The Brecon Beacons National Park is one of the many idyllic pieces of countryside Wales has to offer. I’ve lived and spent my university life in Wales and this is always one of my go to places to visit for a day trip or few nights away. If you've booked a “staycation”, a relaxing night away or looking for inspiration for the best places to visit in the Brecon Beacons, this is a blog post you're going to love.

Brecon Beacons National Park is located in South Wales. It’s the perfect trip for anyone that enjoysexploring rolling countryside and valleys. The area is a hiker’s dream, made up of incredible mountainous scenery, waterfalls, cute little towns, castles and a vast amount of wildlife. It was established in 1957 and covers a whopping 519 square miles.

You may have heard about the Brecon Beacons for the highest peak in South Wales, “Pen y Fan” at 886m above sea level or for the tallest waterfall in South Wales used in the Batman film “The Dark Knight”, with a drop of 90 feet.

I'm going to share with you my favourite places to hike and visit in the Brecon Beacons. From swimming under waterfalls to discovering fairy caves and seeing views right across Wales, my time in Brecon Beacons National Park has been nothing short of adventurous!

How to Get to Brecon Beacons

Best way to get to the national park is by car, it’s within easy reach of the M4, M50 and AdQ. Alternatively, there is hourly trains direct to Abergavenny (southernly point of the Brecon Beacons) on the Cardiff-Manchester lines. There are trains from Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil every half an hour and trains from Swansea and Llanelli to Llandovery running 4 times daily.

Where to Stay in the Brecon Beacons...

There are lots of quirky AirB&B’s and sumptuous hotels. My favourite towns to stay at would be Llandeilo, Abergavenny, Crickhowell, Brecon and Hay on Wye. You can check these out on AirB&B, booking.com and hostelworld.com.

The best time to visit...

Summer months are the most popular with the long days, bright skies and warmer temperatures making it ideal for outdoor activities. Spring and autumn are usually crowd-free and have gorgeous colours. Winter is quieter and for the more experienced hikers, however you get the joys of snow- dusted peaks. Wales is known for its rain — so whatever the season be prepared to bring your waterproofs.

Pen y Fan

Pen-y-Fan, the highest peak in South Wales features some of the most spectacular views from its summit. It is very popular with walkers and hikers, with the base only being 1 hour from Cardiff city centre. It offers the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets overlooking the hills and valleys. There are four main routes to the summit of Pen-y-Fan.

1. Pont ar Daf Carpark

Pen y Fan from The Story Arms or Pont ar Daf— the gentle one.

This is the most popular route of them all, starting at around 440m and climbing to the peak of 886m is very manageable. It has gentle incline and can be tackled by small children. This route usually takes around | -1 L2 hours, maybe longer if you stop to take photographs — which I fuarantee you will!