Moel Penderyn is a 371m hill situated between the Heads of the Valleys and the Central Brecon Beacons mountain range. This is a walk that takes in Dinas Rock and the nearby river gorge and then a long and reasonably gentle ascent to the trig point marking the highest point of the hill.
Parking is a at a free car park which can get busy in nice weather as Dinas rock is a popular climbing spot and this car park also offers a route to the popular Four Waterfalls walk.
I walked first up the gorge to see what was there, it is worth the short walk to see some rushing rapids and a large rock formation. I then headed back to the car park and climbed Dinas Rock to get to the craggy summit, from which I joined up to the main path. This is not a recommended route at the last section is very sketchy and a fall would lead to a significant drop.
If you walk to the left of the car park (looking North) you will see the main path up to the top, which is definitely slippery and rocky in places, but has a hand rail to support you and no dangerous drops. The start of this walk is definitely the most challenging aspect so take it slow and watch your steps for the first section.
Once you have ascended the first part you’ll be on open paths with nothing more treacherous than mud, quite a lot of it in places after heavy rain. As you continue walking you’ll come to a fork in the road, left heads towards the waterfalls, right takes you to Moel Penderyn. The path narrow and dries up and you’ll walk between some crags and views will open up.
The walk is very pleasant with extensive views of Craig y Llyn South and the Brecon Beacons mountains North. The path widens onto a wide grassy track and is easy walking. Eventually you’ll arrive at a gate where you can take a path – left – up along an old wall and fence. This will take you to the top of a mini ridgeway and you can hop over a stile and follow the top of the ridgeway to the trig point.
After enjoying the extensive views – and the white trig point with red dragon – you can then continue over the hill and down the other side, making this section a circular walk. You walk back along the bottom of the hill on a wide grassy track until you get back to the gate where you earlier turned up to the top of the ridgeway.
From here you simply retrace your steps back to the car. You’ll likely find this walk a peaceful one, but the path is clearly walked enough to keep it clear, so you might bump into the odd walker. It is a nice little hill and a good walk, and you could extend it further on past the summit to a pub for refreshments before heading back.