The Brecon Beacons

Our highlight was probably our climb up Table Top mountain in beautiful weather, we were lucky enough to have had magnificent views.

We really enjoyed this trip. The hikes were varied, with amazing views, adventurous explorations and we encountered, to our delight, very few people on the hikes. All three towns had a lot to offer in terms of restaurants, bakeries and groceries. The hotels were excellent. The local people, as well as the staff in the hotels, were quite friendly and extremely helpful. This was our first experience with this sort of holiday and we found it well organized, easy and a fun way to vacation.

The view from our room at Mount Street House was very picturesque. Excellent breakfasts at all venues.

Walk to Table Mountain was a particular highlight in Crickhowell.

Nice cinema at Abergavenny.

Recommend the Dragonfly Cruises boat trip along the canal from Brecon and the exhibitions at the Brecon Library and Museum. Also the Gurkha Path walk in Brecon.

Two of the three of us packed hiking poles; however, the one who didn't bought some at the local sporting goods store before the Pen-y-Fan hike and was very glad he had them! Each town had good stores for purchasing equipment.

For picnics, we found we got the best selection of meats and cheese from the local butcher shops. (And it didn't hurt that one was offering a gin tasting when we were in there!)

We had superb meals at the following: Abergavenny - The Gaff (Michelin-rated) - fun al fresco dining; Crickhowell - Vine Tree - easy walk across the river; Brecon - Gurkha Corner (open on Sunday, which was key!); Hop In Beer & Gin - great spot to celebrate the end of the walk as they offered 60 varieties of gin and had wonderful service!

We recommend the Angel Bakery in Abergavenny for buying a picnic lunch, and we had a good meal at the Dragon Inn in Crickhowell. We were lucky to have fine weather and enjoyed the combination of canal and hill walks through the picturesque landscape.

Accommodations were excellent. The carefully crafted walks were very enjoyable and Pen y Fan a delightful highlight.

We were fortunate in having great weather, so the Table Mountain ascent in Crickhowell was well worth the view. Very tempted by Pen-y-Fan on the last day, but cautious about making the descent given a muscle injury and the vertigo caution, so reluctantly passed on that, but enjoyed the lower level walk. Info about (temporary) detour to Angel hotel car park worth sharing with others travelling there by car.

If doing this walk early in the year it might be helpful to let walkers know that the fields may be VERY muddy and the numerous streams swollen. It was also noticeable that some paths were in poor condition and several stiles broken. Most of our comments are observations, and later in the season conditions and repairs may be better, please do not take them as complaints. We did in fact have a good and enjoyable holiday.

Good walking mostly along the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal with good accommodation. 

This was our first experience of a 'slow holiday' ever, but it will definitely not be our last! We greatly enjoyed the itinerary, the hotel selections, the sense of personal service, and the gracious accomodation that the organizers showed, especially as we booked the entire holiday with less than two weeks notice for InnTravel.  

Each day offered charming, varied routes and landscapes for the hikes. The notes and descriptions of the daily walks are well detailed. The approximate time needed and exact distances, provided several times throughout each walk, were especially helpful for determining our pace, and for translating what are considered 'easy' and 'moderate' hiking routes.

We really enjoyed the variety of walking as the canal sections were a bit 'samey' unless there were boats etc. to see. Booking meals in advance was essential, as recommended, the Hop Inn and Gin and the Three Horseshoes in Brecon were both excellent, as was The Vine in Crickhowell.

Our walking holiday was wonderful!  The towns, hotels, and suggested walks were all very enjoyable. The key to the walks proved to be the detailed written instructions provided by Inntravel.  We had only one problem with directions across several farmer's fields. We suggest travellers make sure they understand the instructions well before setting out on a given walk. All staff at Inntravel were very helpful and accommodating, as were the hotel staff. All in all, this tour was well worth the expense and we may choose another tour with Inntravel in the future. Highly recommended.

This was our first holiday of this sort and I was surprised at how easy it was to book. I was a bit worried about my ability to walk these distances every day as I'm not an experienced hiker so feeling very pleased that I did it and enjoyed it! 

Wonderful walking holiday, varied terrain from flat routes along by the canal to the more challenging Pen y fan. Lovely choice of accommodation with welcoming and friendly hosts. Would strongly recommend this holiday to anyone with a love of the great outdoors and an appreciation of the countryside.

