We begin our walk from Llanddeusant car park below Llyn y Fan Fach, setting out across open ground rather than taking the more direct, well-trodden track to the lake. Instead, we keep to the west, following a gentle ridge that rises gradually towards the mountains. Almost immediately, we feel a sense of solitude, the vast landscape stretching in every direction with little sign of human presence. The ground beneath us is a mix of short grass and scattered rocks, shaped by the glaciers that once covered these hills. The Black Mountain range was carved by ice and water over thousands of years, leaving behind the dramatic escarpments and deep valleys we see today.

Continuing our ascent, we gain height, and the towering cliffs of the glacier-shaped escarpment come more and more into view. The terrain gets steeper as we climb up to the sheer face of Fan Foel (the bald mountain). From here, the view opens up, revealing the wide sweep of the Black Mountain range to the west and the rolling ridges of the Brecon Beacons to the east. Beneath our feet, the reddish-brown sandstone tells a much older story—formed some 400 million years ago when this land lay in an ancient desert, crisscrossed by rivers that left behind layers of silt and sand. Over time, these rocks have been shaped by wind, water, and ice into the dramatic cliffs and valleys we see today.

Atop Fan Foel, the highest point on this section of the ridge, a Bronze Age burial cairn stands as a silent witness to the past. Over 3,000 years ago, people climbed to this remote summit to lay their dead to rest beneath a mound of stones, perhaps believing the spirits of their ancestors would watch over the land from here. Even now, standing by the cairn, there is a sense of connection to those who walked these hills long before us.

From Fan Foel, we follow the ridgeline to Picws Du, where the escarpment plunges steeply to the north. The contrast between the smooth, grassy slopes to the south and the sheer cliffs to the north is striking—a result of millennia of erosion shaping the land. The summit offers a perfect vantage point, with Llyn y Fan Fach glinting far below, its dark waters still and silent, tucked beneath the towering cliffs.

The lake, formed in a hollow left by retreating ice, has long captured the imagination of those who pass this way. According to legend, this is the home of the Lady of the Lake, a mystical fairy woman who emerged from the waters to marry a local farmer. She set three conditions for their marriage: he must never strike her three times. Inevitably, over the years, he did—though not in anger but through moments of misunderstanding. With the third blow, she returned to the lake, vanishing beneath its surface. Their children, however, remained and became the famed Physicians of Myddfai, healers whose knowledge of herbal medicine was passed down through generations. Some of their remedies were even recorded in medieval manuscripts, linking this remote place to a tradition of healing that endured for centuries.

We follow the shape of the escarpment high above the lake to the west, admiring the steep and almost elegant green and red sheer face that reaches all the way down into the dark waters of the lake. Once we have circled to its western edge, we begin our descent towards the lake, leaving the ridge behind. Beyond the lake, the curve of a dam stands as a reminder of more recent history. Built in the 19th century, it was designed to regulate water flow for the tinplate works in Llanelli, part of the industrial expansion that once reshaped South Wales. Now, it sits quietly in the landscape, a small mark of human engineering against the ancient rocks that surround it.

We follow the shoreline of Llyn y Fan Fach, reflecting on the stories and history held in this landscape. We leave the lake behind and follow a quiet route along the base of the escarpment. Walking beneath the towering cliffs, we get a different perspective, looking up at the rock faces that have stood for thousands of years, their surfaces worn smooth in places and jagged in others where frost and time have broken them apart.

As we reach the foot of Fan Foel once more, we turn north as we continue our descent, with sweeping views of the remote upland bogs that mark the source of the River Usk, its waters beginning their long journey towards the sea. Beyond, in the distance, we can make out the Usk Reservoir nestled among the hills, and beyond it, the broad, rolling expanse of Mynydd Myddfai, a land of open moor and quiet solitude, where the famed Physicians of Myddfai are said to have lived. It is a fitting final view, a reminder of the vast and untamed beauty that defines this landscape. This final stretch takes us back down to the car park, carrying with us the echoes of those who have passed this way before—ancient settlers, medieval healers, and generations of walkers drawn to the wild beauty of these hills.

Meet Instructions:

• Time: 9:30am
• Location: Llanddeusant
• Arrive: early to secure a parking space.
• Walk Distance: 9 miles (hilly)
• Leader: Ingrid meet our leaders.