the stile by the picnic area at 971222. Pass through the coppice, keeping the stream L, and carry on for 200yd to a tumbledown wall where the full splendour of a hidden cwm is revealed. The splintered crags that stand guard L rear up as fearsomely as any in Wales. The slopes are dotted with trees and generously carpeted with bracken and heather. Yet despite the severity of the crags this is S Wales, not the N, and the cwm is a haven for quiet contemplation. Sure enough, as if in assent, the crags gradually moderate to ever more benign grassy slopes as the eye roves round to the N and the gentle ridge that rises to Fan Frynych.
Three tracks leave this delectable spot. R a path follows the wall en route to Fan Frynych (FF6); straight ahead a faint track leads into the cwm (FF L1). For Craig Cerrig-gleisiad strike out half-L to a wall breasting the crags. Despite appearances a playful track makes light of the climb, wending its way through the spiky cushions of heather that edge the dizzy depths R. Nearer the top the path veers R with a wire fence for company L. The cairn is then a short distance away over the fence.
If you follow the rim of the cwm N you will eventually meet a stone wall coming in from the W, joining the wire fence on your L at an iron gate. The bulldozed road referred to in FF6 starts here. Follow it, passing a couple of tiny tarns L, and you will soon spot Fan Frynych’s lonely trig point 5min away through the stubby heather.
Craig y Fro route (FF5)
See FF2.
Fan Frynych
Fan Frynych is uninspiring. Only the trig point, alone in a dreary waste of coarse heather, tired grass and struggling mosses indicates a top at all, despite the contours on the map. No one is likely to make it a prime objective. The views are the one redeeming feature. Craig Cerrig-gleisiad stands out well but it is Fan Fawr that claims the S skyline, displaying a surprisingly elongated top. Corn Du is prominent E, but the best views are W where Fan Llia impresses by its sheer bulk and Fan Nedd and Fan Gihirych both beckon. If it is clear you can also distinguish the long sleek lines of the Black Mountain.
NE ridge (FF6)
Take the track along the wall mentioned in FF4. This crosses a couple of lively little streams and skirts some pretty glades R where many a happy hour could be whiled away. When the wall falls away R, shortly before the woods of Coed Ty-mawr, be sure to stay with the track as it bears L by a lone waymark sign. Soon you come to a stile and intersect a bulldozed track at 967236. Turn sharp L here and then be prepared for a dull plod up the ridge of Twyn Dylluan-ddu, with only an ancient cairn R and the green of Glyn Tarell behind you to relieve the monotony before the trig point at least breaks the skyline R. The bulldozed track can also be joined from a brace of minor roads just S of Forest Lodge (FF6,1).
Fan Frynych
SW ridge (FF7)
There is no path from Pont Blaen Cwm-du to Fan Frynych, but strong walkers should have no difficulty in scaling the ridge at almost any point.
Pont Blaen Cwm-du (943215) provides an entrée to several unfrequented routes including this ascent of Fan Frynych, Fan Llia (FF8), and the exploration of Cwm-du itself (FF L2). It is most easily reached by a footpath that climbs up the prettily wooded hillside behind the farmstead of Blaensenny at 933215. This meets the bridleway that crosses Pont Blaen Cwm-du just 200yd to the S of it. The bridleway can also be joined at 925185, where it branches off the mountain road that links the Senni Valley to Ystradfellte, or by walking S down the lane from the crossroads at 939238.
Fan Llia
Fan Llia is a neglected mountain, its elephantine bulk, unmatched by any shapeliness of profile, giving it a dull appearance. But appearances can be deceptive: Llia’s long N-S ridge, where the 1800ft contour line stretches for over 2 miles, might well have been made to order. Firm short-cropped grass and heather create perfect fellwalking conditions. The views are superb too. The Fan Fawr plateau curves away dramatically at either end; Fan Nedd and Fan Gihirych are backed by the Black Mountain’s shadowy profile; meadows fringe the Usk and the distant outline of the mid-Wales hills while purple rolling moors beckon beyond the Ystradfellte Valley. A truly rewarding top. Tired walkers toiling up the S ridge should note that several hundred yards remain beyond the cairn before the highest point is reached.
Pont Blaen Cwm-du route (FF8)
A short walk S along the bridleway from Pont Blaen Cwm-du (see FF7) brings you to a gate where a fence struggles up the hillside. You can follow this for a quick but steep pull up to the N ridge. Alternatively continue along the bridleway for a few more minutes until you see a green path sidling away L. This is helpful for a time but gradually peters out. Even without a path it is still easy going and you should not be panting too hard when you finally breast the ridge. Either way look out for the mini rocky outcrop around Fan Dringarth; quite a rarity in these parts.
S ridge (FF9)
Cross the concrete bridge over the Afon Llia near the picnic area at 927165. Next climb a stile to join a track that runs beside the stream for a moment before turning R to scale the ridge alongside a wall. A dreary plod, but under 0.5 mile and well rewarded once you gain the ridge with springy turf and fine views the rest of the way.
Maen Llia route (FF10)
Use as a quick descent or when crossing to / from the Fan Nedd ridge.
You can gain the N ridge at Fan Dringarth directly from the standing stone of Maen Llia. There is no path, but the slope is gentle and the only obstacle is a wire fence near the start.
Fan Gihirych
Fan Gihirych is an imposing peak, especially from the E where the huge cwm that burrows into its N face gives it a charisma lacking in its peers. The summit plateau, a sea of tangled heather, is so large that only by walking around it can you appreciate the full extent of the views (the Black Mountain W, the Usk Valley N, Fan Fawr and the Beacons E, vast rolling moors S). There is no cairn, just a solitary trig point.
Fan Gihirych
Maen Llia route (FF11)
The Senni Valley is a memorable sight on cold winter mornings when the golden tints of autumn mingle with the dazzling white of early frosts.
The finest approach starts from 924189 where a ladder-stile gives access to the fells. With care it is just possible to park on the grass verge nearby. Over the stile follow the remains of an old stone wall (which soon degenerates to a line of posts) until you meet another wall crossing your path. Turn L and follow this along a superbly engineered track that crosses the steep upper slopes of Fan Nedd. Below R lies the Senni Valley, an oasis of long bracken-clad slopes and scattered woodlands far removed in spirit – if not in distance – from the bleak windswept uplands.
Fan Gihirych is hidden at first but soon begins to swell on the W skyline. At
