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Crickhowell Circular via Mynydd Llangatwg and Craig y Cilau Walk

Llangattock Escarpment with surreal slag heaps, quarries and cliffs, optional caving and a raised bog. Then lush pastures along the Usk Valley with Black Mountains views.

Brecon Beacons Circular

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Mon, 08-Aug-22 Llangattock Escarpment with surreal slag heaps, quarries, cliffs, optional caving and raised bog. Then Usk Valley w. Black Mountains views [Crickhowell Trip] 12 warm and sunny
Mon, 27-Sep-21 Llangattock Escarpment with surreal slag heaps, quarries, cliffs, optional caving and a raised bog. Then Usk Valley with Black Mountains views [Abergavenny Trip] 5 partly sunny with a strong breeze and two short showers

Monday 08-Aug-22

Thomas G
Crickhowell Circular via Mynydd Llangatwg and Craig y Cilau
Length: 18.9 km (11.7 mi), with options to shorten or lengthen
Ascent/Descent: 680m
Net Walking Time: 6 hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Meet at 09.35 at Crickhowell Square Bus Stop.
[From the direction of Brecon: take the 08.45 (Line 43), arrives 09.35. From the direction of Abergavenny: take the 08.43 (Line 43), arrives 09.04.
Return buses are on 16.23, 17.37 and 18.04 direction Brecon, and on 16.50 and 17.24 direction Abergavenny.]
From the centre of the rightly popular town of Crickhowell, the route leads across the Usk River and the Monmouth & Brecon Canal up steeply through quiet pastures-with-views up to the easterly end of the Llangattock Escarpment and the fascinating limestone pinnacle of the Lonely Shepherd, overlooking the Clydach Gorge. From there you follow the escarpment westwards, past ex-quarries, surreal looking grassy spoil heaps, a couple of raised bogs and some extensive cave systems leading deep into the underlying limestone layers.
The natural amphitheatre of the Craig y Cilau escarpment with its spectacular high limestone cliffs and extensive cave systems, is negotiated with some easy walking along a former tramroad contouring the dramatic grassy ledge with some superb sweeping views across the Usk Valley to The Black Mountains, from the Mynydd Llangorse and Mynydd Troed via Table Mountain and Pen Cerrig-Calch to Sugar Loaf. You continue through the Craig y Cilau National Nature Reserve, where the Eglwys Faen cave system allows for some optional caving and down the slope to the raised bog of the Waun Ddu.
A very scenic descent and re-ascent leads through the beautiful Cwm Onnau and across into the very lush Usk Valley, from where you contour through more pastures with extremely fine views of the Central Black Mountains back down to the canal and via Llangattock village to Crickhowell with its many tea options.
Walk Options
A Morning Shortcut cuts 1.5m and 40m ascent.
A rougher version of that shortcut, up a long and steep bouldery track, cuts another 1.4 km.
Cut out the out-and-back to the Lonely Shepherd limestone pinnacle with views: cut 1.4 km.
Caving (for beginners) can be done in the Eglwys Faen complex. Bring your headtorch and an extra layer or two! Good profile soles necessary, scrambling experience reassuring. And mind your head!
An Afternoon Shortcut, cutting the ascent out of the Cwm Onnau and into the Usk Valley, cuts 2.8 km.
An Extension of the route, higher up the Cwm Onnau adds 2.0 km and 35m ascent. This starts with 20 minutes along the grassy verge of a busy road though.
Lunch : Picnic. Best location: on the grassy ledge below the Llangattock Escarpment, with views across the Usk Valley.
Tea: Plenty of options in Llangattock and Crickhowell. Check the pdf or the webpage for details.
For walk directions, maps, height profiles and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.370

  • Mon, 08-Aug-22

    Dr. Google Maps had left for London late on Sunday and A Friend of Folk Music, who had only arrived for the Sunday walk straight from Sidmouth Festival, had called off this walk after feeling under the weather. We wish her well.

    12 walkers then in warm and sunny weather, with 7 starting from Crick, and 5 joining in Llangattock across the river. The hardest bit of the walk is the steep ascent right from the start up to The Lonely Shepherd on the escarpment. Temperatures weren't quite as high as later in the day then, small mercies and all that... 7 indulged in 20 minutes of caving in Entrance 1 of the Eglwys Faen cave system, while the remaining 5 waited outside in the sun. 2 then took the afternoon shortcut. The remaining 10 got to the Old Rectory Hotel in Llangattock just before 4, which left an hour for beverages on their terrace before carrying on to Crick for the 17.24 bus (for those who left today).

