Top Ten Access Areas in Wales

1) The Cnewr Estate, about 7 miles south of Sennybridge, Brecon Beacons (Explorer OL 12)

Containing some of the most dramatic scenery in the Brecon Beacons, the Cnewr Estate has only had access through three permissive paths for the last 20 years. Now walkers will be able to wander at will over the mountains contained in this beautiful area and appreciate the wild moorland of the old Fforest Fawr at first hand. The site also allows walkers to explore the upper reaches of the Nedd Fechan River, scale spectacular vantage points like Fan Ffraith and trace the course of a long abandoned tramway.

2) Bwrdd Arthur, near Llanddona, 3 miles north of Beaumaris, Anglesey (Explorer 263)

Bwrdd Arthur is a limestone plateau of some 17 acres situated at the eastern end of Red Wharf Bay, near Llanddona, and the site of an Iron Age hill fort. The fort is encircled by an eight-foot thick limestone wall and has been the site of important finds of third and fourth century pottery and Roman coins. Rising to 164 metres above sea level, Bwrdd Arthur provides wonderful panoramic views over Anglesey and to the mainland. On a clear day the mountains of the Lake District and the Isle of Man are visible to the north. Tranquillity is maintained as there is no parking and visitors must arrive on foot.

3) Twmbarlwm, Cwmcarn, near Cross Keys (Explorer 152). Grid reference ST 242 926

Twmbarlwm, on the eastern edge of Caerphilly county borough, contains part of the scheduled ancient monument known as the Mound and Bailey castle. Evidence exists for a Bronze Age cairn and an Iron Age rampart and ditch on the site, features which were then probably incorporated into the motte and bailey castle during the medieval period. The site is also a major local vantage point, offering wonderful views across the rolling landscape of south east Wales and the Bristol Channel. Twmbarlam is also within easy reach of the popular Cwmcarn Forest Drive, which provides beautiful woodland trails and a modern Visitor Centre. (There are three public access points.)

4) Craig Ogwr and the Bwlch, the watershed between the Ogmore and Rhondda Valleys, north of Bridgend (Explore 151)

These deep, steep-sided valleys, once at the heart of south Wales’ heavy industry, are full of exciting new opportunities for the walker. The access land here is on the high ground along the valley ridges and offers wonderful views of both dramatic landscape features like Pen-Pych and the Bwlch and vibrant valley communities full of intricate architectural interest like terraced coal miners’ cottages, chapels and working men’s clubs. The Rhondda valley has regular train services from Cardiff and the area can also be reached up and over the dramatic alpine switchbacks on the A4061 from Bridgend.

5). Yr Aran, Snowdonia (OS Explorer OL17). A fresh perspective on the top of Wales.

Offering wonderful views of Snowdon, at 1085m the highest mountain in Wales, Yr Aran is a dramatic peak on an ancient track way leading up and onto the main summit ridge. Along with the neighbouring peak of Craig Wen it offers a stunning vantage point overlooking the glorious Gwynant Valley and vistas stretching as far as the picturesquely timeless village of Beddgelert several miles to the south. Suggested routes generally follow the line of the famous Watkin Path, leading walkers to a magnificent waterfall through stunning open mountain scenery. A circular walk is available, with the return either along the well-known Fisherman’s Path or by the Sherpa bus service.

This beautiful upland plateau full of deeply incised green valleys was once at the heart of a thriving local gold-mining industry. Roman sluices used in the trade are still visible and several modern tracks follow courses laid out to accommodate the miners cross-country work routes, marked by impressive standing stones. The well-known Crugiau Merched (Lady’s cairn) guards the plateau’s northern edge. In the south, a bold almost alpine ridge between two streams makes a dramatic vantage point and an exhilarating walking route, particularly in winter. A bog occupies much of the central plateau, adding to this attractive area’s appeal as a haven for wildlife.

Including wild open moorland, the picturesque Dee valley and powerful mountain scenery, the Berwyn range has a wealth of different terrain to offer the adventurous walker. Many summits, such as Moel Fferna in the north of the range, give excellent views over the whole of Denbighshire, stretching as far as the coast and the bustling seaside towns of Prestatyn and Rhyl. The area is easily accessible by car, with parking available at Glyndyfrdwy and Llandrillo, and by bus through the efficient Barmouth to Wrexham service (number 94).

8). The Clwydian Hills area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB) OS Explorer 265

These open hills, though not the highest in north Wales, offer wonderful panoramic views and form a dramatic ridge of undulating moorland separating the Vale of Clwyd from the Dee Estuary. With Snowdonia to the west, Liverpool to the north and the Cheshire Plain to the east and south all visible on a clear day, it’s a great place to stop and catch your bearings. The hills also contain a great mix of spectacular landscape features like the Eglwyseg escarpment and gentler, rolling countryside like Glyn Ceiriog. The world famous Offa's Dyke National Trail runs through the range before reaching the Irish Sea (and it’s end!) at Prestatyn.

These wonderful hills at the western edge of Wales, though registered common land and, as such, long familiar to walkers, now have new and consolidated access rights. Offering spectacular views over Britain’s only coastal national park from noted vantage points like the 536m Foel Cwmcerwyn, these areas form part of a wonderful patchwork of cliffs, sandy beaches, estuaries and woodlands that combine to make Pembrokeshire havens both for scores of rare animal and plant species and the numerous human visitors they attract. Ramsey Island in particular is a noted RSPB reserve, full of deep sea caves, gorges and spectacular cliffs and surrounded by waters teeming with whales, dolphins and seals.

The Pumlumon massif boasts large swathes of open, reservoir-studded upland and the highest points in the Cambrian mountain range that sweeps through the heart of Wales, linking north to south. Its wonderful central location affords spectacular views in all directions, from the broad arc of Cardigan Bay to the west to the Brecon Beacons in the south, stretching even to the powerful summits of Cader Idris and the Carneddau in the north. This is a wild and dramatically empty landscape, full of lonely peaks and undiscovered valleys. The area is also full of historical interest, its numerous cairns and standing stones testament to an earlier period of human activity now long dissolved into this dramatically beautiful landscape.

Image courtesy of Wales Tourist Board