Craig Cerrig Gleisiad at The Black Mountains

About Craig Cerrig Gleisiad

This is a good place to visit if you want fresh air and striking views. Craig Cerrig Gleisiad is a natural amphitheatre in the north of the Fforest fawr area, close to the mountains Fan Fawr and Fan Frynych. Standing at the top of the cliffs gives you one of the most spectacular northerly views in south Wales, but beware, these cliffs are over 600ft deep, and very steep; the path goes relatively close to the edge and you’ll probably want to leave it for a closer look, so exercise great caution when near the edge. The cliffs are home to some rare alpine plants, purple saxifrage and roseroot; the former is edible with beautiful purple flowers, the latter apparently can alleviate depression, improve physical and mental performance and counteract altitude sickness!

The Walk

We started out from a car park on the A470, it’s easy enough to find; on the other side of the road to the Storey Arms, directly opposite. Here is a map of the walk as a guide. There is actually a bus stop on both sides of the road here, so even if you’re not blessed with your own transport, the walk is available to you. From here you can see the path working its way up to the top of the ridge, heading northwest. The climb is steep at first, but then turns into quite a gradual ascent; the main consideration isn’t the gradient, but the unevenness of the ground which was both rocky and slippery by turns. I’ll say it now, no doubt the first of many times, but if you buy one piece of kit for mountain walking, make it a decent pair of walking boots. Mine were eighty quid, which is far more than I’d normally spend on shoes, but they make so much difference with grip, support and rigidity, that it’s money well spent.

On the way up, as you walk along the edge of the ridge, you’re treated to some excellent views of Pen y Fan and Corn Du to the east and later, Fan Fawr looks dominating to the south. The walk involves crossing several tumbling streams.

Eventually (after around an hour and a half) you’ll reach Craig Cerrig Gleisiad, where the land to the north plummets approximately 600 feet. The view is awesome… pray for a clear day! I’m not good with heights, so I wriggled to the edge of the cliff on my belly and had a peer over. The ground seems to be miles below, it’s quite deceptive, and it wasn’t long before that feeling of vulnerability crept in, and I had to wriggle back again.

If you do decide to make the walk, have a good shout at the top of the cliffs and experience to the cool rolling echoes as your voice bounces around the natural amphitheatre. But try not to alarm any fellow walkers, as I think we did. So, if you’re reading this, Geography-teacher-looking bloke, thanks for your concern!