Attractions in the locality
Situated at the very heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park the area is an ideal base for hill walking and exploring the beautiful Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons. It is also conveniently located for countless other attractions close to the National Park.
Good food and a welcoming atmosphere will be found at the Black Mountain Café in Cwmdu village (Open early for breakfast) or the Farmers Arms public house - both an easy strole - just 300m distant.
Mountain bikes may be hired from the village garage just 300m walk from the site.
Tretower Court and Castle
Tretower Court and Castle - the finest Medieval mansion in Wales is well worth a visit and complimented by the spectacular Norman Castle.
20 minutes walk from the campsite on a green lane or one mile by road
Crickhowell
Crickhowell, 4 miles away, has an excellent tourist information centre. This is the perfect place to research the area more fully and plan what to do and when. Here you can buy locally grown and organic foods of the highest quality, brouse through stores with the friendliest of staff and strole the relaxing Bullpit meadows by the calming waters of the River Usk. "Crick" is a lovely place where you'll find just about anything you may need. 5 minutes drive.
The nearest supermarket is Abergavenny some 11 miles distant.
Brecon
The historic market towns of Abergavenny and Brecon lie within 15 - 20 minutes drive and provide many points of interest.
Brecknock (town) Museum in Brecon. It has had it's share of happiness, sadness, characters and folklore, and the museum presents these well.
The Military Museum at Brecon is the home of the South Wales' Borderers 24th Regiment. This is something different to the norm. Find out all about the Boer War and the great battles of Rorke's Drift and Islandwana; this was the regiment that featured in that famous Michael Caine film "Zulu", at least one film location being just a half hour drive from Brecon at the head of the Swansea Valley.
Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon, location alongside the head of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal in the heart of the Brecon Beacons gives the theatre a superb setting, unique amongst arts organisations in Wales
Brecon Cathedral and heritage centre
Cantref Adventure Farm, near Brecon, is ideal for the children with a great mix of indoor play equipment, animal barn and outdoor farm walk with various shows during the summer. Tel: 01874 665223.
www.cantref.com
Llangorse
Llangorse Lake - fishing, bird watching and boat hire - 15 minutes drive
Llangorse Climbing Centre - an indoor climbing venue where you can try the nerve and agility of all the family.
Pony Trekking: Llangorse (see Activities page)
National Park Visitor Centre
'The Mountain Centre' is the start point for any number of walks of various lengths, with space for family games and a restaurant to satisfy the appetite afterwards. The Brecon Beacons are the centre piece of the national park and include the highest peaks in South Wales, indeed the whole of southern Britain. On a clear day you can see the Bristol Channel and north Devon.
Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
One of the most beautiful cruising waterways in Britain. Hire a canal boat for an unforgettable day out!
Canal Barge trips You can board a barge for a trip along the beautiful Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal next to the Theatre in Brecon. You can strole for miles on well-maintained tow paths and cycle here too safe and peacefully removed from the bustle of normal road traffic.
Big Pit Mining Museum & Blaenavon World Heritage Site
Big Pit Mining Museum, Blaenavon. Definitely a site not to miss.
Here you can go deep under ground and experience at first hand what life was like for the coal miner and the pit ponies. You will be taken down a 90 metre shaft in a miners cage and guided around the underground workings by an ex-collier. Their commentary and stories are riveting and funny… and its all free! Get there early to avoid a queue Tel: 01495 790311
Blaenavon lies at the edge of the "South Wales Coalfield". The working mines have long since disappeared but Blaenavon and the surrounding district has capitalised on the heritage... Visit "Stack Square" and get the feel of how people lived hereabouts 200 years ago when this was a hive of dramatic industrial activity.
Visit Pwll Du & the Keepers Pond and see the very places where iron was dug from the earth, where limestone was quarried, where a network of tramroads meandered around the hillsides and eventually connected with canal far below ...its all there to be seen ...take a walk in some of the most spectacular scenery you'll ever visit.
25 minutes drive
Other attractions within easy reach include -
Brecon Mountain Railway, three miles north of Merthyr Tydfil. Travel in all-weather observation coaches behind a vintage steam locomotive past Taf Fechan Reservoir in the headwaters of the Taff valley. See the very heart of the National Park in comfort on one of the most popular railways in Wales. The 7 mile round trip takes in some of the most beautiful scenery in the National Park.
