Wales
Allt Lwyd
653M
2143FT
About Allt Lwyd
Perched above Talybont Reservoir, Allt Lwyd serves as the steep, lung-bursting gateway to the Waun Rydd plateau. It offers spectacular views of the Usk Valley for those who enjoy vertical inclines and the distinct sensation of their own quadriceps screaming for mercy.
Key Statistics
Rank
31st Highest in Wales
Parent Range
Brecon Beacons
Prominence
?
27.7m
Nearest Town
Powys
Geology
The ground beneath you is the Brownstones Formation. It is made of alternating layers of gritty sandstone and fine-grained, clay-rich mudstone.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SO078189
Latitude
51.8610°N
Longitude
3.3403°W
Did You Know?
- •Standing at 653 meters, this peak marks the dramatic northern terminus of the high ground before the landscape tumbles down toward the Usk Valley. It is a key summit for those ticking off the Hewitts and Nuttalls.
- •The fell overlooks the Talybont Reservoir, a 1930s engineering feat that submerged several farmsteads to keep the taps running in Newport. During rare droughts, the remnants of the drowned valley occasionally peak through the water.
- •Its geology is dominated by Old Red Sandstone, which creates the characteristic flat-topped plateau and precipitous eastern crags that make the Brecon Beacons look like a giant's set of stairs.
- •The nearby Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal was the industrial artery of the region, once teeming with coal and iron barges that operated just a few miles from these quiet, sheep-dotted slopes.
- •The ascent from the reservoir side is essentially a vertical bracken-scramble designed to humble the arrogant. You will likely spend the entire climb staring at your own boots and wondering if a career in competitive knitting would have been more sensible.