It would have been useful to have had information about opening hours of pubs etc mentioned in notes as many places do not open at the beginning of the week e.g. day 4 White Hart Inn closed Mon-Wed, Star Inn doesn't open until 4pm Mon-Fri. Overall a very enjoyable, well organised trip. Would echo previous comments about finding places to eat. We particularly enjoyed the Hop In in Brecon but recommend booking.

This is a delightful walk through farming areas of Wales and the beautiful Brecon canal. Everything went smoothly, the accommodation was excellent and the towns visited were all slightly different and a pleasure to visit.

Our favourite walk was the Table Mountain walk from Crickhowell. Glorious scenery and 360 degree views from the top. Simply stunning! We would reccommend the Gaff restaurant in Abergavenny and the Hop in Beer and Gin in Brecon but it's essential to book in advance as they are both very popular!

We thoroughly enjoyed the Brecon Beacons holiday, our first walking holiday since 2019. We didn't know this area of Wales at all but we have discovered how beautiful it is and have understood some of the area's history aswell. The walks were varied and interesting with great views and peaceful interludes along the canal. The flowers in the meadows and hedgerows were lovely and there were lots of animals to see and the birds were singing all the time, or so it seemed. The weather was mostly fine, we didn't need our wet weather over trousers but did need our coats when it rained a bit. We needed our sun hats when the spring sun shone. We received lovely welcomes at all the hotels/guest houses and we were very comfortable. Everyone was cheerful and helpful. We came home feeling relaxed and recharged.

This is a genuine grade 2 walk and the Blorenge walk on the first day is quite a test. Although a couple of the days are quite long, much of the walking is on a well-made canal towpath with a lot of historical interest and, in many places, excellent views. Accommodation was good and meals at both hotels were excellent (the picnic sandwich from the Angel was amazing!). However, eating out was a bit tricky if you don't book (even early in the season). Brecon was disappointing for restaurants but the Brecon Tap was friendly and served a good pie! If you need a picnic in Crickhowell the Maiflower Bakery opposite the Bear was really very good.

A very well thought out and planned walking holiday with a variety of accommodation.  We loved it and had fantastic weather - not a drop of rain. We did Blorenge at Abergavenny, Table Mountain At Crickhowell (possibly our favourite) and which made up our minds not to do Pen y Fan so we could do the other walk on the last day and visit the waterfalls which were delightful. For eating outside of included dinners we would recommend The Hop In Gin and Beer in Brecon.  Small plates, homemade British cooking and quirky venue.  Also had excellent lunch at The Royal Oak, Pencelli in their canalside garden on the walk from Crickhowell to Brecon.  The breakfasts at The Coach House were brilliant with a huge choice. A mention for Crickhowell Taxis - that all worked superbly and we booked them to transfer us back from Brecon to collect our car at Abergavenny which was well worth it.  

This was another wonderful Inntravel trip. The hiking was great--very varied and interesting and generally not difficult for us, though most days, we walked more distance than the route suggested. We loved the people, the food, the lack of crowds, the perfect weather which we were so lucky to have. Our train travel was totally smooth, no problems at all. We can't wait to do another trip with you; it will be our 5th one, and they have all been great. You make the traveling very easy without leading us around in a group, which we don't enjoy. Inntravel has been a perfect fit for us.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our The Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia: from Sea to Summit walking holidays

We thoroughly enjoyed our Welsh holiday with its combination of attractive countryside, fascinating industrial heritage and interesting small towns. It's hard to believe that the comfortable Bear hotel is almost 600 years old, but the history of the area made this walking trip memorable. Highlights included April wild flowers, ancient rocky paths lined with knarled old trees and the Coach House breakfasts.

Another excellent Inntravel holiday. We were pleased we had booked an extra night in Abergavenny as it enabled us to do both walks and explore Abergavenny which had amazing features. Don't miss the tapestry in the Tithe Barn, especially if you can get someone to provide the history of its making. Also the Jesse effigy in St Mary's Priory (again, a fascinating explanation freely provided by a local guide). For eating out we fully recommend The Gaff (restaurant not cafe); stunning food. The walks were a good mixture of peaceful canal and fields and more challenging hills. Great industrial history was evident everywhere. We did not climb Pen-y-Fan as it was raining but the alternative walk was one of the best and the sun was shining by the time we ate lunch at the "secret waterfall" in perfect isolation and tranquillity. Note that when we visited both the White Hart Inn and the Star Inn mentioned in Day 4's walk were closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

It was a great 5 days of walking with a good mix of hill walks and canal walking. We especially enjoyed the hike up Corn Du and Pen y Fan from the Storey Arms, even though visibility was limited. 

