Pen Y Fan and Corn Du from Storey Arms Walk

Starting from the Pont ar Daf National Trust Car Park just south of the Storey Arms Outdoor Centre

1. From the southerly end of the car park go through a wooden gate to the right of a wooden field gate and ford or cross on a two-railed footbridge the Blaen Taf Fawr (stream) to ascend up a broad engineered path.
2. Continue all the way to the Bwlch Duwynt (‘Windy Pass’ in English) at the top of the rise, at 815m above sea, in 2.2 km.
3. You are on a steep, horse-shoe shaped, escarpment, at a T-junction with a path running along it from Craig Gwaun Taf on the right.
4. On the left and in front are the four renowned table-top peaks of the Central Brecon Beacons (l-t-r): Corn Du, Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Fan y Big.
5. Further right is the large upland bog of Waun Rydd and in the valley inbetween the two (disused) Neuadd Reservoirs, with the Taf Fechan Forest further along to the right and the Pentwyn Reservoir beyond it.
6. To the left the path forks. Follow the right fork in the direction of Pen y Fan 900m away. In 600m, in a saddle, a path joins from the left from Corn Du, as you begin the final ascent to Pen y Fan.
7. You reach the cairned summit of Pen y Fan (‘Head of the Place’ in English, at 886m above sea the highest top in the Brecon Beacons and South Britain) in 300m. The cairn on the summit was a Bronze Age burial chamber (when it was excavated in 1991 a bronze brooch and spearhead were found inside the chamber).
8. Brecon can be seen to the north and on a good day Cadair Idris is just about visible. To the east you can make out the Black Mountains and the distinctively shaped ‘Sugarloaf/Pen y Fâl’ hill between Crickhowell and Abergavenny, and to the south-west the Bristol Channel.
9. Retrace your steps to the saddle between Pen y Fan and Corn Du and fork right there to ascend Corn Du (‘Black Horn’ in English), whose cairned top (at 873m above sea) you reach in 300m. The cairn on the summit was a Bronze Age burial chamber. From here you have stunning views into the Cwm Llwch with its scenic lake.
10. For the shortest return route: bear left to descend back to the Bwlch Duwynt (saddle) and retrace your steps back to the start along the engineered path.
11. Else bear right to find the - initially - rocky descent from Corn Du along the rim of the escarpment (the Craig Cwm LLwch) and in 300m [!] turn left along a clear engineered path away from the rim (265°).
12. In 1.2 km you ford a stream (the Blaen Taf Fawr) at the bottom of a broad saddle and re-ascend up to Y Gyrn, staying to the left of its rounded top in 500m.
13. A steep descent from its plateau then leads you in 600m to the corner of a wood above the A470 and you continue in the same direction to the right of the wood to reach the road to the right of the Storey Arms Outdoor Centre in another 280m.
14. Cross the A470 into the car park opposite, where there is usually a kiosk selling hot drinks and snacks. Turn left, either along the grassy road verge in a south easterly direction and in 400m you can cross the road to enter the Pont ar Daf car park, or turn left through a wooden gate to follow a more sheltered path at the bottom of the wood on the left, parallel to the road.

Starting from the car park right by the Storey Arms Outdoor Centre

1. With the A-road in your back, walk through a wooden kissing gate to the left of a wooden field gate and up an engineered path to the left of the Storey Arms Outdoor Centre (30°), signposted ‘Pen Y Fan’, initially with a wooded area on the right, to continue in the same direction in 280m at the corner of that wood, still uphill.
2. You get some views of Brecon Reservoir behind on the right in the valley below, and in 600m the terrain levels out for a short while on a broad ridge at 595m above sea (the rounded top Y Gyrn is off to the left), before dropping down to a saddle in front of the imposing prow of Corn Du.
3. In 200m walk through a wooden kissing gate and in 300m ford the Blaen Taf Fawr (stream) at the bottom of the drop at 542m above sea and re-ascend up towards the top of Corn Du.
4. In 1.2 km you reach an escarpment (the Craig Cwm LLwch) and turn up right along it. In 300m you get to the cairned top of Corn Du at 873m above sea. The cairn on the summit was a Bronze Age burial chamber.
5. In front of you and on the right are the other three renowned table-top peaks of the Central Brecon Beacons (l-t-r): Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Fan y Big.
6. Further right is the large upland bog of Waun Rydd and in the valley are the two (disused) Neuadd Reservoirs, with the Taf Fechan Forest further along to the right and the Pentwyn Reservoir beyond it.
7. Bear left to continue in an initially easterly direction towards the obvious top 600m away. You descend to a saddle between the two tops and re-ascend immediately, to reach the cairned summit of Pen y Fan (‘Head of the Place’ in English, at 886m above sea the highest top in the Brecon Beacons and South Wales) in 300m.�
8. The cairn on the summit was a Bronze Age burial chamber (when it was excavated in 1991 a bronze brooch and spearhead were found inside the chamber). Brecon can be seen to the north and on a good day Cadair Idris is just about visible.
9. To the east you can make out the Black Mountains and the distinctively shaped ‘Sugarloaf/Pen y Fâl’ hill between Crickhowell and Abergavenny, and to the south-west the Bristol Channel.
10. Retrace your steps to the saddle between Pen y Fan and Corn Du and fork left to the Bwlch Duwynt (‘Windy Pass’ in English) 600m away.
11. Turn right down a prominent engineered path (the route of the Beacons Way Long Distance Path) to reach the Pont ar Daf National Trust car park in 2.2 km. Route finding is straightforward, at the bottom you can either ford the Blaen Taf Fawr [stream], or use a two-railed footbridge to the right, then go through a wooden gate to the left of a wooden field gate.
12. Turn right through the car park and either follow the grassy verge of the A470 back to the car park by the Storey Arms or turn right through a wooden gate after a short while to follow a more sheltered path at the bottom of the wood on the right, parallel to the road.