Pen y Fan Reviews Summary

Accessibility

Pros:

• "Great public transport links make the extraordinary views from the top accessible to the many."
• "Easy and safe climb from Storey Arms on the A470."
• "Easy path up from the car park, with great views on clear days."
• "The clear path from the carpark is the easiest route to take."
• "Fairly easy walk up and down if you go from Storey Arms - 2 miles each way."
• "A very well defined path. A steady constant gradient to almost the summit."
• "Lots of well-worn trails, plenty of parking, toilets at Storey Arms."

Cons:

• "Very busy on a Sunday afternoon. Cars parked on grass verges for as far as I could see!"
• "Parking on the side if the road can land you with a fine."
• "Limited parking."
• "Parking was busy."
• "Parking is hit and miss as they are building a new carpark."
• "Parked Storey Arms carpark that by 9.30am was full."
• "Pen y Fan was very busy as the Ten y Fan event was running. When events such as this are on you generally cant access the car park as its full for days."

Facilities

Pros:

• "Well maintained paths, car park is managed by National Trust who manage the national park."
• "You can park at the Pont ar Daf Car Park, the car park is small and there are toilets and refreshment vans."
• "There are toilets and refreshments available."
• "WC facilities available plus NT staff on hand."
• "The parking area is not the largest but has portable loos and a few roadside food serving vehicles."
• "Grab a bacon sandwich from the the guy in the van as a reward."
• "Great parking, good surfaces and expanding."

Cons:

• "Dire toilets."
• "Only disappointment was the lack of cleanliness to the toilet facilities."
• "Amenities are filthy smelly and only to be used in an emergency."
• "The toilets are NOT looked after and are not pleasant to use."
• "For somewhere that is a popular beauty and walking spot I'm surprised that the council haven't got a plan in place for regular checks and cleaning routines."
• "It's a shame about the litter, the insufficient parking and poor toilets."
• "The downside was that it was a highway of people from the car park to the summit with a queue forming there to have photos taken against it."

Experience

Pros:

• "Awesome views. Amazing landscape."
• "On a clear day, the views from on top are very impressive."
• "Spectacular views and very friendly and encouraging walkers."
• "Always a great day out beautiful views blue blue sky and fresh air."
• "Breathtaking views over the Beacons and Brecon."
• "Fantastic and scenic views of pen y fan and beyond, such a amazing place of natural beauty."
• "Beautiful hike with incredible scenery all around."

Cons:

• "The only thing that would spoil it would be other people."
• "Hard walk on the way up the mountain very busy lots of people on the weekend."
• "Why do people still drop litter and dog poop bags in such a beautiful place?"
• "Not a walk for those seeking solitude."
• "If you like to walk in a gang great otherwise avoid this now spoilt treasure if Wales."
• "Very busy, a string of people going up and down in the summer."
• "Lots of sheep which made it difficult for dogs and a queue for the summit photo."

Weather

Pros:

• "Freezing fog was causing ice crystals to form on hats and gloves!"
• "We were blessed with some glorious weather."
• "Was fortunate to pick a sunny morning for the hike to the summit."
• "Lovely weather when we went but I'm sure it can get quite slippery when wet."
• "The journey itself is rejuvenating and immersive- the birdsongs are simply magical."
• "Great walk but very windy."
• "We had no views at all!"

Cons:

• "Be mindfull, like any mountaim you can get caught out in bad weather. I have seen many in the wrong/non suitable clothing."
• "The views a great unless the cloud is down which you won't know till you turn the last bend."
• "The weather can change in an instant so be prepared even in glorious weather."
• "Take a waterproof coat we got very wet on the way back down the weather changes very suddenly."
• "The weather can change suddenly, be aware of the risk of low cloud reducing visibility."
• "Weather changes quickly, pack appropriately."
• "Though don't be surprised if all you get is fog!"

Difficulty

Pros:

• "A great walk and our first attempt, was glad to reach the top."
• "A great option for someone doing their first bigger mountain."
• "Definitely recommend going all the way to the top. You won't regret it."
• "It's a mountain so you will need to be reasonably fit if you want to get to the top in an hour or less."
• "A very steep ascent but worth the effort."
• "The ascent can be hard on legs and lungs but perfectly doable."
• "The walk isn't far and the paths are very clear and easy to follow."

Cons:

• "This route wouldn't be suitable for someone who has knee problems as there are a lot of steep inclines and uneven paths, sometimes no paths!"
• "Certainly not for the faint hearted or I'll equipped in these poor conditions."
• "Some steep drops from parts of the summit plateau."
• "It is very steep in some places and you should ensure you wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the 3 hour walk."
• "The route we took was hard going for the family and dog."
• "OMG if you want a challenge, then do this walk...I aches, grumbled, stopped so many times...but seeing that sign at the top was the most accomplished feeling ever!!!"
• "My legs are still aching."