Sugar Loaf, Monmouthshire

By Public Transport: Nearby Abergavenny has numerous bus services and a railway station. You would need to get a taxi up to the start from there.

By Car: Follow the A40 west from Abergavenny past the hospital. Soon after turn right at a cross roads, signed to a Vineyard. Take the first left uphill and turn left at a T junction. Turn right, uphill, at a fork and carry on past a small informal parking spot on the right to the main free car park at the end of the road.

[1] From the car park, follow the path that heads gently uphill in a northwesterly direction. If you look carefully, you can spot the white trig pillar on the top of Sugar Loaf to the north. When you reach the corner of a dry-stone wall on your left – a four-way path junction – bear right (northeast) and keep ahead at the first crossing path to the next one (where the path ahead descends towards the valley below). 

[2] Turn left and follow the wide grassy track uphill, with Sugar Loaf clearly visible ahead. At the next fork, keep right then ahead at a crossing path. Thereafter, the green path curves round to head on steadily up in a northeast direction to the summit of Sugar Loaf, from where there are glorious panoramic views of the surrounding hills – notably the Black Mountains.

To the east you can see Skirrid Mountain (Ysgyryd Fawr in Welsh), the easternmost hill in the National Park, while in the other direction the peaks of the central Brecon Beacons can be spotted. 

[3]  You can either head west along the top and scramble down the rocks to the path, or return to your ascent path and fork right to follow the green path round just below the summit. Afterwards, continue on down the clear grassy path of the Mynydd Pen-y-fal ridge. At a fork near the far end, bear left down to the walled boundary of the access land.

[4]  Turn left along the grassy bridleway, descending towards a stream and woodland. Cross the stream and carry on up the other side along the northern edge of the woodland, then turn right along its eastern side. Before long, the path veers away from the trees, heading uphill to reach a fence (marking the boundary of the access land). Continue near the fence/wall until you reach the corner of the wall passed after waypoint 1. Staying by the wall, turn right and follow it down to meet the lane just east of Llyweddrog Farm. Turn left back to the car park.

At 345m/1,132ft above sea level, the car park (SO268167) not only offers superb views overlooking the Usk Valley but also considerably reduces the amount of ascent involved in getting to the top of Sugar Loaf! Even on a winter weekday it’s a popular spot, if only for locals walking their dogs or driving up for their lunch break.

At 596m/1,955ft Sugar Loaf (Pen-y-Fal in Welsh) falls just short of being a mountain, according to the 2,000ft+ definition. And though it’s a baby compared with many of the peaks in the Brecon Beacons National Park, its distinctive conical shape makes it one of the most recognisable hills. It is not volcanic but formed from old red sandstone, like much of the rest of the Black Mountains. Standing alone to the south of this range, on the eastern edge of the National Park, its summit affords superb views in all directions. It’s also extremely popular – so sunny summer Sundays are worth avoiding if possible – and is ideal both for families and those relatively new to hillwalking. This is quite a short walk, so to fill a day you could tack on nearby Table Mountain (Crug Hywel) – another short walk – starting from Crickhowell. There are good views from the top back to Sugar Loaf.

Route devised by Fiona Barltrop for Walk Magazine.