Black Mountains

Some people think of the Black Mountains as a separate area from the Brecon Beacons, and in a way it is, physically separated as it is from the rest of the Brecon Beacons by the River Wye. But it's composed of the same geology as the rest of the park, so in spite of certain differences, it still feels like part of the Beacons.

Possibly the second most popular area, due to its close proximity to England, the character of the Black Mountains is slightly different to the rest of the park. Most notable is that there are no steep escarpments here, nor are there any spectacular waterfalls or caves.

Instead, the Black Mountains features four long connected ridges, all of similar height and roughly in the shape of the fingers of a hand. These ridges are fairly level and for the most part they stay above 600m. This makes it possible to plan long high level walks around the area. Although the sides of these ridges can be steep, the walking is generally very easy once you're up on top of them.

There's also a selection of disconnected hills in the area, which make good short walks.