The Beacons Way

Where: Bannau Brycheiniog, formerly Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales

Distance: 100 miles across the whole park. I walked about half through the central and most picturesque central section that avoids big roads and towns.  

Difficulty: Easy. The terrain is undulating with small mountains, but paths are very well maintained and graded.

Navigation: Easy to follow trails as there are no trees and the landscape is open. Trail easy to find on OS Maps app.

How to get there: Public buses to either starting points or mid sections (Storey Arms car park below Pen y Fan or Glyntawe Outdoor Centre car park).

THE HIKE

I love the Beacons. In good weather, the endless 360 views of green mountains with their iconic, characteristically textured drops, are perhaps my favourite in the entire UK. The terrain is simultaneously wild and so gentle. No climbs are too steep or too long. The lakes are stunning and perfect for swimming on a hot day. You can choose between around 700 000 perfect wild camping spots. I would hesitate to recommend this 2-3 night variant for bad weather weekends as the views will be very limited, but for a good summer weekend it is simply unbeatable.