Brecon Beacons
A loop of the South Wales mountains
THE BRECON BEACONS is an ancient landscape of towering peaks and expansive valleys hewn from old red sandstone and carboniferous limestone. This 519 square-mile swathe of Welsh wilderness, from Abergavenny in the east to Llandeilo in the west, has been a national park since 1957 and a haven for tourists and sightseers since. Ask anyone who’s ridden the Brecons and they’ll use phrases like ‘hidden gems’ and ‘an abundance of riches’ when describing the area’s roads and scenery.
History tells that this part of Wales, with its eastern edge butted up against the English border, was a flashpoint for conflict. Indeed, the peaks that form the backbone of this region owe their name to the fires that raged in centuries past; beacons warning of invading Romans, Normans or opportunist English raiders.
Today, however, as I stand by the canal in Talybont-onusk about to start a mini-tour of this south Welsh wonderland, I’m transfixed by something far less ancient than the surrounding mountains; a mini drawbridge, the likes of which I’ve not seen before, that crosses the canal up above the village. Built in 1970, it replaced a fixed bridge that’d been in use since the ’30s.
On our way into Talybont I’d clocked a couple enjoying the leisurely pace of life on the canal. By the time we stop they’ve guided their long boat up to the drawbridge in readiness to pass through. First, they need to raise the bridge via a control box on the side of the bank. “Do you want to come over?” the woman asks, as I admire the simple steel structure. Ah, yes, I need to get to the other bank if we’re to complete our 100-mile ride.
The route out of Talybont on the B4558 runs alongside the canal bank towering several metres above the road. It’s an impressive feat of engineering dating back to the early 19th century. As village gives way to countryside, we turn left onto Station Road and in a mile or so we’re on the A40 heading towards the town that gives its name to the surrounding region.
Brecon is the third-largest town in Powys, and the meeting point of three rivers – the Usk, Tarfell and Honduu. The Normans realised the strategic and defensive importance of the area; they built the castle that still overlooks the town. Brecon also boasts a cathedral which dates back to the thirteenth century.
Time is clocking on, so we leave the touristy charm of Brecon and head the 23 miles west to Trecastle. Once past the A470 roundabout the A40 throws off its charmless dual carriageway status to become a majestic two-way delight, flowing effortlessly past lush hedgerows, fields of grazing livestock, and ripe smelling farms. It reminds me of Derbyshire – a picture postcard of rural life. Progress is brisk and visibility is excellent; each bend melts into the next. The surface is superb too.
The KTM is the perfect companion for this trip. We’ve already brushed aside 200 miles of dual carriageway and motorway to get to Talybont, and I’m feeling as up for it now as I did when we left the
RIDE office at 7am. On the Super
Adventure I’m perched up high
– perfect for scanning the road and scenery ahead – yet shielded from the elements behind the adjustable screen. Good job too as we’ve already had four seasons in one day.
At Trecastle, our ride takes a left turn at the Castle Coaching Inn onto unclassified lanes. A few miles in and the fast, gentle bends and smooth tarmac of the A40 feel like a distant memory. It’s easy to read the road ahead thanks to the hedge line,
‘The A40 becomes a two-way delight, flowing effortlessly’
but a tractor could lurk around every turn, so the pace is wary and I’m glad of the ABS, just in case.
Soon the landscape opens up. Houses and farms become less frequent as trees and hedgerows give way to boggy grassland and the occasional pine forest. The view straight ahead is breath-taking. A snow-capped peak dominates the horizon. Its sheer size brings into sharp relief the magnitude of this landscape. The KTM’S a big bike, but right now, the 1290 and I feel insignificant.
The same can’t be said for the Super Adventure’s performance, however. Its 1301cc V-twin engine is nothing short of immense. Overtakes, even in top, are executed in a blink, and roll-on acceleration is staggering. We’ve ridden through showers and even hail but I can’t bring myself to switch the engine onto ‘rain’ mode, because I’m having too much of a hoot in ‘sport’.
Variety is this route’s USP. Not so long ago we were passing through villages. Now we’re in what feels like the furthest point possible from civilisation – windswept moorland runs to every horizon, and sheep roam freely in the pursuit of sweet, green shoots amongst the heather and waterlogged peat.
Soon we’re at the route’s western edge and the start of a road I’ve been looking forward to all day, the A4069 from Pont-ar-llechau to Upper Brynamman. For 9.2 miles this road snakes its way over the central Brecon peaks like a warm-up act for the TT’S mountain section. The bends come thick and fast and the landscape becomes more barren and less hospitable the higher we climb — until proceedings finally plateau more than 500 metres above sea level.
At the summit we stop to explore the abandoned limestone workings of Herbert’s
Quarry. The KTM makes light
work of the gravel track (this time in ‘off-road’ mode) that takes us to where the rock was once brought out of the mountain on a narrow-gauge railway. Dilapidated buildings tell of a time when mining sustained many who lived in the surrounding valleys.
The A4069’s descent is less frantic than the ride up; the bends are gentler and the scenery more open. There’s enough clear road to overtake slow-moving traffic but not without caution — sheep wander and in summer, cyclists and tourist buses are an all-too-present hazard.
Once we pick up the A4068 in Brynamman we’re back in civilisation for a few miles. Coffee stops are not that frequent on the first part of our route so when we reach Cwm-twrch Uchaf, the New Tredegar Arms gets our full attention. We receive a warm welcome, a piping hot coffee and freshly prepared toasties. Perfect.
Once fed and watered we’re off again. A couple of miles down the road in Gurnos we pick up the A4067, another well-surfaced smoothie, which takes us north back over the central peaks to Defynnog. This is red kite country; I’ve seen at least a dozen already.
The further north we travel, the bigger the hills in the distance become. Craggy outcrops of limestone now line the route on either side of the valley. The road itself is similar to the A40 – smooth, undulating and entertaining, with enough of a break between long, gentle bends to admire the surroundings.
Just past Craig-y-nos we stop at the National Show Cave Centre briefly. Its vast cave network, carved out over millennia by ground water, looks spectacular.
For the next five miles we climb, up onto the ridge of peaks that make up the central Brecon Beacons. From this vantage point, we get a bird’s eye view of Cray Reservoir. This vast expanse of water supplies the city of Swansea. Built between 1898 and 1908, its 28-metrehigh dam holds 1,007,000,000 gallons of water in the glaciated valley. It’s quite a sight.
At Defynnog we turn back on ourselves onto the A4215, another wonderfully fast and flowing gift of a road that takes us down to the A470, just south of Libanus, heading once again for the towering beacons. Even if the surrounding scenery wasn’t here, I’d still make a beeline for this road; it’s that good.
‘The KTM and I feel insignificant in the landscape’