and it also can mean the Brecon Beacons National Park with its 1370 km2. The name refers to times when beacons were lit on top of the mountains.

I have to say that already on our way to Dinefwr I was stunned by the beauty of the Brecons. It is absolutely beautiful and I’d say it should definitely be on your bucket list.And now back to the estate, Dinefwr.

Dinefwr

Dinefwr Park is unique: with ancient pastureland and trees over 400 years old that are hosts to rare lichens and fungi Dinefwr is a Grade 1 Historic Park and Garden, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and a National Nature Reserve.

The original house was built in the Medieval period and the current house was built in the Jacobean style in 1660 and the deer park was created in 1775. However, most of what you see of the building today dates back to the 1850s when it was given a Gothic facelift.

I enjoyed the walk around the deer park and loved the board walk. From the view point the house looked more like a French chateau and had some fairy-tale vibes. Having said that, apparently the house is one of the most haunted house in Britain. Most of the paranormal activities happen(ed) in the servant’s basement where Walter the Butler who served there, haunts. Well, go and visit the Servant’s Quarters if you dare!

Reservoirs

There are ten reservoirs in the Brecon Beacos and some of them (possibly the most popular ones) have decorative buildings or towers built in different architectural styles making them look like magical places. I wanted to photograph them in gorgeous light and with a perfect reflection but as it normally is, I was totally unlucky with the weather and ended up with rain and wind. Anyhow, it was still fun, a bit like a treasure hunt and we enjoyed it.

Cwmyoy with the most crooked church

On our second day the weather decided to change and most of the day was not only dry but sunny and cloudy. So we decided to drive to the eastern edge of the Breacons, to Cwmyoy, a tiny village in Monmouthshire to visit possible the most crooked church in Britain.

Indeed, I don’t think I’ve seen anything that crooked ever. The reason why the St Martin’s Church is so crooked is because there was a landslide shortly after it was built. There were attempts to correct it but it never fully worked.

Llyn y Fach Fan

As the weather was gorgeous we decided to go for a hike in the afternoon. I picked a short walk saying it’s only 4.2km and 225 m high, that’ll do. Well… what shall I say? Although we are quite fit, we did have to stop many times during this cardiovascular exercise to the top and to be fair on the way down as well because of my ITBS which always hurts downhill.

You should not underestimate these slopes or how quickly the weather can change in the mountains. I didn’t understand those who in spite of clear instructions by tourist organisations started their hikes in flip flops or crocs.

When we got to the top it was so rewarding. The view was spectacular. I was surprised though that quite a lot of people were to spend the night on the top and not all of them were photographers. Some people enjoyed watching the sunset sitting in their camping chairs, some were in the process of putting up their tents. Well, that’s a step too far for me. Or is it…?

By the time we got to the top the sun started to go down and half of the lake was in shadow so no killer shots here. But I didn’t mind it at all because we had such a fun time and enjoyed the views and the sunshine.
On the way down I had to refer to Bill as the Englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain. 🙂

Aberglasney Garden

On our last day we visited Aberglasney Garden which is said to be one of the finest gardens in Wales and it’s easy to see why.

There are 10 different garden styles to explore at Aberglasney from the historic and unique cloister garden to the woodland gardens and to the Yew Tunnel. Perhaps, one of the most famous garden is the Ninfarium, a sub-tropical indoor garden with a glass roof which sadly I couldn’t visit as it was renovated at the time. I was blown away by this hidden gem and as you walk from one garden to the other one you don’t really know what to look at: there’s beauty everywhere.

 

As I said, the Brecon Beacons was a big surprise and we loved it. It really is like being in a fairy-tale world with its reservoirs, beautiful hills and charming cottages like the one below. I cannot recommend visiting the Brecon Beacons enough. The only tricky thing is that it may not be as easy to find a good accommodation in a good location as in other parts of Wales or the UK.