The 5 best places to watch the sunset in the Brecon Beacons National Park
Established as the third Welsh National Park in 1957, the Brecon Beacons can lay claim to being home to some of the finest scenery in Wales and southern Britain.
Within the parks diverse landscape you’ll find flat topped mountains undercut by sweeping glacial ridgelines which loom high above intensive cave systems and wonderful waterfalls.
Within this blog I have pulled together a list of what I would argue to be the five best sunset locations in the Brecon Beacons.
One thing to note is that I have not watched the sunset from every peak in the national park. There are epic locations to watch the sunset from in all corners of the Brecon Beacons, you just have to have the foresight and endeavour to go out there and get shooting!
Cribyn
What I use to choose and plan sunset locations
I personally use an app called PhotoPills to choose sunrise locations and help plan my compositions for sunset, sunrise, and the milky way.
I have no affiliation with the company and I hate paying for apps (It costs a one off fee of £9.99) when there are free ones available, but PhotoPills was definitely worth the investment.
Not only does it allow you to see where the sun will rise and set, months and even years into the future, but it is packed full of amazing features. One of which is the augmented reality mode which uses your phones camera to show you exactly which point on the horizon the sun will rise and where it will set.
Safety tips and advice around hiking at sunset
Pack a head torch - Its more than likely if you head up a mountain for sunset you will be returning to your car under some form of darkness. A phone torch will not cut it, especially if you have to do some scrambling. A head torch will make the descent far safer, easier, and more comfortable. It will also mean you have some battery left on your phone navigate your way home when you get back to the car.
Pack extra layers - It’s usually much colder on the summit that it is down in the valley, especially after the sun has set.. In addition, all that sweat you’ve accumulated hiking up to the summit will quickly send a chill down your body when you’re stood still on a mountaintop. I always pack a spare top, a lightweight down jacket, hat, and gloves in my bag. So when I do reach the summit I can quickly layer up and stay warm while I’m waiting for the sun to set
Picws Du
I can easily say that this is my favourite peak with the Brecon Beacons and having experienced it in all four seasons alongside wildcamping on its summit, it holds a special place in my memory.
At 749m, the prominent snowploughed shaped mountain may not be the highest, but its dramatic sweeping ridgeline and sheer scale make it feel like you’ve been transported to another planet.
Beneath Picws Du ‘s precipitous glacial escarpments lies Llyn-y-Fan Fach , a majestical glacial lake which has featured in Lonely Planets top 1,000 places on Earth.
With the sun setting to the east of Llyn-y-fan Fach, Picws Du location makes a great spot to capture the sun dipping below the horizon.
For more information on where to park and how to reach both Llyn-y-fan Fach and Picws Du, check out my blog post below.
Llyn y Fan Fach from the summit of Picws Du
Pen-y-Fan
Standing in the heart of the Brecon Beacons, the 886m Pen-y-fan is the highest mountain in southern Britain and offers magnificent panoramic views across the national park.
Looking east towards Cribyn, the central beacons ribbon like glacial ridgelines weave there way into the distance, creating layers of mountain goodness.
The view from the summit of Pen-y-Fan towards Cribyn
Because the sun rises from the east and sets in the west, I actually would recommend heading up to Pen-y-Fan for sunset rather than sunrise.
However because the views from the summit are that good and the sky can often light up in array of magical colours, then Pen-y-Fan is never a bad place to be for sunset.
Also depending on the time of year, you can capture the sun setting behind the neighbouring peak of Corn Du.
The quickest route to the summit is via the short two mile path from Pont ar Daf car park on the side of the A470. The fitter folk amongst you will be able to reach its lofty heights in around 45 minutes.
However if you’re not short for time seeking more of a challenge I would recommend either tackling the Pen-y-Fan horseshoe or hiking up from Cwm Gwdi.
Sunset from Pen-y-Fan behind Corn Du
Cribyn
Now this would be the mountain I would choose to watch the sunset from in the central Brecon Beacons.
Sitting 91m beneath the neighbouring Pen y Fan, Cribyn is pyramidal monolith which protrudes triumphantly from the central Beacons red sandstone ridgeline.
Although slightly shorter than its neighbour, its far from inferior. The angular peak affords spectacular views back towards Pen-y-fan and over the surrounding landscape.
The diving board at Fan-y-big
The added bonus of climbing this peak is that you’ll find a fraction of the crowds, and if you’re lucky enough might even get a brief moment of solitude.
Because the sun set in the West, you get so see it dip behind the summit of Pen-y-fan all whilst staring at the mountains mighty eastern Face. You also get theat deep orange glow
the quickest and easiest way to reach this peak is to walk up the gap from the Neudd car park in the Taf Fechan Forest.
Y Grib ridge (The Dragons Back)
Situated within the black mountains, the Dragons Back ridge snakes and undulates its way up towards the summit of Waun Fach.
The one mile ridgeline is worthy of a visit in itself. However when you throw into the mix Castell Dinas, an Iron Age hillfort which was once the highest castle on mainland Britain, and the distant backdrop of the central beacons. The you have a spectacular piece of topography which is hard not to be impressed by.
Now I haven’t visited this location for sunset, only sunrise. However having looked at the Photo Pills app, the sun would set behind the central Beacons looking directly down the ridgeline.
So the best spot for sunset would be from towards the top of the Dragons Back so you can capture panoramic sunset views looking back towards Pen-y-fan.
If you are planning on visiting the Dragons Back, I would tie the walk in with a hike of the nearby Waun Fach. For more information on where to park and how to reach the ridge, check out my guide below
Llangorse lake
East of Brecon, nestled between the Central Beacons and the Black Mountains, lies the largest natural lake in Wales.
This one mile-long freshwater lake not only offers a panoramic mountainous backdrop, but is also a recommended by Visit Wales as a great place to see and photograph the stars.
For the history buffs amongst you, the lake is also home to the only crannog (an ancient artificial island) in England and Wales.
I’ve listed this as a location to watch the sunset from, however as the lake is easily accessible low level location means it would also make for a great sunrise location.
Sunset at the Crannog at Llangorse lake. Photo by Jonny Gios on unsplash @supergios
So there we have it, my favourite five sunset locations in the Brecon Beacons. If you are looking for places to watch the sunrise in the national park then check out my alternative guide below.
Like I have already mentioned there are so many other beautiful locations in the national park, both high and low, to watch the sunset from. You just have to put in a bit of planning and have the endeavour to go and seek them out.
If you found the blog useful or have any locations you think I should add to this list, drop us a comment below as I’m always on the look out for new sunset locations.
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For more travel, & photography inspiration around Wales check out my in-depth guides to each of my favourite regions below.
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