Monday 27-Sep-21

Thomas G
Length: 18.9 km (11.7 mi), with options to shorten or lengthen
Ascent/Descent: 680m
Net Walking Time: 6 hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Take the 09.55 (Line X43 from Stand 5 at Abergavenny Bus Station, also calls Station Road, Raglan Terrace, Pavilion, Brecon Road Surgery & Nevill Hall Hospital) to Brecon, arrives Crickhowell, Square 10.16.
Return buses : 16.50 and 17.24 (a taxi won’t cost the earth).
From the centre of the rightly popular town of Crickhowell, the route leads across the Usk River and the Monmouth & Brecon Canal up steeply through quiet pastures-with-views up to the easterly end of the Llangattock Escarpment and the fascinating limestone pinnacle of the Lonely Shepherd, overlooking the Clydach Gorge. From there you follow the escarpment westwards, past ex-quarries, surreal looking grassy spoil heaps, a couple of raised bogs and some extensive cave systems leading deep into the underlying limestone layers.

The natural amphitheatre of the Craig y Cilau escarpment with its spectacular high limestone cliffs and extensive cave systems, is negotiated with some easy walking along a former tramroad contouring the dramatic grassy ledge with some superb sweeping views across the Usk Valley to The Black Mountains, from the Mynydd Llangorse and Mynydd Troed via Table Mountain and Pen Cerrig-Calch to Sugar Loaf. You continue through the Craig y Cilau National Nature Reserve, where the Eglwys Faen cave system allows for some optional caving and down the slope to the raised bog of the Waun Ddu.

A very scenic descent and re-ascent leads through the beautiful Cwm Onnau and across into the very lush Usk Valley, from where you contour through more pastures with extremely fine views of the Central Black Mountains back down to the canal and via Llangattock village to Crickhowell with its many tea options.

Walk Options
A Morning Shortcut cuts 1.5m and 40m ascent.
A rougher version of that shortcut, up a long and steep bouldery track, cuts another 1.4 km.
Cut out the out-and-back to the Lonely Shepherd limestone pinnacle with views: cut 1.4 km.
Caving (for beginners) can be done in the Eglwys Faen complex. Bring your headtorch and an extra layer or two! Good profile soles necessary, scrambling experience reassuring. And mind your head!
An Afternoon Shortcut, cutting the ascent out of the Cwm Onnau and into the Usk Valley, cuts 2.8 km.
An Extension of the route, higher up the Cwm Onnau adds 2.0 km and 35m ascent. This starts with 20 minutes along the grassy verge of a busy road though.
Lunch : Picnic. Best location: on the grassy ledge below the Llangattock Escarpment, with views across the Usk Valley.
Tea: Plenty of options in Llangattock and Crickhowell. Check the pdf or the webpage for details.
For walk directions, maps, height profiles and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.370
  • Mon, 27-Sep-21

    3 of the group departed on Sunday after the walk and 2 more this morning,so we were down to 5.

    Temperatures had dropped over night and a fresh breeze blew all day, thankfully mostly paired with sun or mostly sunny weather. Some periods of thick cloud cover and three short showers rounded off the picture: autumn has arrived

    After crossing the Usk into Llangattock, the steady ascent through pastures with views and up quiet lanes to the highest point of the walk followed, to the excellent viewpoint by the Lonely Shepherd (rock tower). Then along the Crag with its disused quarries, picturesque spoil heaps and fantastic views across the valley to the Black Mountains.

    We had our picnic on the ledge that is the former tram road from the quarries, and everyone succumbed to the sales pitch of the walk author about the 'optional' caving. We entered two caves and went about 50-70m deep into them (further than on my recce walks, in fact). A truly memorable experience and one which passed without any slips or falls.

    On down to the raised bog, and via a steep down and up onto sloping pastures above the Usk Valley, with superlative views across.

    Down through a wood, along the canal and back through Llangattock into Crick for a 16.45 arrival. We let the imminent bus go and settled into The Dragon Inn until the next one.

    partly sunny with a strong breeze and two short showers