Hay Bluff

This prominent peak is a boundary mountain, straddling the Welsh-English border as well as the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It’s the north eastern tip of the Black Mountains range, and offers wonderful views over the town of Hay-on-Wye as well as to its neighbouring peaks. 

Hay Bluff isn’t particularly peaky at all, reminiscent of many of the mountains in the Beacons. Instead, it has quite a flat, tussocky top culminating in the summit at 2,221 feet (677 m). Thanks to a steep northern flank though, views in that direction are splendid. 

A friendly mountain, easy underfoot with far-reaching views

There are plenty of trails up Hay Bluff, and the Offa’s Dyke long-distance path traverses the north eastern flank on a bridleway. The vast majority of the mountain is open access hillside with grazing sheep and winding paths. Approaches from the north are steeper but there are so many trails to choose from that you can make your adventure as gentle or as tough as you like. 

There are no technical challenges on Hay Bluff, and it’s a great mountain to bag with children. The paths are hewn from mostly earth, grass and small stones, and no specialist equipment is required. In winter, the peak can see snow, so extra care should be taken. 

There are several car parks dotted about beneath the mountain, and the nearest town of a decent size is Hay-on-Wye, to the north. You can extend your day to neighbouring Lord Hereford’s Knob (also known as Twmpa), or follow the Bluff’s ridgeline southwards.