Brecon Beacons National Park: Ice Age Beauty in South Wales (Great Day Trip from Cardiff)

Wales has three national parks: the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales, the Pembrokshire National Park in West-Wales and Snowdonia National Park in the North.

On a day trip from Cardiff where I was last weekend, I hopped on board of the coach of ‘See Wales Tours‘ to spend the day discovering Mines & Mountains to see the best of the South Wales Valleys.

Want to join me?

BRECON BEACONS NATIONAL PARK TOUR REVIEW

360 Degrees Views over Brecon Beacons

Normally this tour starts at the mines and ends in the National Park, but as the museum people were on strike (best excuse not to have to go hundreds of meters underground in a dark hole) and the weather perfect in the morning, we switched things around and drove right into the rolling green hills, sandstone peaks and high mountain lakes (well, around the lake of course) to see a landscape that was formed in the ice age!

If you’re a nature lover and you’re up for a little stroll, then this trip is definitely something for you! Have a look and tell me you’re not impressed:

Lunch in Brecon

For lunch, we stopped for a while at the lovely Tower Cafe at St Mary’s church and attacked their Welsh Beef Roast, which was just what we needed after being blasted by the icy wind this morning.

When I spotted that they also served a local cider my day was a success already!

More Brecon Beacon Beauty

Before heading to the Big Pit Mines, we drove through a bit more scenery while listening to Welsh folk songs, which really added flavour to the tour.

We also got up close to the local wildlife, some wild horses and sheep… lots and lots of sheep!

Meeting the Wild Ponies

The horses are called “Welsh cobs” and they have been running free here since Roman times. Because the climate is harsh here and there isn’t a lot of green around, only the strongest, fittest and most intelligent ponies survived.

They were often used in the coal mines and many were also exported to Australia and America in the early 20th century, but later fell a bit out of fashion. That’s why these days, there are just 800 registered pure mares left and the the Welsh cobs are now a rare breed.

I had such a good time on this trip and discovered a gorgeous part of Wales that I never even knew existed. Tours like these really show you the highlights of an area with the most comfort and I always love them!

As I said before, I’ll be covering the second part of this tour (a visit to the Big Pit Coal Mine) in a separate post, as I just have too many pictures to show you of that. It is one of the BEST tourist attractions that I’ve ever been to in my life, so make sure to check that out!

Tour Company: See Wales Tours

Name of the Tour: Mines & Mountains (1 Day)

Website: seewales.com/mines-and-mountains

Departures: Every Tuesday & Friday

Start: National Museum Cardiff, 09:00

Finish: Cardiff City Center, 17:30

Price: Adult £48.00, Child £28.00 (5-15yrs)

Disclaimer: I went on this tour on invitation of VisitWales & See Wales Tours as part of the Traverse Travel Blogging Conference. All photos, opinions and love for cider is 100% my own. 

Best Rail Pass to Travel Around Wales:

• BritRail GB Pass

Best Attraction Pass for Wales:

• Cadw Overseas Visitor Explorer Pass

Best Accommodation Pass for Wales:

• Camping and Caravanning Club Membership

Best Tours Around Wales:

• Tour of the Wye Valley (Roam Wales)
• Sightseeing tour of the Gower Peninsula Wales
• Tour of Tintern Abbey Caerleon Raglan Castle and the Welsh countryside
• Welsh Castles and Brecon Beacons Day Tour (Roam Wales)
• Coasteering Adventure

Best Single Activities in Wales:

• Llancaiach Fawr Tudor Manor House
• Llechwedd Slate Caverns – Guided tour
• Surf Snowdonia Adventure Park
• The Royal Mint Experience
• Zip World Caverns
• Zip World – Bounce Below
• Zip World – Titan Zip Line Adventure
• Zip World – Velocity Zip Line Adventure
• Zip World – Safari Zip Line and High Ropes
• King Arthur’s Labyrinth Adventure

Best Single Activities in Cardiff, Wales:

• Cardiff Castle
• Cardiff City Sightseeing Bus Tour
• Cardiff City Sightseeing Card

More things to see and do in Wales:

• Big Pit Blaenavon National Coal Museum: Get Under The Skin (And Underground) Of Wales’ Rich History
• Discovering Slow Life At St Fagans Museum Of Wales In Cardiff
• Airstream Glamping Experience in North Wales: Discovering a Whole New Side to Camping!

More things to see and do in Cardiff, Wales:

• 12 Bars, Cafes And Restaurants In Cardiff You Don’t Want To Miss
• A Walking Tour Of Cardiff Bay Architecture
• Adventure At Cardiff International White Water: Indoor Surfing!
• Discover Cardiff Castle: A Piece Of History Of Wales
• Things To Do In Cardiff In Winter

More things to see and do in Great-Britain:

• Great Britain Bucket List: 40 Places Not To Miss In England, Scotland And Wales

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