Wales
Bryn Alyn
408M
1340FT
About Bryn Alyn
Overlooking the steep, wooded depths of the Clydach Gorge, this rounded grassy summit offers a peaceful escape from the busier paths of the eastern Beacons. It provides a superb perspective of the Black Mountains, with the sharp peak of the Sugar Loaf standing prominently across the Usk Valley to the northeast.
Key Statistics
Rank
584th Highest in Wales
Parent Range
Snowdonia
Prominence
?
100.9m
Nearest Town
Eryrys
Geology
You are walking across thick layers of limestone. While mostly solid rock, some sections include thin bands of muddy stone sandwiched between the harder limestone layers.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SJ200587
Latitude
53.1195°N
Longitude
3.1968°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the Welsh 'Bryn', meaning hill, and 'Alyn', a traditional Welsh personal name.
- •It serves as a natural watchtower over the Clydach Gorge, an area once central to the South Wales iron industry and now protected for its rare beech woodlands and limestone caves.
- •The summit offers an excellent vantage point to study the landscape of the eastern Beacons, looking directly across the valley to the massive limestone escarpments of Mynydd Llangatwg.
- •To the southeast, the view is dominated by the long, dark profile of the Blorenge, while the sharp cone of the Sugar Loaf is visible across the Usk Valley.
- •Sharing its name with a more famous peak in Flintshire, this hill is a frequent source of mild confusion for peak-baggers who realise they have driven to the wrong end of the country.