Brecon Beacons National Park 
If you enjoy exploring and discovering new glowing gems hidden in the most unexpected places in the great outdoors, Brecon Beacons National Park would make the perfect playground. Here, you can really get active, put yourself on overdrive. It's not a fenced-off area with barbed wire everywhere, but a living and working massive parkland that'll inspire the inner adventurer in you.
Covering 520 square miles in South Wales, Brecon Beacons National Park is packed from rocky remnants of long-dead volcanoes, heather-covered escarpments, old Red Sandstone peaks, grassy moorlands, mountain plateaus, formidable and challenging mountains to conquer like Pen y Fan, Black Mountain, and Craig Cerrig-gleisiad, huge network of diverse cycling trails, mysterious caves and caverns, tranquil lakes for fishing, raging rivers for rafting and canoeing, ancient castles such as Grosmont, Raglan Castle, and Llanthony Priory to 20 waterfalls constantly gushing and splashing.
When you step into Brecon Beacons National Park, you'll find countless trails and paths for joggers, walkers, mountain cyclists, wildlife-watchers, and horse riders. Also, there's a fabulous selection of well-organized activities available, ranging from photography, rafting to paragliding.
Have that ceaseless itch to attempt something new and exciting? The Brecon Beacons National Park promises to deliver complete satisfaction.
If you are not sure what activity you want to try yet, review our list of top 15 things to do in Brecon Beacons National Park.
Top 15 Things to Do in Brecon Beacons National Park
1) Horse-Back Adventures
The park is the ideal spot for all horse lovers. They have more than 600 miles of both bridle tracks and paths. Their incredible scenery together with a broad diversity of wildlife help provide some of Europe's best riding. Though near superb rail and road transport, it's far enough from urban life's hustle and bustle. The only delays around this neck of the woods are for relaxed pub lunches as your horse grazes close by.
They got 1000s of acres comprising fields, moors, and hills which can be crossed via old lanes and tracks. You could literally ride the whole day, and even share breathtaking views with the soaring eagles.
Their trekking and riding centers are working actively to provide the very best short rides, pony trekking, ordinary trekking and riding.
2) Fish to Your Heart's Content
Now, Brecon Beacons is making available remarkable game as well as course fishing all over its several lovely rivers, canals, lakes, and reservoirs. Record-smashing grayling on the Wye, the best brown trout fishing in England on the Usk, and a pinch of well-stocked lakes and reservoirs make fishing an exceedingly popular outdoor activity in this park.
The park now offers superb game fishing or course fishing in reservoirs, lakes, and rivers. Also, they provide a fine range of country hotels which even go so far to give a unique welcoming experience to all outdoor guests.
But bear in mind that you'll need a Rod License to fish with a rod and line in Wales.
3) Hop on a Bike & Explore the National Park's Beauties
Imagine, now you can race hill-filled tracks passing woodland and moorlands, rivers and lakes, all without having to worry about crammed automobiles constantly honking behind you. Indeed, the park has it all, from gentle and easy off-road paths to rapid, exhilarating and even scary descents.
The park's bike guides could arrange from a day's bicycle hire option all the way to a full package deal that includes equipment, lodging, routes, and guides.
4) It's a Bird, it's a Kite...No, it's a Paraglider!
If you enjoy gliding through the sky but have trouble finding the right places to do so without worrying about getting entangled in telephone cords, Brecon Beacons is your solution.
For experienced, licensed gliders to anyone wanting to raise his heartbeat, the park is a must for soaring above beautiful verdant rolling valleys. The park has five regional clubs which invite newcomers and seasoned gliders.
Their many grasslands serve as fine launching and landing spots for hang gliders and paragliders. For example, some pilots make regular cross-country flights outstripping 300 miles and flying up to four miles high.
Or you can always enroll in their schools to receive complete training, which are very good places for observing from the safe distance.
5) Gaze into the Dark Sky
The park happens to be the first Dark Sky Reserve in Wales, and the whole park is devoted to both in reducing energy wastage and nocturnal preservation.
In fact, the National Park Visitor Centre, Usk Reservoir, and Hay Bluff offer the top-rated stargazing sites. The park in addition has 10 great locations marked for further stargazing.
6) Are You a Water Addict?
The park is a paradise for all water sport fanatics. The park now offers an excellent range of choices for paddle sports, all from the calmness of reservoirs and canals to hardcore kayaking over thrilling waterfalls!
You could go paddleboarding, canoeing, White-Water rafting, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing to plain boating. How? Just choose what you want and go rowing immediately. But if you prefer only a smooth and gentle cruise through the canal in a canoe, you'll find both daily trips and self-drive boat options available, too.
The navigation range is divided up into six grades, from Grade 1 to Grade 6, which could be located within most towns.
7) Cave Exploring, Anyone?
Brecon Beacons offers Britain's most fascinating and diverse types of caves, including four of the five limestone cave systems.
You can now explore amazing caves that extend seemingly forever, but with professional guides and instructors. For example, Dan yr Ogof Showcaves provides an excellent opportunity to venture out into caves and behold their natural rock formations. Also, they offer what's called Big Pit, situated by the park boundary to the South. The central attraction is hidden underground, but do not overlook the galleries positioned on the hill--well worth the visit.
