Pen Cerrig-calch and Pen Allt-mawr
A moderate walk (mountain (above 600m)) in national park Brecon Beacons in Powys, Wales, about 12.60km (7.83 mi) long with an estimated walking time of about 5:30h. It is unsuitable for families with children, prams & pushchairs, wheelchairs.
Elevation Profile
Ascent
618m (2027ft)
Descent
614m (2014ft)
Max. Elevation
710m (2329ft)
Altitude Gain & Loss
1232m (4041ft)
Start & End
Crickhowell
Distance
12.60km
(7.83mi)
(7.83mi)
Duration
~5:30h
Difficulty
Moderate
Ordnance Survey Map
Pen Cerrig-calch and its neighbour Pen Allt-mawr are popular for the views north across to bigger hills of the Brecon Beacons. A tour of the twin summits makes a great morning or afternoon out from Crickhowell. It's a steepish climb, but once you have gained the height, there is a nice & easy high-level walk across the plateau between the cairns. The peak can also be combined with Crug Mawr and Sugar Loaf, both rising just to the east, for a much longer day out.
Walk Functions
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Nearby Walks
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- $walk->POI array(0)
Waypoints
OS Grid SO217185
From the centre of Crickhowell, head out along Llanbedr Road. About 400m past the last houses, a bridleway cuts north towards The Wern.
OS Grid SO225204
Footpaths from The Wern head north to Crug Hywel fort, and the start of the climb up. This is the site of an Iron Age hillfort and you can still see a stone/earth rampart. Beyond the fort, the path heads sharply uphill alongside the Trwyn Ysgwrfa spring.
About 2.06 km (~1.28 miles) from 
OS Grid SO222217
At about 550m, the slope starts to level out. Keep on a bearing to the summit cairn.
About 1.41 km (~0.88 miles) from 
OS Grid SO218223
The summit is marked by a cairn and is no small hill - 701m. The northwest shoulder leads you towards the secondary summit of Pen Allt-mawr.
About 0.65 km (~0.4 miles) from 
OS Grid SO207241
A few metres higher at 719m, and a great viewpoint. If you are doing the round trip to Crug Mawr and Sugar Loaf, drop down from here into Cwm Banw. Otherwise, follow the western edge of the summit plateau around to Pen Gloch-y-pibwr.
About 2.18 km (~1.35 miles) from 
OS Grid SO206231
Keep along the western edge, with good views down into the Usk valley.
About 1.00 km (~0.62 miles) from 
OS Grid SO214217
Drop down the southwestern spur towards Foxhall. From here, join the footpath to Twyn (213203) which runs on to Crickhowell.
About 1.64 km (~1.02 miles) from 
Crickhowell againOS Grid SO217184
By the time you are back in Crickhowell you will have climbed nearly 700m - a fair day out and well deserving of a pint. The Bear on the High Street is the recommended spot.
About 3.36 km (~2.09 miles) from 
2 comments... join the discussion!
patrikG
Hi there, I did a trial printout of this walk and it worked just as intended. The printout was absolutely fine. How a page is printed is in part determined by the browser you use. Do make sure you use the latest version of your browser. I used Internet Explorer 10.
Mrs H Robb
Hi, I have tried printing a walk off your site. However it prints the background over the text so it is unreadable. I had to cut the words out of your site and paste into word in order to have a readable print. This was the URL I was trying to print http://www.carfreewalks.org/walks/424/pen_cerrig-calch_and_pen_allt-mawr