The way points of this bicycle route:
This section picks up where the Coelbren/Ystradfellte section left off. It's designed as a circular route therefore you start with a climb along a liaison route from a base location where you can park a car. We pick up both the original Sarn Helen and the modern nearby parallel route often referred to as Sarn Helen. Then we descend into the Usk valley and pass close to, first the remnants of Sarn Helen, then Y Gaer, the location of the the fort and settlement of CICVCIVM.
After that we make a run around some of the bridleways around the West of Brecon picking up the interesting Prehistoric hillfort of Pen-y-Crug. Then we loop back around the North of CICVCIVM to head west towards the fort at Y Pigwn. I'm not sure if the Roman road to Y Pigwn is a Sarn Helen or not. There is little apparent evidence of it's exact course so we make use of some excellent bridleways in the hills north of the Usk river. At a convenient point we split-off and return to base along a liaison route.
Park in this lay-by area near the row of houses. This is just about the closest lay-by to the split points. Head east a short distance from here along the A40.
Take the first right off the A40.
Turn left opposite Ty-Mawr farm onto a restricted byway. Follow this bounded lane to the end.
At the end of the byway, hairpin left onto the road.
Take the first right at a T-junction.
Turn right in the farmyard.
Turn left in the farmyard.
Bear right onto a bridleway, by some trees throught the farmyard.
Turn left along the track and skirt the trees on your left aroud the field.
Turn left through the trees (possibly T-junction). Then follow the track skirting the trees along the next two fields.
Turn right away from the copse along the tree/hedge lined restricted byway.
Follow the track as it does a left-right around the field.
Skirt the right hand edge of the copse.
Turn right away from the copse and pick up the ancient lane between the thinning hedges.
At the T-junction you arrive at the split point for the previous section (Coelbren/Ystradfellte). Go straight-on to start the next section of our Sarn Helen route (CICVCICM). As the hedge thins the line of the bridleway should still be easily visible past the trees dotted across the next few fields.
Go straight-on across the road onto a bridleway. Aim for the big bracken/gorse patch and then bear right and skirt the right side of it.
As you leave the bracken/gorse patch the bridleway should become more obvious.
Here you cross the original route of Sarn Helen. It approaches from your right slightly ahead of you and departs slightly behind you to the right. Looking left look towards the corner between the nearest two fields. To the right look to the left edge of a pond.
Take the right fork.
Take the right fork again.
At the crossroads go straight-on.
Cross the stream and do a left-right into the next field.
Skirt the right hand edge of the field.
Join the track flanking the field near the farm building.
Merge left onto the road.
Take the next quick left up a lane (restricted byway?)
Straight-on past the farm
Veer left off the modern take on "Sarn Helen" at a T-junction towards a fork just off the track.
Take the right fork onto a very lightly used restricted byway.
There's a vague skewed crossroads such that you should see a track merge from your left and two forking away from you. take the left fork.
As you emerge from the corse/bracken the byway will merge back down onto the main track.
Merge left onto the main track.
As you approach more gorse/bracken you should see a fork. Take the right fork. If you can see two forks in rapid succession stay on the main track for the first (i.e. fork left).
Bear left a little way past some patchy bracken/gorse.
Go straight-on at a crossroads with some tracks. The track you're on becomes much more heavily used from here on and easier to follow.
A track merges in from the left - stay straight-on.
At a crossroads with a track, stay straight-on on the main track.
Just after a stream or ditch crossing the byway, you recross the original Sarn Helen almost at right angles. I should imagine it's barely visible.
Hairpin back to your right back onto the road.
THis next section whilst not an official right of way, it is well trodden and could be debated to be a right of way by virtue of it's "Roman road" tag. Fork left off the road just after crossing a stream. The track you pick is likely to be just to the left of Sarn Helen.
The track kinks to the left slightly and at this point you merge right onto the original Sarn Helen.
Cross the road bearing slightly to the right.
Fork right not far from the road. From here on the course of Sarn Helen is easy to see.
Cross a well used track almost at right angles.
At the fields you should be able to see the clearly demarked course of Sarn Helen past the left side of the farmyard across the fields. Don't follow this bit of Sarn Helen as there is contention. Turn around then turn left (southwards) along the track skirting the fields on your left.
Turn Left onto the road right on top of a T-junction.
Turn right at the T-Junction.
Skirt round the right side of the farm.
Turn sharp right into a restricted byway through the trees.
Go straight through the clearing in the trees.
Exit the trees and turn 90 degrees left across the field. Aim for the opposite corner.
I think you need to be in the field on the right. So do a right-left and skirt the left edge of the right hand field.
At the hedge cross into the next field which you cross diagnoally towards the opposite corner.
Cross onto the moorland and keep the same bearing. The track doesn't look visible. Either that or seek out another route to a track that runs almost parallel to the field you've left then turns away to the south as the field boundary turns west.
Either keep the same heading and aim to meet the modern version of "Sarn Helen" running along the edge of the fields ahead, or follow the track away from the last fields bearing right slightly.
Amidst a patch of gorse/bracken you should hit a crossroads of tracks where you can hairpin left on yourself.
