Shepherd's huts near Crickhowell

The Eastern Brecon Beacons themselves slot into the Brecon Beacons National Park west of the Black Mountains and north of Merthyr Tydfil. It is the park’s most-visited area, with the highest peak (2,907-foot Pen y Fan) and easy access from towns and villages popular with visitors, like Crickhowell, on the eastern edge. Camping in this wild expanse generally means pitching in the verdant valleys around the edge.

This 36-mile winsome waterway traces the line of the River Usk between Brecon and Abergavenny, and on to Cwmbran - navigable along its entirety and with a towpath perfect for pedalling along. It passes within 1.5 miles of Crickhowell at Llangattock. It shows a side to the Brecon Beacons National Park you otherwise seldom see: tranquil, tree-fringed water and dreamy time-lost villages. Canal-bound campers can find places to pitch near the canal’s northern end.