The Epynt Way is a

long-distance path A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exce ...

created by the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

in 2004 around the perimeter of its ' Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA)' and artillery range on

Mynydd Epynt Mynydd Epynt () is an upland region of Mid Wales, within the county of Powys. It is bounded on the south by the upper stretch of the Usk Valley, on the north by the Irfon Valley, and on the east by the Wye Valley. Its western boundary is less ...

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

, Wales. There is, understandably, virtually no public access across the land used by the MoD, pre-existing

public rights of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

and public roads having been closed, with only one or two exceptions. The establishment of the Epynt Way, section by section in recent years has gone some way to compensating for that reduction in public access across the area.

Route

The circular route which is described as a permissive bridleway is 75 km / 49 mi in total length and available to walkers, cyclists and horseriders. It travels around the edge of the plateau, and keeps clear of MOD firing ranges. Nearest towns are

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...

to the south and

Llandovery Llandovery (; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the River Tywi and at the junction of the A40 road, A40 and A483 road, A483 roads, about north-east of Carmarthen, north of Swansea and w ...

to the west, with

Llangammarch Wells Llangammarch Wells, or simply Llangammarch ( ), is a village and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales, lying on the Afon Irfon, and in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire). It is the smallest of the four spa town, spa vil ...

to the north. A leaflet and map can be downloaded from the Defence Estates website. It is covered by Ordnance Survey Explorer maps 187 'Llandovery' and 188 'Builth Wells'. Further information about the Epynt Way is displayed at The Epynt Visitor Centre, an

interpretive centre An interpretation centre, interpretive centre, or visitor interpretive centre is an institution for dissemination of knowledge of natural or cultural heritage. Interpretation centres are a kind of new-style museum, often associated with visitor c ...

beside the B4519 road north of

Upper Chapel Upper Chapel is a Unitarianism, Unitarian chapel on Norfolk Street in Sheffield City Centre. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians. The Chapel is Grad ...

which was refurbished in 2009. There is a short (~1.5 miles) circular walk from the Visitor Centre which gives a taster of the main Epynt Way route. Being in an upland area it contains steep and boggy sections that require extra care. Poor weather also demands extra awareness of route finding, especially in

mist Mist is a phenomenon caused by small droplets of water suspended in the cold air, usually by condensation. Physically, it is an example of a Dispersion (chemistry), dispersion. It is most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets ...

and

fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus and is heavily influenc ...

as well as precipitation such as

rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

and

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

. The route is

waymarked Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail. A blaz ...

throughout with 1.2 metre posts and finger posts at junctions with external paths, but local large-scale maps such as the OS Explorer map series should be used for information. Note however that the Epynt Way is not marked on OS maps, but there are detailed maps on the website of the Epynt Way Association

or see External Links below).

References

External links

MOD leaflet on short walks near SennybridgeGeneral guidance about access to MOD training areasDetailed advice on access with maps of the route

Footpaths in Powys Recreational walks in Wales Long-distance footpaths in Wales Epynt {{Powys-geo-stub