Good roads in the Brecon Beacons

Will

Will

Will

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Am going to be driving from Wolverhampton to Ponterdawe in South Wales next Friday, then back early on the monday, since the most direct (non-motorway) route takes me directly through the Brecon Beacons I figured its a chance to sample some decent roads on the way...

A40 through Brecon seems to be the most direct route but I'm sure theres some good B roads around the mountains with little traffic? Anyone know the area well who can point out some good routes?

I have all day to make the journey (want to arrive around 4) so going the direct route isn't necessary, but something scenic with some decent corners would be nice rather than blindly following the sat nav!
 
Some great roads up there, I remember a 5am blat through there a few years back in my GT3 on my way to meet a group of colleagues to go walking! Got bored of walking and got back in the car and went for another drive. Still remember reaching one place, hairpin bend looking over a valley as the sun broke through the clouds, just had to stop and take it in, no one around, epic!
 
I don't know about anyone else, but I love driving the A470 down towards Cardiff. It gets boring once you're near Cardiff, but near Brecon itself, it's absolutely magnificent. I have yet to try going north from Brecon though.
 
Will said:
Am going to be driving from Wolverhampton to Ponterdawe in South Wales next Friday, then back early on the monday, since the most direct (non-motorway) route takes me directly through the Brecon Beacons I figured its a chance to sample some decent roads on the way...

A40 through Brecon seems to be the most direct route but I'm sure theres some good B roads around the mountains with little traffic? Anyone know the area well who can point out some good routes?

I have all day to make the journey (want to arrive around 4) so going the direct route isn't necessary, but something scenic with some decent corners would be nice rather than blindly following the sat nav!
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From Wolverhampton head vaguely in the direction of either Welshpool or Newtown.

From Newtown you want the A483 towards Llanfair-ym-Muallt (Builth Wells) - great road.
Stay on the A483 through Llanwrtyd Wells and then you come to Llandovery. At Llandovery (you should come out at a T junction near the railway line) you have a choice - you could either go right, down the A40 to Llandeilo/Llandybie/Ammanford/Pontardawe, but I reckon you'd be mad not to go left followed by right at the West End Cafe a couple of hundred yards down the road, which will take you on the A4069 to Llangadog - an excellent drive.
When you come to Llangadog you need to take the very sharp left towards Gwynfe and Brynamman staying on the A4069 (I used to live in Brynamman) will take you up over the mountain and back down the other side, from Brynamman Pontardawe is about 7 miles, go through Brynamman, keep following the road turn left at Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen T junction and follow the road, through Cwmgors (nice short blast down Abernant after Cwmgors, ignore the 40 signs aim for a ton) and then you will be on a long downhill run that brings you out in the middle of Ponty.

There is a proper back way over the mountain from Cwmgors to Ponty but it's single track and heavily sheep infested, and much of the surface is terrible. It's one of my favourite roads but lots of people hate it.

What on earth are you going to Pontardawe for? :p
 
Got back today, cracking weekend, epic roads all round...

Lopez, I was visiting a mate from uni who lives in Ponty... I am very jealous of your days living in Brynammam from a motoring point of view! Spotted a few 205 GTIs owned by locals, and the A4069, talk about a test track and a half right on your doorstep!

First I tried the A4069 as recommended everywhere. Tried this road, initially from the Llangadog end but I drove it three times so sampled both directions.

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Cracking road, some very twisty and bumpy bits, definite hot hatch rather than GT sort of road I thought! Sheep and horses everywhere, and very little margin of error if you get it wrong in places, with large stones, bridge parapets and drainage ditches all ready for the unwary. Some corners are unsighted or over a crest so I'd advise anyone to take it slow at first.

I tried the single track road that comes off just below the hairpin but it was damp and not really wide enough for me to be confident in driving it quickly..turned around and came back.

I also tried the B4560 between Llangynidr and Beaufort, another great road but when I drove it it was very busy with cyclists struggling up the hill. Coming up from Bwlch you have poor visibility as a lot of corners are beyond blind crests/summits, I'd recommend coming the other way if you want to go fast. If you came the way I did there is a narrow width restriction due to an old bridge in Llangynidr, nothing over 6ft 6 wide and this limit is enforced with steel pinch points which have clearly taken a battering!

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Also tried the A483, A470, A44 and the A488 on my way back....A488 in particular was great!
 
you passed my house to get there. I live by the pub just over the cattle grid. Those pictures dont show how steep that hairpin really is.
 
Will said:
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That hairpin is known locally as "Tro Cwcw" which translated literally means Cuckoo Corner.

If you'd have persevered with that single track road after the hairpin you'd have eventually have popped out in Ammanford or Trap depending which way you went - it is a cracker of a drive but you need to know it really and be driving at night - in the day much of it is blind and you can easily come a cropper.

Glad you enjoyed! I really miss those roads.....
 
Lopéz said:
Glad you enjoyed! I really miss those roads.....
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I bet you do given the roads around Leicester and most of the other Midlands roads :(

I was proper impressed with pretty much every road I went on down that way, lots of good A/B roads, but even the bigger trunk routes were all proper wide, fast, often dual carriageways, if not then there were still plenty of overtaking opportunities. Some of the roads seem oversized for the size of towns that they serve...the A465 is just ridiculous, hardly a car on it even on a Saturday afternoon!
 
It's without a doubt what I miss most.

The roads here are generally too busy, I could go out at 10:30 tonight and struggle to find a deserted country lane.
The grip levels are low - especially in the wet, no idea why.
Allegedly single track roads are so wide that there is no challenge to drive them quickly.... it's just all wrong basically!
 
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