Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park

Distance: 6.5 mi, elevation: 2427ft, difficulty rating: 3/5

Start/endpoints: Llanfrynach village

Hiking up Pen y Fan from the main car park can put you in a long line of walkers and also give you trouble with parking. This alternate route, starting from the village of Llanfrynach, adds a little distance but means you could take a bus from Abergavenny to the trailhead if you made an early start. From the village, you follow the path along the river (Nant Menasgin) until it diverges at the bottom of the mountain  and takes you up to the summit of Fan y Big. From there, you join the Cambrian Way ridge walk to Cribyn and then Pen y Fan, retracing your steps or heading north along Cefn Cwm Llwch until you reach flat ground again and link up with the Three Rivers Ride path, which will take you east back to Llanfrynach. You add some significant distance to the direct route up to the park’s most famous peak, but get a quieter, wilder experience for it in return. 

Distance: 4.5 mi, elevation: 885ft, difficulty rating: 2/5

Start/endpoints: Cwm Porth car park

This undulating loop is one of Bannau Brycheiniog’s finest and therefore one of its most popular, which means two reasons to make an early start. Firstly, you’ll beat the crowds, have the trails clearer and be better able to enjoy the wonderful experience of hearing the waterfalls before you come up to them. Secondly, you’ll get a lovely slanting light on the water which makes the whole walk even more magical. The highlight of the route has to be Sgwd yr Eira, “Fall of the Snow” in English, where the cascade’s leap from a high shelf makes it possible to walk behind the rushing water. After the hike, head over to Penderyn for lunch in the pub, or to see what good use the local water is put to by the local distillery.

Distance: variable, elevation: N/a, difficulty rating: 1/5

Start/endpoints: Alpaca My Boots, Penpont

If you love hiking with an affable, woolly creature ambling alongside (insert joke about your other half here), then head north and take a wander at Alpaca My Boots. The 90-minute treks won’t test your endurance or your navigation skills (the alpacas know where they’re going) but it’s a unique opportunity to experience the landscape. Moving at a gentle plod, you’ll be able to take the time to look around, while your guides chat to you about the local area and the alpacas themselves. 

Distance: 10-11mi, elevation:1800-2500ft, difficulty rating: 3.5/5

Start/endpoints: Craig-y-Nos Country Park – Llandeusant

First established in 2005, the 99-mile Beacons Way is fast becoming one of the UK’s favourite multi-day hikes. The route was slightly revised in 2016, so make sure your maps are up to date, even if you’re only taking on one of the six sections into which it’s traditionally split. Sheep tracks can create a confusing mass of paths in some places. This section, on the western side of the park, is one of the less frequently travelled and offers you a quiet climb to Llyn y Fan Fawr, the highest natural lake in south Wales, with many stunning vistas along the way. There’s a good weather and bad weather option, with the latter not completely skirting the lake for safety reasons. Check the forecast for the day, plan carefully and enjoy a long, lovely stride.

Distance: 4.5mi, elevation: 1246ft, difficulty rating: 2.5/5

Start/endpoints: Crickhowell

If you’re in Crickhowell, stocking up on Welsh cakes ready for the 8000-mile hike to Cape Town, just look up. You’ll soon realise that you’re not heading for quite such an epic journey. The wide, flat top of the mountain is often visible, jutting up from the ridge above the town and while the route might not be globe-spanning, it does offer a moderate challenge. The walk is pretty much a single, steady ascent that quickly leaves town and trees behind and sends you stomping up the open hillside. It’s a wonderful walk to fit easily into a day, with easy access from Crickhowell meaning you can start as early as you like. Once you’re back down, conveniently around lunchtime perhaps, there are plenty of places to in Crickhowell itself, but you could always overshoot to The Horsehoe Inn, just acoss the river in Llangattock, where Chef Raymond Hinds serves up authentic Jamaican street food alongside Welsh classics. 

Distance: 0.5mi, elevation: n/a, difficulty rating 1/5

Start/endpoints: Brecon

Less of a hike and more of a pleasant way to break up your time in town, this short stroll along the Brecon canal path can be done with takeaway coffee in hand and no map required, even in the worst Welsh weather. You look out on the park from multiple points, there are benches for a quiet moment and you can watch the river as it flows past, sometimes a gently rippling stream, sometimes a frothing muddy torrent, depending on how much rain is running down out of the hills. It might not even leave you out of breath, but it’s a great way to start the day or pass a pleasant hour of the evening before dinner and a helpful reminder that not all time outdoors in a national park has to involve compasses, goretex and thigh burn.