Merge left onto the main track which is commonly, erronously referred to as Sarn Helen. Follow the track along the hedge line.
As you arrive at the crossroads with the roads, go straight-on towards the Brecon Beacons visitor centre.
If you can put up with the overload of sanctimonious ramblers, it's a good place to stop for a bite and hot drinkor soup - Nice flapjacks!
Go straight-on at the right hander in the road onto a bridleway, bearing very slightly right.
Take the right hand fork.
Keep straight-on past the T-junctions ahead.
At a skewed crossroads with another track, stay straight-on which is the left hand fork of the two roads leading away from you.
The bridleway bears around to the right ignoring the tracks merging in and forking away to the left.
At a fork near a patch of gorse take the left fork.
Straight-on at the crossroads.
Stay straight-on diagonally across a major track parallel with the road ahead.
Cross the road diagonally staying straight-on.
Stay straight-on at any junctions.
When you near the corner of the field on your left bear slightly right and head for the road.
Take a sharp left onto the road. I originally figured on running this next section on footpath straight across the road. The path runs past the hillfort Y Gaer and down to the A40. Interestingly, the Roman fort of CICVCIVM is on a farm called Y Gaer. However, I think proximity to the Beacons Visitor Centre and probable presence of viral ramblers, but most importantly the path's proximty to a farm along with it's ambiguity forced me to opt for the tarmac route.
Turn right onto the A40.
Take the first left off the main road.
Cross the River Usk (bridge). The Roman ford is about half way along the next field but one on the south bank. There are signs in the fields of archaeological digs along Sarn Helen.
You've been on the black stuff for a while. Again I wanted to veer off-road here onto a footpath. But I can't see where it runs. I've spent too many hours trudging across ploughed fields to figure it's worth doing. Sorry more black stuff!
Turn right at the T-junction in Aberbran and cross the Nant Bran river bridge. Follow the road to Aberyscir.
Straight-on at the T-junction.
This is where that footpath I mentioned comes out. You may be able to see the archaeological digs in the adjacent fields to the right.
Straight-on through/past Aberyscir towards Pont-ar-Yscir.
Straight-on through Pont-ar-Yscir and over the River Yscir. I'm not clear where the Roman's forded the Afon Yscir, but there may be two fords. I think one is just south of the present-day bridge - note the archaeological work in the fields adjacent to the road on the east side of Afon Yscir. The other is just west of the fort near the chapel in Aberyscir and is not visible from here.
There's a footpath here on the right which makes a straight line towards Y Gaer. It can be used if the farm track to Y Gaer is private, but you'd have to push.
At the crossroads hairpin back to your right onto the farm track for Y Gaer. This may be a private track and if marked explicitly so, make your way back to the footpath by the river crossing and walk the 400m to Y Gaer. Then you can join a bridleway legitimately.
Here, you cross the Roman road leading, I believe, to both the vexillation fort at Hay-on-Wye and the fort at Pen-y-Gaer near Llangynidr. You may be able to see the archaeological works on the road in the fields either side of you.
Just before the farm is a crossroads. The footpath mentioned earlier arrives here from the field on the right. The track on your left is the bridleway. CICVCIVM is just beyond the farm. The southern barns are built on the fort's northern defences. The shape of the fort can be clearly seen in Google maps and in particular the western and southern gates. I'm not sure if you can get to look at the fort easily - I believe it is completely private. Turn sharp left onto the bridleway to continue.
The field boundary demarking the right side of the bridleway disappears here. Keep to the left field boundary.
The bridleway runs between the field boundary and the treeline.
Follow the bridleway through the trees keeping within the bounds of the woodland.
Here the bridleway emrges from the trees.
Follow bridleway onto a well used farm track. On the other side of the field on the left is the course of the old Neath-Brecon Railway. It shadows you all the way into Brecon.
Here, the farm track veers right into the field. The official right of way heads into the trees. If it's impassable use the field, keeping to the left boundary.
If you're in the field the lane should now be passable so find a way to switch back to the lane on your left.
Merge left onto Fenni-fach Road.
Continue straight-on into Brecon. We get urban from here so I'll just indicate major junctions.
On the right you can see the course of the old Neath-Brecon railway.
Merge right at the T-junction onto Cradoc Road.
Take the first left onto Maendu Street.
After the edge of the houses on the left and just before the houses on the right end, turn left onto a bridleway.
Just after a barn on the right, the 1:50,000 OS map shows the Bridleway running in the field. The 1:25,000 map shows it running on the track. Make your choice!
Turn left into a farm access. Note - I can't see where you'd get from the field back to the track here if you were following the 1:50,000 map.
Follow the track around to the right between some (farm?) buildings.
At the edge of the fields do a quick left-right out onto moorland.
The bridleway heads perpendicular to the hedge line on the left, then swings around to the left.
As the track swings to the left take the left fork.
The bridleway heads towards another hedge and when it reaches it's closest point take a sharp right.
At a skewed crossroads in the tracks, bear right.
