Fan Frynych Brecon Beacons WALES
Start/Finish 1
Roadside parking in residential crescent by A470 just south of Tai’r
Bull Inn, Libanus (GR: SN995260). Or use National Park Visitor Centre car park (GR: SN977262)
Follow no through road west from A470 uphill to Argoed
Lwyd (outdoor centre). Continue up track, which on a clear day provides good views of Corn Du and Pen y Fan. At top follow track round to L, passing car park and National Park Visitor Centre on L (well worth looking inside).
At road junction, go 2 straight across and continue along track (restricted bridleway). Hill ahead of you in distance is Fan Frynych. Keep a look out for a kissing -gate and waymark post on L about 1km from visitor centre.
Go through gate and follow 3 footpath, as indicated, heading diagonally across fields to A4215. Cross road over to L at gate/stile. Follow footpath waymarks and head on southwards up through field to stile, turning L alongside fence on L, then bearing round R to carry on up grassy ridge of Twyn Dylluanddu to meet a clear track at a bend on the other side of the gate.
Bear L and follow track, 4 which continues uphill then levels out at the top. The trig point atop the moorland summit of Fan Frynych is over to the R (look for a path heading westwards or just make your way towards it). Small-scale quarrying was once carried out near the summit.
Head eastwards back to 5 main track and retrace steps to point 4, this time carrying on down track to bottom.
Turn R along wide level 6 stony track, keeping ahead along a lane to the A4215. Cross and carry on in same direction, rejoining outward route at pt 3. Retrace steps to start.
Given that the Geopark also includes the popular central Beacons, I doubt it will have made much of a difference to walker numbers.
Fforest Fawr’s highest point is Fan Fawr (734m/2409ft), whilst the northernmost peak of the massif, Fan Frynych, is a little lower at 629m/2064ft. The latter is a good choice for those days when the higher Brecon Beacons summits are under cloud, while it remains clear. Moreover it’s a relatively easy summit to reach, clearly visible on the approach from the National Park Visitor Centre (also known as the Libanus Mountain Centre), which is located just southwest of Brecon.
It was for both these reasons that I first set out to climb Fan Frynych on a very overcast
March day some years back. With the higher summits sulking under cloud, it seemed a good opportunity to give it a go; and if the cloud level dropped even lower, there was always the common land of Mynydd Illtud, which surrounds the visitor centre to explore.
Rather than start at the visitor centre itself, I decided to walk up from the main road at Libanus below along a very quiet lane. Not only does this give the legs a bit more uphill exercise, it also provides good views of Corn Du and Pen y
Fan, at least when conditions are clear (as I discovered on subsequent visits). Furthermore, it’s on a Brecon bus route, with a shelter should you have to wait in the rain.
Bright yellow daffodils on the grassy verge at the start were a cheerful sight in an otherwise rather sombre landscape of dull greys, greens and browns. Although the bare trees were still skeletal, a field of ewes and lambs was another hint that spring lay round the corner. A long, straight track led towards Fan Frynych, which I climbed via the grassy ridge of Twyn Dylluan-ddu, turning round at the trig pillar. On subsequent visits, I’ve varied the return by continuing south-west along the ridge to its end; and, on another occasion, I’ve gone south along the top of the cliffs of Craig Cerrig-gleisiad.
Fan Frynych may not be the most inspiring of summits, but the views on a clear day well repay the effort of getting there – and you’re likely to have it to yourself, far away from the Pen y Fan crowds across the valley. [Captions clockwise from top] Mynydd Illtud common near the Mountain Centre; The view towards Fan Frynych from between points 2&&3; Looking to the central Brecon Beacons on an overcast March day