Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Routes

Mountain hikes & routes

Pen y Gadair Fawr Summit Cairn – Pen y Manllwyn Summit loop from Blaen y Cwm

Routes

Mountain hikes & routes

Pen y Gadair Fawr Summit Cairn – Pen y Manllwyn Summit loop from Blaen y Cwm

Moderate

hikers

Pen y Gadair Fawr Summit Cairn – Pen y Manllwyn Summit loop from Blaen y Cwm

04:36

15.1km

460m

Mountaineering

Moderate mountaineering route. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: May 21, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Bannau Brycheiniog National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

3.00 km

Pen y Gadair Fawr Summit Cairn

Highlight • Viewpoint

In terms of height, Pen y Gadair Fawr plays second fiddle only to Waun Fach as the Black Mountains' second highest summit. However, where Waun Fach's top is broad and relatively uninspiring, Pen y Gadair Fawr's is a little more like a peak in character. The summit is at a junction of paths: head east for Chwarel y Fan and the Mynydd Du Forest, venture south to Pen Twyn Mawr, or stride northeast to Waun Fach.

Tip by

3.02 km

Cairn With Panoramic View

Highlight • Natural Monument

I've labelled this as 'gravel' but with caution. it's essentially a hiking route but you can push your bike up here. as we did. there's short stretches you can ride though. just expect plenty of hike a bike.

Tip by

4.27 km

Challenging Terrain in the Brecon Beacons

Highlight • Trail

expect to get off and walk a lot. if you don't like that idea then I'd maybe avoid altogether

Tip by

5.10 km

Waun Fach summit

Highlight • Summit

A silent giant, Waun Fach is the highest point in South Wales' Black Mountains. Its gradual slopes and the flat nature of its summit mean that it can hardly be called a peak. It's nevertheless an attractive objective due to its great height and sense of remoteness. Three ridges converge on its summit, making it one of the true hubs of the range.

Tip by

6.06 km

Pen y Manllwyn Summit

Highlight • Natural Monument

Pen y Manllwyn 773.71m (2538ft)
Jones and sub Marsh summit

Tip by

8.24 km

Scenic Rest Spot with Hill View

Highlight • Viewpoint

Great spot for a lunch break mid ride. Was a little open when windy though

Tip by

11.2 km

Grwyne Fawr Bothy

Highlight • Mountain Hut

Grwyne Fawr bothy is a wonderful place to spend the night. On the banks of the reservoir, and nestled between the hills that give it its name, it's a perfectly protected spot with far reaching views over the valley to the south.

Looked after by the Mountain Bothies Association, it has a raised sleeping platform that will comfortably fit three people, with room for one more below.

There's a stove and chairs and usually plenty of dead wood around for fuel. When I last visited, some kind soul had even left a bottle of brandy!

Tip by

12.5 km

Climb to Grwyne Fawr Reservoir

Highlight • Climb

Fantastic climb to the reservoir fairly tough on the gravel bike with rough sections. stunning scenery back down the valley and as you approach the reservoir!! The climb above, to the top of the mountain is hard be prepared to push, but well worth it when you reach the top😊

Tip by

15.1 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

6.81 km

5.88 km

2.20 km

134 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

5.60 km

4.48 km

2.61 km

2.33 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Thursday 16 July

27°C

12°C

-- %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: -- km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

Want to know more?

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Edit route

Download GPX

Move start point

Embed on a website

Report an Issue

Report restricted access

Nearby routes

Moderate

4.5

Pen y Fan – Pen y Fan Gate loop from Beacons Reservoir

02:25h

6.43km

440m

Moderate

5.0

Corn Du summit – Pen y Fan loop from Neuadd Car Park

04:36h

14.0km

610m

Hard

5.0

Pen y Fan – Corn Du summit loop from Beacons Reservoir

06:22h

17.8km

1,020m

Hard

Corn Du summit – Pen y Fan loop from Beacons Reservoir

06:23h

18.8km

930m

Moderate

Pen y Fan – Corn Du summit loop from Heol-fanog

03:57h

11.1km

620m

Moderate

Pen y Gadair Fawr Summit Cairn – Pen y Manllwyn Summit loop from Blaen y Cwm

04:36h

15.1km

460m

Moderate

5.0

Blaen y Glyn Waterfall – Blaen-y-Glyn Waterfalls loop from Allt Forgan

03:09h

9.20km

460m

Moderate

Pen y Fan – Cribyn Summit loop from Heol-fanog

04:33h

13.2km

690m

Moderate

Fan y Big – Lower Neuadd Reservoir loop from wild camp

04:33h

15.3km

420m

Easy

View of Pen y Fan – Craig Cerrig Gleisiad loop from Bannau Brycheiniog National Park

01:43h

5.09km

260m

Pen y Gadair Fawr Summit Cairn – Pen y Manllwyn Summit loop from Blaen y Cwm

Pen y Gadair Fawr Summit Cairn

Cairn With Panoramic View

Challenging Terrain in the Brecon Beacons

Waun Fach summit

Pen y Manllwyn Summit

Scenic Rest Spot with Hill View

Grwyne Fawr Bothy

Climb to Grwyne Fawr Reservoir

Nearby routes

Sign up or log in to keep exploring this route

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️