Wild Camping on Craig Cerrig Gleisiad in the Beacon Beacons | A epic night under the stars
Living on the Gower I had been lucky to have spent the most recent lockdown with Britain first area of outstanding natural beauty on my doorstep. But despite having some of arguably the finest beaches in Europe a short cycle away I was still missing the mountains.
As soon as the local lockdown eased and the freedom to roam throughout Wales was reinstated back in May, I pencilled in my first wildcamp of the year in the Brecon Beacons national park
After much deliberation and indecision I finally settled on the under-visited peak of Craig Cerrig-gleisiad.
Situated within a 1200 acre nature reserve in the central Brecon Beacons the imposing craggy peak of Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad has been a mountain that I wanted to summit for a long time.
Carved out by the last ice age, it’s nicknamed the Eiger of the Beacons due to its steep north face.
Where to Park
Parking for Craig Cerrig Gleisiad is located in a lay-by on the western side of the A470, 1.8 miles north of the Storey Arms Outdoor Education Centre and a few hundred yards south of the Brecon Beacons YHA. Theres enough space for around 10-15 cars, however given the fact that most people will be climbing the neighbouring Pen-y-Fan you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a space.
The Route
A little over two miles, the loop is short but sweet and can be tackled in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. I would suggest tackling it in an anticlockwise direction and heading through the nature reserve first. This means you’ll be walking towards Pen-y-fan as you skirt around the edge of its steep north face and you’ll descend the steepest part of the hike.
The Ascent & Camp set up
Although a short hike, we arrived with plenty of time as this was a peak neither of us had climbed before and we wanted to find a good pitch and take the time to enjoy the evening.
Conditions were absolutely perfect leaving the lay-by, a bluebird evening with barely a cloud in the Sky. The views as we climbed up tot he Ridgeline were something else, Wit the Dramatic Glacial carved north Face hanging ominously over the Nature reserve below, all whilst the twin peaks of Pen-y-Fan & Corn Du loomed prominently in the background.
Although i had never been up this mountain, I had scoured social media and found a few images of the summit, from this i had a an idea of where i wanted to pitch the tent. However having an idea is one thing, putting that into action is another.
Pitch locations away from the main path were few and far between. In the end we settled for a large patch of relatively flat but rather bumpy grass . The pitch not only had panoramic views towards the Central beacons but lined up perfectly with the peak when we took a short walk back down the ridge-line.
Location chosen and tents pitched we then took the time to roam around the summit, scoping out angles and getting ready for what turned out to be a magnificent sunset…
Sunset
After setting up camp we had around an hour until sunset. during this time me and Jack took the time to wonder around the ridgeline to scout out as many angles as possible.
We also took a short wonder up to the nearby peak of Fan Frynych (629m) to catch a glimpse of the sun setting.
It was a constant battle between looking at the sunset in one direction and the incredible view of Pen-y-fan in the other.
After the sunset we headed back to our tents to cook a little grub before getting our head s down for a few hours.
Sunset from Craig Cerrig Gleisiad
The Milky Way
One of the reasons why I love wildcamping, especially in the Brecon beacons is the fact that its a dark sky reserve and under the right weather conditions during certain times of the year you can photograph the milky way.
Being mid April, the core was due to be visible at around 2:30am, however with moonrise due at 3:15 we only had a relatively short window to capture some milky way panoramas.
After getting to sleep around 10:30pm we awoke around 2:15am, snapping away until around 3:30am.
Below are two images I managed to capture, they aren’t my best work but I was happy I came away with something.
Sunrise
After a few hours of broken sleep, we emerged from the frost covered tents half an hour before sunrise to a sky on fire.
As always there was a mad rush to get dressed and get my camera gear ready before sprinting around the ridgeline to capture shots of the sun emerging from behind the central beacons.
After a good 90 minutes of snapping away and flying the drone, we both packed up, making sure we left no trace, before making the very steep descent back down to the car park.
I was actually surprised that after I put my bag on I was back at the car within half an hour.
Sunrise From the summit of Craig Cerrig Gleisiad looking towards Pen-y-Fan & Corn du
Sunrise looking down the valley towards Brecon
Final thoughts
It’s the perfect Wildcamp spot or sunset and sunrise location.
While this may not be the longest or the most challenging of walks, its dramatic yet peaceful location, lack of crowds alongside its views to hike ratio certainly packs a punch and make it a hike well worth completing, especially if you’re short of time or want to escape the crowds.
The summits view towards the magnificent Pen-y-Fan combined with the fact that you can quickly get back to you car in around 20 minutes from the summit, makes it a a fantastic spot to watch the sunset from.
It’s also a great place to wildcamp if you’re looking for a peaceful evening with terrific views. I’ve put together a vlog highlighting a recent camp below.
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For more travel, hiking, and photography inspiration around Wales check out my in-depth guides to each of my favourite regions below.
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