We were blessed with dry weather for this holiday.  Each day's walk had plenty of variety with easy canal-side walking and some elevated stretches to achieve fine views of the surrounding coutryside.  The highlight of the trip was Pen y Fan where the views over the the neighbouring mountains and valleys were stunning.  The descent on a long ridge towards Brecon was particulalry rewarding.  Tips: wise to book restaurants in advance particularly at weekends and check on closing days.

Very good UK walk. Fabulous weather for second week of October in beautiful part of UK. Well done Inntravel on providing more UK based options. 

The Table Mountain walk was superb and gorgeous.  And both the Angel and The Bear were excellent places to stay, as regards both accommodation and food and service

A lovely holiday, even in the most persistent rain, including outstanding hotels and memorably good food. The canal walking is hypnotically beautiful, the countryside around is gorgeous, and the Beacons are a splendid, majestic contrast. The opportunity to eat at the Walnut Tree is not to be missed. 

We not familiar with South Wales and found this holiday provided us with truly enjoyable experience that helped us appreciate how beautiful this part of the country is. At each of the locations where we stayed the staff were unfailingly friendly and helpful and really added to our enjoyment. We would thoroughly recommend this tour.

Definite highlight was the tranquility of the canal sections. Also The Bear was outstanding as a stopover hotel.

Great views and nice mix of canal and hill walking.

The whole walk was very enjoyable but the highlight was probably ascending Pen y Fan in clear dry sunny weather then on the descent having a very close view of a red kite.

Expertly put together, we were impressed at the comprehensive planning and organisation of the trip that ran like clockwork whilst away. The accommodation and transfers were all at a very high standard in every respect. We only did some of the sugegsted walks, chosing to walk our own routes mostly, but those offered were well thought out and were supported by the OS maps and excellent route notes provided  

Generally good. Worth highlightling also the Herbert Chapel in St Mary's Abergavenny which has one of the largest number of medieval effigies in the UK (Thats why it called the Westmisnster Abbey of Wales)

A lovely holiday in the Brecon Beacons.  We booked it because its an area that we had never tried before and were not disappointed.  There is a good mixture of walks along canals and up hills and we thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.  The hotels were good and all three locations deserve further exploration so we shall definitely return.

Another enjoyable holiday with Inntravel.  As always all the arrangements worked well.  We were glad we followed Inntravel's advice and booked our evening meals in advance - restaurants were busy and some were closed on Sundays and Mondays.

We were blessed with glorious weather which really helped but the hotels were good, scenery lovely and walking just about right. A very enjoyable break. 

The holiday was superb. Not having done an Inntravel holiday before we weren't quite sure what to expect. We loved the combination of having two nights in each place, walking every day, and having our luggage transferred! The organisation was excellent and we felt very confident with all the arrangements. We will definitely book another holiday with Inntravel. 

A most enjoyable walking holiday in a lovely part of the world. Lovely soothing stretches along the quiet towpaths, and then venturing up into the neighbouring hills each day. A perfect balance. We had great weather the whole week with only Pen y Fan being completely misted out such that we could hardly see a path and, as a result, took the wrong trail down from the wrong place! Nonetheless, once we descended from the clouds the walk and views were still wonderful. Note: don't follow the crowd as we did, but read and reread the notes again (map was no use as we couldn't see in front of us to locate anything!).

Each of the hotels were superb, as were the very generous breakfasts and included meals.  Extremely friendly, helpful hoteliers and lovely rooms.

Tip: Given the times we are in at the moment (and that it was the last week of school holidays), we booked restaurants for each night. In our view, the best were at the Hotels themselves (with the exception of Brecon where the accommodation is B&B only), and so we ate at both 2 nights running at the first 2 hotels. We booked Gurka Corner in Brecon a good few weeks ahead, but on the night were "bumped" and so ate at Zeera, an Indian in town, with which we were very happy.

There is a bakery in Brecon where we bought our picnic lunch for the last day. They have pre-made sandwiches, quiches, pasties etc, and will make up sandwiches to order. It is the same in Crickhowell. 

Most excellent walking country. The canalside transfer walks were particularly delightful with a lush abundance of greenery, flowers and wildlife coupled with the remains of the industrial heritage of the area. All of the towns were well worth exploring in their own right. 

Tips: We were unble to visit the Regimental Museum of the Royal Welsh as our day in Brecon was a Sunday when it is closed. Apart from the Wetherspoons pub it seemed that all restaurants in Brecon were fully booked on Saturday night. It may be advisable to book in advance.