Brecon Beacons Mountain Marathon (walking) Route Details

Fabulous route across the Black Mountain [Carmarthen Fan] and the Brecon Beacons, taking in the major tops of the Beacons.

We missed out the summit of the Carmarthen Fan, keeping to the south, following the Limestone crags above Dan yr Ogof.

The hilight for me was the Limestone pavement at Carreg Yr Ogof, close to the start. Usually this has fantastic views to Carreg Cennen Castle and beyond. The sense of wilderness is second to none in Wales, except perhaps for areas of the southern Snowdonia National Park.

The walk between Glyntawe and Storey Arms was wonderful, taking in a huge expanse of high moorland that most visitors ignore in favour of the Beacons.

The walk was undertaken in July 2007 by a team of 4 as a fund raiser for the Iona Turner trust fund of which I am a trustee - www.ionaturner.co.uk

We raised about £3,000 for Iona, who has severe Cerebral Palsy. This money was used to fund a 2 week trip to a specialist Bobath physiotherapy centre.

Wine and beers the evening before coupled with no sleep did not mix well with a 3am start and dense hill fog over the Carmarthen Fan. In an attempt to save weight we decided not to bother with a GPS and lost an hour and a half re-tracing our steps lost on the moors.

Having spent the better part of my youth on these hills, I should have known better!

As the fog lifted late morning, we enjoyed a wonderful sunny day - great conditions for the walk.

I've rated this level 4 difficulty but only because of the distance involved in a mountainous environment.