Enter the 3 most popular caves which include the Dan yr Ogof Cave, Cathedral Cave, and the creepy Bone Cave. Plus, you could stop by the dinosaur park where you'll find more than 200 full-scale dinosaur models. (Nearby there's a shire horse farm and center where you could admire the magnificent horses, shetland ponies, chipmunks, and alpacas, and kids of all ages will love meeting all these animals.)
The park is currently giving the public three caving options: Tasters, intended for beginners, but you'll have to book either half or a full day and, exploring sites which are approved for novices, you'll learn both vertical and horizontal caving skills. Improvers, for those now hooked on caving. If you desire something a little more challenging, this is for you, and you'll need to be with a qualified cave instructor the whole time.
8) Is Hiking Your Cup of Tea?
The park has more than 1,200 miles of beautiful landscape, providing hikers endless opportunities to travel deep into its high country that was carved by ice long, long ago. Or go exploring through wooded gorges where even today rivers are shaping limestone rocks while tumbling down stunning waterfalls.
Also, the park is home to forests, lakes, gorgeous spots, hidden places, and trails to suit everyone, whether you're a serious outdoor enthusiast, or a father taking the whole family out for a Sunday noon stroll in the park to teach the little ones about nature.
When here, you won't be able to resist all the Brecon Beacons walking & hiking opportunities.
9) Want to Sharpen Your Wilderness Skills?
The park now invites the more advanced to test their skills and push themselves to the limits by improving their wilderness and survival skills.
The park provides many ways to prepare oneself to be able to survive in almost any environment. The park is the perfect setting for honing your survival skills. The park itself is full of vegetation, woodland, and wildlife. In fact, it's where elite SAS army come to learn about survival, plus the forests, mountainsides, rivers, and hedgerow are packed with wild foods which are in fact edible.
You can book for a bushcraft guide for only one day.
10) Who Wants to Rock Climb or Abseil?
The park is a little paradise for all rock climbers, who can reach new heights scaling up high cliffs. The park offers a wide selection of challenging levels for climbers and abseilers, including old quarries, sheltered crags, and rocky escarpments with fantastic sights.
11) Retreat in the Great Outdoors
Enjoy the great outdoors by going on a retreat in the world's best national park.
Imagine, waking up in the morning and experiencing nature everywhere you lay your eyes on. Well, now you can either enjoy Brecon Beacons wild camping or stay in a cottage for a few days near a river so you can canoe or raft after finishing breakfast.
Here are a few Brecon Beacons cottages:
- Plough Cottage, on Wye, which permits up to six people and two dogs.
- Buzzard Lodge, on Usk, allows up to six people and one dog.
- Readers Retreat, on Wye, sleeps 2 people.
12) Visit the Owl Sanctuary
As a family-friendly attraction, it's the ideal place to admire large-sized birds up close, for free, but they accept donations. The Owl Sanctuary at Festival Park work at rehabilitating and caring for wounded and abandoned wild owls, falcons, and hawks, and frequently visit local events and schools to educate about their animals.
From little owls, parrots, eagles to vultures, there is an entire host of beautiful birds to see in person. After touring the site, you could visit the nearby town of Ebbw Vale to enjoy lunch.
13) Go Back in Time!
Believe it or not, people have been residing in the area that's today Brecon Beacons for nearly 5,000 years. You could actually find hard proof of the distant past, which include items such as Roman ruins, Iron Age hillforts, Bronze Age burial caims, standing stones, and much more. In fact, there are 351 ancient monuments within this national park. It's a treasure chest bursting with priceless gems.
You can begin by visiting Y Garn Goch, which is really two hillforts, the smaller being called Y Gaer Fach, and the larger Y Gaer Fawr, and each standing on a different summit but on the same ridge. Combined, they make up the biggest hillfort located in South Wales, and you could yet observe the actual stones that created the walls. It's believed that these hillforts go as far back as the Iron Age, but now new research says they might be Neolithic and played a religious role.
14) Visit Carreg Cennen Castle
Situated far up on top of a hill, the spectacular ruins of what remain of this castle could yet be spotted from a good distance. It's about a 15-minute stroll from the parking lot to the castle. You can also enjoy the views of the countryside as you make your way to the ruins.
The site used to be home to an Iron Age hillfort, and Lord Rhys erected the masonry castle in the 12th century. But throughout the 13th century, this castle saw many owners. However, it was under English rule in 1283. Next, Edward l gave the castle to John Giffard, who perhaps was the person responsible for choosing not to restore it.
Also, take the 3.5-mile scenic circular pathway near the castle as a bonus.
15) Visit Raglan Castle
There's the belief held that this old building is today the finest castle ever erected by the Welsh. Indeed, it possesses a unique design with its great tower being surrounded by a moat and the remainder of the castle standing on the opposite side.
This castle also has a distinctive history. The powerful Herbert and Somerset families owned it once and it was Henry Vll's childhood home. Although Charles l lived in the castle during the English Civil War, Parliamentary forces took it in 1646 before destroying it. Since the Somerset family did not restore the castle, it remained in ruins to this very day.
When you come here, explore the ruins and move around the moat. The views from the towers are breathtaking.
All visitors must book in advance.
