The Brecon Beacons Beano

The Brecon Beacons National Park – we love it. Spectacular and ever-changing views of the mountains, bubbling rivers, historic towns, sleepy villages, quiet lanes, forests, open moorland… there’s a lot to discover.

Our circular day rides take us into the valleys of the rivers Usk and Wye and along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal towpath. We follow twisty roads into the foothills of the mountains, stopping at ruined castles and dipping into the historic market town of Brecon and the “book town” of Hay-on-Wye. We venture upstream by the River Wye on wooded lanes.

The Beano starts on Thursday evening and finishes after breakfast on Monday morning, giving us three full days of cycling with no time pressures. Rides are mostly on back roads, some well-surfaced cyclepaths and a few gravelled canal towpaths, with the occasional optional offroad diversion for those who want it.

Some parts are easy-going, but this being mid-Wales there are inevitably hills – sorry, I mean valleys – to climb. Think of them as an excuse to slow down and take in the view!

As always on a Bicycle Beano, the rides are designed to give a number of options for distance, with suggested detours and short cuts to suit a range of abilities.