Carreg Cadno

About Carreg Cadno

Translating to 'Rock of the Fox', this Brecon Beacons outlier sits atop the labyrinthine Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system. It’s less a mountain and more a limestone platform, perfect for those who enjoy dodging sinkholes while pretending they aren't lost in the Powys mist.

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Did You Know?

• •The hill acts as a roof for the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system, which is one of the deepest and most intricate underground networks in the UK. You are essentially hiking across a massive, fossil-filled piece of geological Swiss cheese.
• •It is part of the Fforest Fawr Geopark, a landscape shaped by the last Ice Age and thousands of years of Welsh rain. The limestone pavement here is internationally significant, though mostly it's just significant for tripping up the unwary hiker.
• •The name Carreg Cadno translates from Welsh as 'Rock of the Fox'. While you might not actually spot a fox, the name suggests they’ve been laughing at human navigation skills from these crags for centuries.
• •The area is a National Nature Reserve, home to rare plants that thrive in the alkaline soil of the limestone. It’s a botanist’s dream, provided that the botanist doesn't mind a constant, bracing horizontal drizzle as part of the experience.
• •The summit is so understated that you will likely walk past it twice while looking for a 'proper' mountain peak. It’s the ultimate hill for hikers who enjoy the existential dread of wondering if they’ve actually reached the top or just a particularly ambitious pile of scree.