01685 7222988
www.breconmountainrailway.co.uk
Less than 30 minute drive through fantastic scenery where you can take some lovely deviations and walks.
Llanthony Abbey, in the heart of the Black Mountains.
A wonderful afternoon's drive via Abergavenny, up the Grwynne Valley? and on over the Gospel Pass to Hay on Wye.
This is the area featured in Bruce Chatwin's famous novel and film "On the Black Hill"
Raglan Castle. Built close to the England - Wales border it saw fierce combat and bloodshed. It is undoubtedly the finest medieval fortress in Britain and is well worth a visit. Tel: 01291 690228
Less than half an hours drive
Caerleon Roman Fortress, near Newport. NP18 1AE
Tel. 01633 422518
This historic site - or Isca as it was known in Roman times was one of only three permanent fortresses in Roman Britain. It has remains of an amphitheatre, which had a capacity of 6000 and is said to be Britain's most revealing Roman site. The barrack blocks accommodating 5,500 soldiers are the only ones of their kind in Europe. Close by is the Caerwent Roman Town - Tel. 01443 336000 - also managed by Cadw (The Welsh Assembly Government's historic environment service). Less than half an hour's drive.
Porth yr Ogof Caves and the waterfalls at Ystradfellte. There are several waterfalls to be seen after a 15 - 20 minute walk from the caves. The most spectacular is Scwd yr Eira, where you can walk behind the waterfall itself; a very dramatic setting with the River Hepste thundering over your head into a deep plunge pool. Sturdy footwear is advisable as the path can be uneven and slippery.
Less than 40 min drive
Dan-yr-Ogof - The National Showcaves of Wales. Truly spectacular; visit three separate cave systems, an iron age farm, dinosaur park, shire horse centre, dry ski slope and much more.
Tel: 01639 730284 and a host of other attractions… the kids will love the dinosaurs. A 40 minute drive
The quaint little town of Hay on Wye - the largest collection of second hand book shops in the World. 35 minute drive. Well worth a visit.
Further Afield
The mysterious and isolated Carmarthen Fans are within 45 minutes drive. Everything about this area feels remote.
The Elan Valley Reservoirs, near Rhayadr, provide a truly spectacular day out, lie just over an hour's drive to the north. The sheer number and extent of the reservoirs is amazing. Well worth a visit.
www.rhayader.co.uk
www.cpat.org.uk
The Red Kite was once faced with extinction. Today you can visit the Feeding Station at the outskirts of Rhayadr town which will provide an incredible, spectacular and leisurely afternoon finale …but check on the feeding time so as not to be disappointed. The dramatic daily sight of flocks in excess of 40 of these fantastic birds diving to the ground for food is an experience which should not be missed.
Tel: 01597 810243
www.gigrin.co.uk
St. Fagan's Welsh Folk Museum, Cardiff
This has to be one of the man made wonders of the world. There are houses of all types, a chapel, church, farmstead, school and many more buildings at St. Fagan's All have been carefully taken down from their original sites, each stone being numbered, and then painstakingly moved to St. Fagan's and rebuilt right down to the last detail. Tel : 02920 569441
One hour's drive
Carreg Cennen Castle serves as one of the principle landmarks in the west of the National Park visible from the surrounding countryside and in particular from the Black Mountain ridges. - Outstanding views one and a quarter hours drive
Beautiful 'Blue Flag' beaches will be located on the Gower Peninsular near Swansea - just over an hour's drive to the south west. Several beautiful beaches are within easy reach for day trips from the site, including Oxwich Bay which has been named the most beautiful beach in the UK.
Dolau Cothi Goldmines. These unique gold mines, dating back to the Romans, are the only show mines of their type in the UK. Take an underground tour. Children can also try their luck gold panning. Less than one and a half hour drive
Aberglasney Spectacularly set in the beautiful Tywi valley of Carmarthenshire, Aberglasney Gardens have been an inspiration to poets since 1477. The story of Aberglasney spans many centuries, but, the house's origins are still shrouded in obscurity. En-route the National Botanic Gardens of Wales.
National Botanic Gardens of Wales A must for lovers of all things flora and fauna. Set in Llanarthne in Carmarthenshire this wonderful attraction rivals Cornwall's Eden Project. A one and a half hour drive
