Walk this route yourself in 3D!
The Video is a 3D walk through of this route, it will give you a unique sense of having walked through the route before you start.
I have created 3D Videos of my adventures and have shared them with the OutdoorActive community as well as my walking community.
It’s amazing how many of our walks have started in Crickhowell, and they are all different, and this is another special one as on the way you pass by some of the most beautiful Welsh cottages I have ever seen, and the lush green fields and woods as you head to the Sugar Loaf in Abergavenny, makes this really special.
There are plenty of places to hide in the shade also, and in this incredible summer we are having in 2022, it is really important to find the routes that do have cover, although once you start to climb up to the peak of the Sugar Loaf you will be in the sun for quite a while, so plenty of water and suncream.
So, this is quite a difficult hike, you start in Crickhowell, follow a lane and then quite early cross over fields, and the last climb up to the Sugar Loaf is quite a challenge, but it’s a great way to get up there, and then as we always do, it’s back for cake and coffee in book-ish before heading home.
Getting There: Directions, GPX and App Link
The Hiking app I use to plan the walks and to aslo guide me around is the ‘Outdooractive App‘, which has a free a Pro and a Pro+ version, the Pro version will allow you to download the routes to your phone, and use them without using up your data.
The reason I mention it is that if you were to download a route, they are FREE and you can find this link to this route in my hike listings. You can then follow the arrows and voice on your mobile, as most of these walks are a bit tricky to explain.
- Crickhowell is situated between Abergavenny and Brecon on the A40. Or you can use the A465 and turn off for Crickhowell and use the A4077 which will allow you to turn into Crickhowell from the bottom over the River Usk bridge.
- If you use the A40, when you arrive in Crickhowell, turn down the hill (A4077) opposite the Shell garage, and the school is on your right to park on weekends and afternoons.
Navigation Aids:
- Follow this route on the Outdooractive App, it is FREE, and it will guide you around safely.
- Download my hand crafted *GPX file, and use it on your own guidance devices.
- * If you’re not sure what a GPX file is, I have put this post together that will hopefully explain it in plain words. It’s worth considering as well as mobile app navigation, as they will make your hikes better & safer.
Hike Map
Hike Profile
- Distance: 9m / 14.5km
- Duration: 4/4.5 hours
- Highest point: 2375ft / 724m
- Difficulty: Difficult (steep climb to Sugar Loaf)
- Route conditions: Roads, well-worn pathways all around, good walking shoes are a must really.
Hike Description & Pics
We started in Crickhowell Secondary School car park, it was a Sunday so it’s always free, but it does fill up quickly. Turn left to head up the hill towards the Shell garage, and then turn right walking a short distance along the main road. Just opposite where you can see down the main street where all the shops are, there is a road called ‘Standard Street’, which takes you up behind the main road and then you continue on that road onto ‘Bellfountain Road’. Continue up that road for approx. half a mile, and you can then leave the road and start your journey across the farm land, and you will walk between ‘Penprysg Farm’ and ‘Graig Wood’.
As you carry on walking through these fields, sometimes the paths are not clear so keep a look out for the little round yellow arrow signs, usually placed in field corners with stiles, but if you’re using the app, it will guide you through. At the end of this current field, you will for a short distance join a road, and this one is called ‘Llangenny Lane’, so turn right onto this road, then after 100 yards or so, turn left down a lane which is called ‘Millbrook Road’.
It seems strange to be heading down again when your supposed to be heading up, but stick with it, as you’re basically walking around to the side of the Sugar Loaf to then hike up to it.
The lane you’re on is well trodden, and you’ll come across some great things to look at including a tree with a hobbit like opening to it, and then a little bridge with the river ‘Grwyne Fawr’ running beneath it. This is a great place to stop and have a look around, and then as you continue along this road, before you move back onto farmland there are some beautiful Welsh cottages, and then you will arrive at ‘Hall Farm’, and you’re back onto farmland.
The fields you join are so green and lush, and are easy to walk along, and the views are beautiful, and as you look into the distance you will start to see the Sugar Loaf. One thing to point out is that although this route will guide you up to the top, there are other ways up, and basically it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re heading up to the Sugar Loaf peak, it’s all the same thing.
So pick a path, keep the peak in view and see you at the top. The reason I mentioned the different routes up, is because that is exactly what we did, we decided to go another way. So the pictures below, may not be exactly what you see going up.
Now the easy bit, walking back down, and apart from one last little climb which can catch you out as it’s quite a long walk, it’s all pretty much downhill and flat, we’ll come to the last climb in a bit. So the way down is to face looking at Crickhowell which is towards the right if you’re standing on the Sugar Loaf and looking the way you came up. You’ll follow the path down from the top, then drop down into some woods and then join back up to a lane, as you head towards Llangenny.
Again, it’s worth using the route on the app which you can find in the links I add to each of these posts, as I want say you will get lost, but there a couple of left rights, that will be shown to you as you walk down, it will make the whole thing a better experience I think. Some prefer to find their own way, but if you’re setting out to do a certain route then being guided around is safer and better.
You are now on Llangenny Lane and this road will take you right back into centre of Crickhowell, and there still a few little things to see and do before the finish.
The first interesting building you will see is on your right, the property has an interesting shape to it, it will make you stop and look before you head down to the bridge and the village of Llangenny which has a lovely pub, a church and also on the other side the last steep climb of the day, which I have to be honest did catch us out slightly, it’s a long walk, but with the end insight, it was fine.
Once back in Crickhowell, it’s totally up to you which way you head to the car, but as a treat we always stop off in a lovely cafe/book shop called Book-ish for cake and coffee.
That’s it, you’re all done, back to the car and hopefully the weather has been good, and you have had a great experience.
It is worth downloading this route onto your outdooractive app, it’ll re-assure you time wise and that you’re not heading in the wrong directions. There is so much space up there and lots of alternative paths you could accidently join.
Hope you enjoy this walk, and I’d love it if you could share this post either with the social media buttons that follow you down the screen on your left, or below you in the footer. Also, comments are very welcome, I love meeting new people and talking and you never know we could meet up on one of our walks.