Sugar Loaf Circular from Abergavenny Walk

Ascent of the iconic Sugar Loaf along quiet paths: lush pastures, ancient oak woods, grassy ridges, heather and gorse. Tea at a vineyard.

Length	19.0 km (11.8 mi), with 622m ascent/descent. For a shorter or longer walk see below Walk Options.
Toughness	6 out of 10, with 5 ½ hours walking time. For the whole outing, including trains sights and meals, allow at least 12 hours.
Walk Notes	From the pretty town centre of Abergavenny walk up the iconic Sugar Loaf mountain, initially steeply up through lush pastures and ancient oak woods to Twyn-yr-Allt, a former settlement on one the lower foothills of the Black Mountains. From there continue along the mildly undulating treeless plateau tox Deri hill, covered in whimberries, bracken and gorse before turning steeply up the barren easterly flank of Sugar Loaf through the upland heathland, to the summit ridge of the southernmost peak of the Black Mountains, with superb panoramic views (in good weather) across South Wales and South West England. Descend gently down the heather and gorse-covered flanks and continue along the gentle ridge of Mynydd Llanwenarth to descend more steeply through the large ancient oak wood of Deri Fach into St. Mary’s Vale and along the spring-fed Nant Iago (stream) to tea at the superb Sugar Loaf Vineyard’s Café and Tasting Room, before re-tracing the outbound route through the town centre. Sugar Loaf is an immensely popular destination. The chosen route avoids paths from and to popular car parks, preferring quieter paths, while providing for a mixture of environments and views in all directions. Due to being a conical top distant from any neighbouring mountain chain, Sugar Loaf is very exposed to bad weather. Especially the summit plateau can be unforgiving. Only the very highest bit can be skirted. A longer descent route and a scenic diversion to a nearby pub at the bottom of the mountain in Llangenny are described, as is an alternative descent through Deri Fach oak wood along more challenging paths.
Walk Options	A start/finish at the Bus Station cuts 730m each way and 30m ascent at the end of the walk. Pick up the directions at the end of the second paragraph. A taxi ride can cut out the first steep ascent out of Abergavenny to the entrance of Sunny Vale farm at the top of the straight bit of Pen-y-Pound road by a sharp right turn (3.2 km into the walk). The taxi ranks with the best chance of a car being present are at the train station and on Frogmore Street by the Tesco (1.5 km into the walk). Pick up the directions at the end of the first paragraph on page 5. A Longer Descent Route down the flank of Sugar Loaf adds 2.2 km/1.4 mi and 71m ascent. A Scenic Diversion to the Dragon's Head in Llangenny adds 4.0 km/2.5 mi and 237m ascent to the longer descent route. From the pub it is straightforward to bail out to Crickhowell, along a signed lane.
Maps	OS Explorer: OL 13 (Brecon Beacons NP East) OS Landranger: 161 (The Black Mountains) Harvey Superwalker XT25: Breacon Beacons East/Bannau Brycheiniog Dwyrain Harvey British Mountain Map: Breacon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog
Travel	Abergavenny Station, map reference SO 305 136, is 30 km south east of Brecon, 202 km west northwest of Charing Cross, 74m above sea level and in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is served by the Welsh Marches Line (Newport – Hereford), connecting at Newport to Paddington, with mostly two trains per hour (total journey time from 135 mins). Abergavenny Bus Station is passed early on, bus lines with regular and useful connections are: X3 (Hereford – Cardiff), X4 (Cardiff – Abergavenny), 43/X43 (Brecon – Abergavenny), 83 (Monmouth –Abergavenny). Saturday Walkers’ Club: Take a train no later than 09.45.
Lunch	Picnic
Lunch (off route)	The Dragon's Head Llangenny, Crickhowell, Powys, NP8 1HD (01873 810 350). The Dragons Head is located 2.2 km downhill off the long route, after 12.9 km/8.0 mi of walking.
Tea	The Sugar Loaf Vineyard Coffee Shop and Tasting Room Pentre Lane, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 7LA (01873 853 066). Located 3.7 km from the end of the walk. Plus plenty of options along the route through Abergavenny to bus or train station. See the pdf for details.

Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog	The Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog National Park is in south Wales. It consists of bare, grassy, glacial mountains, with north facing escarpments. Its peaks, just shy of 1,000m (3,000ft), are the highest mountains in the southern UK. The national park is also noted for reservoirs, and the Dan yr Ogof caves. Its 4 mountain areas, from west to east are: The Black Mountain/Y Mynydd Du (singular!) : Fan Brycheiniog (803m) and the Dan yr Ogof caves. Fforest Fawr : Fan Gyhirych (725m), Fan Nedd (663m), Fan Fawr (734m), and the Henrhyd waterfalls (Sgwd Henrhyd) The Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog : Pen y Fan (886m), Corn Du (873m), Cribyn (795m), Fan y Big (719m), Waun Rydd (769m). South of Brecon/Aberhonddu, north of Merthyr Tydfil. The Black Mountains/Y Mynyddoedd Duon (plural!) : Waun Fach (811m), Black Mountain/Twyn Llech (704m). Abergavenny/Y Fenni to the south. Hay-on-Wye/Y Gelli Gandryll to the north. Our Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog Walks
Mountain Safety	This is a challenging but achievable walk in good weather, even for young children, but it is in remote exposed mountain areas. It is possible to twist an ankle on any walk, and it will take hours for mountain rescue to drive to the trailhead, then climb the mountain, to reach you. So: Check the weather, and start early. Take a paper OS map and compass - GPS are great... until the batteries go flat or you drop it Let someone know you're going, and take a mobile, if only to let them know you'll be late. NB: Mobiles only work at higher altitude. SMS is better in poor reception. Choose a route and pace for the least able member of your party. In hot weather, wear a hat, take and drink plenty of water. In any weather, take waterproofs, a survival bag (a big bin bag to keep the wind and rain out), some energy food (chocolate). Be careful drinking from mountain streams - consider water purification tablets (Boots sell them). Take breaks on the way down to give your knees a rest - they are absorbing all the energy you put into climbing!
Welsh Glossary	aber: estuary, confluence, river mouth; afon: river; affwys: abyss; allt: hillside, cliff; aran: high place; ban/fan/bannau (pl): peak/beacon/crest, hill/mountain; big: peak; blaen: source of river, head of valley; bod: dwelling; bre: hill; bron: hill-breast; bryn: hill; bwlch: gap/col/pass; cadair: chair; cae: field; caer/gaer: stronghold, fort; capel: chapel; carn/garn/carnedd/garnedd: cairn, heap of stones, tumulus; carreg/garreg: stone, rock; castell: castle; cefn: ridge, hillside; celli: grove/copse; cerwyn: pot-hole; cist: chest; clog/clogwyn: cliff; clun: meadow; clwyd: hurdle/gate; clydach: torrent; coch/goch: red; coed: wood; craig/graig: rock; crib/cribyn: crest, ridge, summit; crug: mound; cul: narrow; cwm: hanging valley/corrie/bowl/dale; cyfrwy: ridge between two summits (saddle); ddinas: fort; dibyn: steep slope, precipice; dim: no; din: hill-fortress; disgwylfa: place of observation, look-out point; dôl: meadow; du/ddu: black, dark; dwfr/dŵr: water; dyffryn: valley; -dyn: fortified enclosure; eglwys: church; eira: snow; eisteddfod: meeting-place, assembly; esgair: ridge; fach/bach: small; fawr/mawr: large; fechan: smaller; ffald: sheep-fold, pound, pen, run; ffordd: way, road; ffridd: pasture; ffrwd: stream, torrent; ffynnon: spring/well; gallt: wooded hill; ganol: middle; garth: promontory, hill, enclosure; glan/lan: river-bank, hillock; glas: green (when referring to grass, pasture or leaves), blue (when relating to the sea or air); glyn: deep valley, glen; gors: bog; gorsedd: tumulus, barrow, hillock; gwyddfa: mound, tumulus; gwylfa: look-out point; gwyn/gwen: white; gwynt: wind; hafn: gorge, ravine; hafod: summer dwelling; hen: old; hendre(f): winter dwelling, old home, permanent abode; heol: road; hesgyn: bog; hir: long; is: below, lower; isaf: lower/lowest; llan: church, monastery; llawr: level area, floor of valley; llech: slab, stone, rock; llther: slope; lluest: shieling, cottage, hut; llwch: lake, dust; llwybr: path; llwyd: grey, brown; llwyn: bush, grove; llyn: lake; llynwyn: pool/puddle, moat; maen: stone; maes: open field, plain; mawn: peat; mawnog: peat-bog; melyn: yellow; merthyr: burial place, church; moel/foel: bare, bald/bare hill; mynydd: mountain, moorland; nant: brook/stream, dingle/glen; neuadd: hall; newydd: new; ogof/gogof: cave; pant: hollow; parc: park, field, enclosure; pen: head, top/end, edge; penrhyn: promontory; pentre(f): homestead, village; perfedd: middle; perth: bush, brake, hedge; plas: hall, mansion; pont/bont: bridge; porth: gate/gateway, harbour/bay/landing-place/ferry; pwll: pit, pool; rhiw: hill, slope; rhos: moor, promontory; rhudd: red, crimson; rhyd: ford; sarn: causeway; sgwd/rhaeadr: waterfall; sticill: stile; sych: dry; tafarn: tavern; tâl: end, top; talar: headland (of field); tan/dan: below; tarren/darren: escarpment; tir: land, territory; tor: break, gap; tre/tref: settlement, hamlet, town; twlch: tump, knoll; twll: hole, pit; tŵr: tower; twyn: hill; tŷ: house; uchaf: upper, highest; uwch: above, over; waun/gwaun: moorland, meadow; wen/wyn: white; y, yr, ‘r: the; ynys: island, holm, river-meadow; ysgol: ladder, formation on mountain-side/school; ysgwydd: shoulder (of mountain); ystafell: chamber, hiding-place; ystrad: wide valley, holm, river-meadow.
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