Walk Hay Bluff, Twmpa and Rhos Dirion from Pen yBeaconStone Circle
Steep ascent to superb views of the Wye Valley
This 7¾ mile, Grade 5 (Moderate), easy-to-follow, hand-crafted walk, complete with GPS Waypoints, starts at Pen y Beacon Stone Circle in the Brecon Beacons & will take you about 4¾ hrs to complete.
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Detailed walk route map PDF | |
Vital Statistics: | ||
| Walk No.: | po120 | |
| Length: | 7¾ miles (12.5km) | |
| Ascent: | 1942 ft (592m) | |
| Time: | 4¾ hours | |
| Grade: |  | |
| Walk Type: | High Mountains | |
| Gear Needed: | Full mountain gear including boots, warm layers, waterproofs, food & water, and good weather | |
Route outline for this walk:
Pen y Beacon Stone Circle - The Offa's Dyke Path - Hay Bluff - Fynnon y Parc - Gospel Pass - Twmpa (Lord Hereford's Knob) - Rhiw y Fan - Rhos Dirion - Rhiw Wen - Caemarchog - Three Rivers Ride - Pen y Beacon Stone Circle
Peaks, Summits and Tops reached on this walk:
 1 Welsh Mountain |
 0 Wainwrights |
 2 Welsh Nuttalls |
 0 Welsh Deweys |
 0 Wainwright Outlying Fells |
 0 Welsh Marilyns |
 1 Bridget |
Peak Bagging Statistics for this walk:
The highest point of this walk is Rhos Dirion at 713m (2340ft). Rhos Dirion is also known as a Welsh Nuttall (80th highest in Wales, 196th highest in England & Wales). Rhos Dirion means 'Gentle Moor' in Welsh and is pronounced 'ross deer-ree-on'.
The summit of Rhos Dirion is marked by an Ordnance Survey Trig Point.
Completing this walk will also take you to the top of Twmpa (Lord Hereford's Knob) at 690m (2264ft). Twmpa (Lord Hereford's Knob) is classified as a Welsh Mountain (Hewitt) (72nd highest in Wales, 183rd highest in England & Wales)
Twmpa (Lord Hereford's Knob) is also known as a Welsh Nuttall (93rd highest in Wales, 237th highest in England & Wales). Twmpa (Lord Hereford's Knob) means 'Mound' in Welsh and is pronounced 'too-mp-a'.
The summit of Twmpa (Lord Hereford's Knob) is marked by a cairn.
You will also reach the summit of Hay Bluff at 677m (2222ft). Hay Bluff is known as a Welsh Bridget. The summit of Hay Bluff is marked by an Ordnance Survey Trig Point.
Be Adventure Smart
If walking in the Lake District (and anywhere else) please be adventure smart.
Ask yourself 5 questions before you set off:
- Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?
- Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
- Do I have the right GEAR for the day?
- Do I have enough FOOD & DRINK for the day?
- Do I have all the ESSENTIAL ITEMS for the day?
Note that there is no mobile phone or WiFi coverage in many parts of the Lake District
A dedicated GPS Device can be a good navigational aid, but only if you know how to use it properly. See The Myths and Truths about GPS for Walking and Hiking
National Trails & Long Paths included on this walk:
Part of this walk follows a section of The Offa's Dyke Path, a 287km (178 miles) linear footpath connecting Sedbury Cliffs in Gloucestershire, England with Prestatyn in Denbighshire, Wales. The Offa's Dyke Path is waymarked by a National Trail Acorn. For more walks that include a section of this trail see The Offa's Dyke Path.
You can find this walk and other nearby walks on these unique Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
(worth a look if you're new to go4awalk.com & have never seen one of these before.)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (pink/magenta covers):
Some Photos and Pictures from Walk Hay Bluff, Twmpa and Rhos Dirion from Pen yBeaconStone Circle
In no particular order . . .
Me standing on the edge near Hay Bluff during a weekend in the Black Mountains
Send us your photographs and pictures from your walks and hikes
Send them in to us as email attachments (configured for any computer) along with your name/username and where the picture was taken to:
and we shall do our best to publish them.
(Guide Resolution = 300dpi. At least = 660 pixels (wide) x 440 pixels (high).)
You can also submit photos via our Facebook Page.
NB. Please indicate where each photo was taken so we can match it to a walk route.
