Hiking Highlight
Recommended by 29 hikers
This Highlight is in a protected area
Please check local regulations for: Bannau Brycheiniog National Park
Hikes up Fan Hir don’t take you to a peak so much as an utterly fantastic ridgeline. Abundantly grassy like much of the Brecon Beacons, this is a subsidiary summit of Fan Brycheiniog and rises to 2,490 feet (760 m) at its highest point. Hiking trails along Fan Hir are beloved for the mountain’s dramatic eastern escarpment, dropping suddenly to the slope below.
As the ridge continues to several other peaks, you can easily hike a circuit, taking in every inch of the far-reaching scenery. Open access land with many trails criss-crossing it, you can begin your hike from plenty of places; the shortest route involves parking on the minor road due east of Llyn y Fan Fawr. Otherwise, you can easily start south, in Glyntawe.
As you hike up to the summit, look east to see the undulating, rolling mountains of Fforest Fawr. On your way up or down, you can visit the stone circle and standing stone of Maen Mawr. Nearby is a waterfall on Nant y Llyn.
Location: Llywel, South Wales, Wales, United Kingdom
4.9
(21)
249
04:38
14.1km
630m
4.8
(12)
113
05:50
18.4km
720m
4.8
(26)
346
07:25
22.7km
1,040m
Fan Hir means long summit in English, which is an apt description for this rather indistinct, long-drawn-out ridge summit that is part of a broader escarpment feature that circumnavigates Llyn y Fan Fawr and Llyn y Fan Fach. It forms the eastern ramparts of the Black Mountain, and its east face is extremely steep. The ridgeline it forms part of makes a great walk all the way back down south to Tafarn y Garreg.
November 7, 2020
In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!
Location: Llywel, South Wales, Wales, United Kingdom
4.9
(21)
249
04:38
14.1km
630m
4.8
(12)
113
05:50
18.4km
720m
4.8
(26)
346
07:25
22.7km
1,040m