Why? Because this south Wales mountain range offers more than soul-stirring scenery and literary festivals. Its slopes also support the messianic farmers and single-ingredient obsessives who supply traditional shops, hopeful food start-ups and brilliant young restaurateurs. It’s a virtuous circle in a teacup and on a plate; a thriving foodie culture that’s yet to be gussied up and is a joy to explore, whether you’re in brogues or hiking boots.
What to put in your picnic
For a broad taste of the Beacons’ bounty, start at a farmers’ market. The best occurs in Brecon, every second Saturday in the historic market hall (10am-2pm; breconfarmersmarket. co.uk). Pick up cheeses, bara brith, apple juice and, if you’re self-catering, local lamb: look for Brecknockshire Cheviots. Smaller markets cover other weekends: Talgarth hosts one on the first Sunday of the month (10am-1pm) and there’s one in Llangynidr on the last Sunday (10am-1pm) — it’s like a WI fete.
On July 2, Hay-on-Wye stages its annual food festival. At any other time, Hay Deli, on Lion Street, effortlessly prises money from foodies’ purses.
Or how about a food tour? On Talgarth’s square, Talgarth Mill grinds local organic wheat by waterwheel. It sounds eye-rollingly la-di-da until you taste the bread: sourdough, rye, spelt and a wholemeal that won gold at the World Bread Awards. Good scones, too (closed Monday). Carnivores should pop over the road to the butcher’s, WJ George, where the dapper owner, Bryan George, selects, slaughters and hangs the best livestock within a 15-mile radius. The River Cafe’s co-founder Rose Gray trusted no one else.
Fish? In the indecently picturesque town of Crickhowell, the family-run Black Mountains Smokery sells award-winning oak-smoked fish alongside local delicacies such as Blaenafon’s Pwll Mawr, a cheddar matured in a mineshaft. It’s open Monday to Friday and Saturday morning (smoked-foods.co.uk).
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For fruit and veg, go to the farm shop at Penpont. It’s all organic, of course, and grown in the walled garden of a listed manor house (open Thursday–Saturday from mid-June; penpont.com).
Pebbledashed Penderyn village is no looker, but a tour of the Penderyn distillery ends with snifters of single malts that have won gold in global contests (tour £8.50; 70cl bottles from £34.25; welsh-whisky.co.uk). Congratulations: you’ve accumulated quite a packed lunch. Now put it to good use.
What to do
The lazy option is to drift down the river in a canoe hired at Glasbury-on-Wye. Find a meadow, moor up for lunch and let Wye Valley Canoes transport you back upstream by road (half-day from £20pp; wyevalleycanoes.co.uk).
It’s only slightly more strenuous to walk or cycle along the 7½-mile towpath of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (bike hire from £27.50 a day; drovercycles.co.uk). It was, I argued, a research trip to sample local beers in the four pubs en route; the Star Inn, in Talybont-on-Usk, was our pick (starinntalybont.co.uk).
Or climb Pen y Fan, which rises to 2,906ft above a swirling carpet of green that stretches to mid-Wales. A WJ George pork pie and a nip of Penderyn whisky taste wonderful at the summit.
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See all those towns? No, exactly. That lack of development is why the Brecon Beacons is an International Dark Sky Reserve. And it’s why, weather permitting, you can join stargazing sessions at the Brecon Beacons Observatory (£15pp; breconbeacons.org).
Wet day? They happen, even here in the driest region of Wales. Our first choice after lunch would be to hunker down at the flicks. Richard Booth’s Bookshop, in Hay-on-Wye, is not just two floors of bibliophile heaven, it’s home to a lovely small cinema: stone walls, red leather seating and a mixed programme of classics and new releases (boothbooks.co.uk).
Or settle in an all-weather carriage on the Brecon Mountain Railway (£13.50; breconmountainrailway. co.uk), or head underground: the National Showcaves Centre for Wales is a child-friendly playground of caves, a petting zoo and a play barn (£14, children £9.50; showcaves.co.uk).
Where to eat
Felin Fach Griffin is the best gastropub in the area, serving precise plates as well as comfort-food classics such as lamb shank and mash. The squishy sofas by the fire are a perfect place for a digestif (menus from £22; felinfachgriffin.co.uk).
An honourable mention to Julia Robson, chef and owner of St John’s Place, in Hay. She spends Monday to Thursday sourcing the freshest local ingredients, then puts them on short, inventive menus: pork with black pudding, carrot, chard and romesco, in our case (mains from £14.50; stjohnsplacehay.tumblr.com).
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Where to stay
If you want to stick that joint of lamb in an oven, Brecon Cottages has 390 self-catering properties in the area, ranging from flats in town to old farmhouses (breconcottages.com).
Felin Fach Griffin has seven handsome bedrooms with traditional Welsh blankets, wild flowers and old dressing tables — and no television or wi-fi. There’s a Roberts radio, though, so you won’t miss The Archers omnibus (doubles from £140; as above).
The Bear, in a nicely wonky old house in Hay, is half gallery, half B&B, and has hosted the occasional Welsh pop star (doubles from £80; thebearhay.com).
James Stewart was a guest of Visit Wales (visitwales.com)
