Hiking the Horseshoe in the Brecon Beacons

The Horseshoe is a breathtaking walk through the Brecon Beacons National Park that takes you up over three stunning peaks and along two epic ridges — and all in around four hours or less. It starts and ends at the free Upper Neuadd car park, nestled at the foot of the stunning peaks of Corn Du and Pen y Fan.

The Horseshoe hike is undoubtedly one of the most popular in all of the Brecon Beacons National Park. And while this might lead you to believe that you won’t have the views to yourself, the thickness of the trails and the size of the peaks mean that you will never really feel overrun with people. Popularity is a sign of quality, after all — and this is one truly beautiful walk. 

The walk itself starts and ends at the foot of the valley that is cast out beneath the epic peaks of Corn Du, Pen y Fan and Cribyn. If you start early, watching the sun creep over the western ridge and illuminate these sleeping giants is quite a sight to behold — as is watching them go to bed at night. Whatever time of day you start, however, you’re going to head up the trail along the western ridge known locally as ‘the Gap’. This seemingly endless trail takes you from the valley floor to the foot of Cribyn. From there, it’s a relentless slog up one seriously steep slope to summit your first peak of the day. 

If you feel like the trail is too steep (or slippery if it’s raining), you can also take the path which skirts along the foot of the hill, avoiding Cribyn entirely. 

From there, it’s up to Pen y Fan. At this point, you walk along the ‘Saddle’, an epic trail that straddles the two peaks. If the clouds are clear, the views are amazing, casting generous sights over Brecon, the Black Mountains and Pontsticil Reservoir.

From the summit of Pen y Fan, you walk along an equally stunning ridge over to its nearby neighbour, Corn Du. From here, a whole new valley emerges out of the landscape, casting views down over Wales’ best preserved glacial lake, Llyn Cwm Llwch, and across to the eastern edges of the park. And these sights signify something else, too — that you’re done with the brutal uphill stretches for the day. Three peaks are now behind you. All that’s left is a slow and steady downhill descent along the western ridge, back to the now-dried-out Upper Neuadd Reservoir and to the car park where you started it all.