Allt Forgan

A modest outlier of the Brecon Beacons, Allt Forgan is the kind of hill that watches the crowds flock to Pen y Fan with a smug sense of quiet superiority. Rising steeply above the Talybont Reservoir, it offers superb views without the queue for a summit selfie.

• •The hill stands sentinel over the Talybont Reservoir, a 1930s engineering project that submerged several homesteads and a section of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway.
• •Its name is derived from the Welsh 'Allt' meaning a wooded slope or hillside, which accurately describes the punishing verticality you'll face before reaching the gentler summit plateau.
• •Geologically, it marks the edge of the Old Red Sandstone plateau, providing a stark aesthetic contrast to the limestone scarps found further south in the national park.
• •While the central peaks suffer from summit erosion due to heavy footfall, Allt Forgan remains largely wild, mostly because most hikers find the lower forestry tracks utterly baffling.
• •The summit cairn is so unassuming that you might accidentally walk past it while checking your map, leading to a confusing descent into a bog you never intended to visit.