Go straight on at the next crossroads. Left would take you up to the fort of Pen-y-Crug. We go past the fort. Stay straight-on at any minor tracks crossing your track. The route should be pretty easy to follow.
At a large solitary bush the track swings left towards a gateway back into the fields.
Turn right through gateway onto a bounded lane.
Turn left onto the road.
Contiunue straight-on past the golf course on your right.
In the village of Cradoc turn right.
Go straight-on past the school and out of the village.
Go through the village of Battle (interesting name - wonder what took place here!?).
As the road swings right and the houses on the left end bear hard left onto a bridleway through the trees and alongside the last house on the left.
In the trees the bridleway swings to the right. I think it skirts the edge of the fields.
Then the bridleway swings left. At the same time the lane should start to look like an overgrown traditional hedge lined lane
As you enter the next sizeable copse, the bridleway swings left.
Follow the bridleway straight through the properties to the road.
Go straight across the road onto another bridleway. Again it is a tree/hedge lined lane.
Eventually the lane closes on the river Yscir and skirts it on the right. About here you cross the route of the old Neath-Brecon Railway.
When you reach the road turn right across the bridge over Afon Yscir then immediately right again up the road on the other side of the river. I'm afraid there's some tarmac work to get us up to the bridleways in the hills north of the Usk Valley.
Turn right after the bridge.
Again you cross the course of the old Neath-Brecon railway.
Bear left at the fork in the lane.
Turn left onto a bridleway down to Cwm-Gwengad farm.
Turn right in the farmyard.
Continue out of the the farmyard.
Turn right off the main track at the end of the first field on your right.
Follow the track round a hard left sticking to the bounded lane.
The lane swings right by a gateway, follow the lane.
Turn into the first gateway on your left and skirt the left side of the field.
Pass into the next field and again keep the hedge close to your left.
At the edge of the fields turn left onto the moorland and skirt the moorland keeping the field boundaries on your left.
You'll see patches of gorse/bracken off to your right - note this.
At the edge of the gorse/bracken turn right onto track swinging you round the southern edge of the gorse/bracken.
When you hit the opposite field boundary turn right and skirt it for a short distance then the bridleway diverges away from it (maybe taking a right fork?) past a solitary bush.
Soon the bridleway converges with another field boundary on your left.
At the edge of the field on your left the boundary turns 90 degrees left. You carry straight-on - hopefully the bridleway is not too difficult to follow.
You'll eventually pass a group of about 3 bushes on your left and just after them reach a 5-way junction of tracks. Take a left and follow a faint line of bushes.
The bridleway will head back into the fields into another bounded lane. Not sure how passable this lane will be. If it's not there may be a route down through the next 2 fields on the left of the lane.
I suspect the lane should definitely be passable from the edge of the 2nd field on the left.
If the lane becomes impassible again, use the fields to the left.
You pop out of the lane by some derelict farm buildings, turn right in front of them.
In from of the entrance to next property swing round to left following the lane.
Turn right at the T-junction onto the road.
Go straight through the village of Soar, bearing left at both forks in the road.
Bear left.
Bear left at the T-junction.
Cross the Nant Bran river bridge then turn left at the T-junction up a steep hill.
Just before the farmyard, there is a byway on your right in the trees. Turn right.
Towards the top of the hill you emerge from the trees. The byway should remain easy to follow.
Fork left. Then stick to the more well used track.
A bridleway merges in from the right. This is the split point and the bridleway is the start of the next section of our Sarn Helen route - Y Pigwn/ALABVM. Continue straight-on along the byway following a liaison route back to base.
The byway filters into a bounded lane.
The byway reaches a T-junction with a road. Go straight-on down the road.
Turn right at the T-junction in the village of Trallong.
Just outside the village of Trallong, turh left at the T-junction onto what I believe to be an unclassified county road.
Here, you go under a bridge which used to carry the Neath-Brecon railway.
Cross the River Usk on the old bridge.
Follow the road round to the right through the houses/farm buildings.
Turn right onto the A40.
Welcome to Bikely, take a step by step tour of this path:
Press Start Tour - then use the navigation buttons below to move along the path.
Sarn Helen is the name given to a number of Wales’ Roman roads. The roads were built after the conquest of the Welsh tribes to create a network of all-weather routes linking the Romans' forts. "Sarn Helen" is a misnomer meaning Helen's Causeway or Road and refers to Elen, a Romano-British princess and the wife of the emperor of Britain, Maximus. Whilst she is fabled to have got Maximus to build roads across Wales to help defend it, it is considered that Elen is from a much later period than the roads themselves. These roads suggest a route from a fort in Neath in South Wales all the way up to a fort near Conwy in the north. Parts of Sarn Helen are off-road and make for interesting MTBing, but much of Sarn Helen is tarmac or obliterated. However, I’m inspired by the idea of a south to north route split into bite sized chunks, which follows Sarn Helen or haunts its surrounding countrtside and visits the Roman sites along the way. See plots #1 & #2 for a description of this section. WIP.
Tagged with: Recreational, MTB, Intermediate, Offroad, Low traffic, Rough, Rural, Scenic
