Adrenaline Activities in the Brecon Beacons

Mountains, lakes, rivers, caves, cliffs – the varied and often rugged landscape of the Brecon Beacons National Park has it all. And with all of that comes a great choice of locations for thrilling activities such as climbing, caving and paragliding. Whether you’re already experienced in your choice of activity or hoping to try something new for the first time, this is the place to do it. 

In this guide, we’ll introduce you to some of the top adventure activities in the Brecon Beacons, with recommended locations and providers, plus some safety tips and some advice on where to stay during your visit.

Top Brecon Beacons outdoor adventure activities

The Brecon Beacons is famous for its wonderful hiking and cycling opportunities, but there are many more ways to explore this fantastic part of the world. Whether you’d like to take to the water, head underground or experience flying through the air, these are the best adrenaline activities in the Brecon Beacons.

Caving and potholing

The scenery of the Brecon Beacons is fabulous – but what lies underneath it is pretty spectacular too. In fact, the Brecon Beacons National Park is home to some of Europe’s most important cave systems, the history of which dates back over about 300 million years.

Getting underground to see some of it for yourself can be very easy, if you visit the National Showcaves Centre for Wales, where accessible walkways have been set up. However, there's also the chance for added adventure with caving activities at some of the undeveloped areas such as Porth Yr Ogof or Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (the deepest cave in the UK). Both of these have lots of excitement to offer for both novice and experienced cavers – the network of caves and tunnels at Porth Yr Ogof is particularly appealing. Many of the more remote sections are the preserve of trained members of caving clubs only, but if you'd like an introduction to caving in the Brecon Beacons there are several activity providers around such as Hawk Adventures and Black Mountain Adventures.

Potholing and caving in the Brecon Beacons are thrilling activities where you'll have the chance to explore underground caverns, tunnels and rivers. These adventures are usually available to visitors aged 8 and above, and you'll need to be fairly physically fit to join in. For more detailed information, read our in-depth guide to caving in the Brecon Beacons.

Gorge walking and canyoning

Gorge walking in the Brecon Beacons is one of the best adventure activities in south Wales – it’s a thrilling combination of sliding, jumping, climbing and abseiling involving gorges, boulders. This activity can be done in many of the UK's national parks, but what makes the Brecon Beacons such a great location is the fact that you can add waterfalls into the mix too – scrambling along the rocky ledges before leaping into the natural pools below.

Gorge walking and canyoning are fairly similar activities, in that they both involve intrepid activities around water – the main difference is that canyoning tends to be more extreme in its demands, with gorge walking being a better introduction for beginners and youngsters. Individual activity providers will be able to advise on suitability and age limits.

If you’d like to try either gorge walking or canyoning in the Brecon Beacons, take a look at the activities provided by Gorge Walking Wales and Quest Adventures.

Rock climbing and abseiling

There’s some great rock climbing in the Brecon Beacons – and naturally that means there are also plenty of opportunities for abseiling too. Areas like Llangattock Escarpment, near Crickhowell, and Morlais Quarry, just north of Merthyr Tydfil, are popular with climbers of all abilities. The park also has several bouldering areas, plus indoor climbing centres where you can hone your skills or hide from wet weather. Details of these are in our guide to climbing in the Brecon Beacons.

Experienced climbers who are happy to organise their own outings can find a huge amount of information in the PDF downloads created by Martin Crocker. Meanwhile, beginners can sign up for introductory sessions with activity centres in the area, and more experienced climbers can join guided  climbs to help them get to know the area. Crossfield Outdoors and Hawk Adventures are both known to have reliable rock climbing instructors.

Mountain biking

The mountainous landscapes of the Brecon Beacons have plenty to offer for mountain bikers of all abilities. In fact, many people say that the Brecon Beacons is one of the best mountain biking locations in Wales for its sheer variety of trails through spectacular scenery, along with good infrastructure of bike hire and repair facilities. Whether you'd like a long ride across open moors, challenging steep trails or family-friendly forest rides, it's all here – and you can find out full details in our guide to mountain biking in the Brecon Beacons.

Kayaking and white water rafting

The rivers of the Brecon Beacons are hives of activity when it comes to watersports – and you'll be able to choose your level of adventure depending on the location and season. For the ultimate thrill, come between October and March, when the rivers Usk and Wye are at their fullest, providing some of the best white water rafting in Wales. Brecon Beacons white water rafting outings can range from two-hour introduction sessions to full-day expeditions, so you can choose  your own adventure. Activities are run by several providers including Adventures Wales and Black Mountain Adventure, and there are usually options available for ages 10 and up. Whichever outing you choose, one thing's for sure – you're going to get wet!

Slowing things down a little, but still keeping a sense of adventure, there are plenty of places to go kayaking in the Brecon Beacons too. The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is a good place for a gentle introduction to paddling, with faster-flowing rivers like the Wye and Usk offering bigger challenges for more experienced kayakers. There are several options around for guided paddles or canoe hire in the Brecon Beacons, and plenty of places where regular paddlers can launch their own kayaks.  The Beacons Water Trail, running between Brecon and Talybont-on-Usk, is a popular route for kayaking in the Brecon Beacons.

Paragliding and hang gliding

With stunning views and a good selection of launch sites, it's no wonder that paragliding and hang gliding are popular activities in the Brecon Beacons. As thrills go, little can beat gliding through the air, looking down over the peaks and lakes and riding the thermals alongside birds of prey. A number of take-off sites are open to visitors with hang gliding or paragliding experience and their own kit – Blorenge and Hay Bluff are both popular choices to start with. The South East Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club has a list of all available take-off sites in the Brecon Beacons, plus updates on local conditions and the procedures you'll need to follow for flying legally and safely.

Beginners are always welcome in this area as well, of course, and there are several instructors that offer tandem paragliding experiences in the Brecon Beacons – chat to Crickhowell Paragliding or Axis Training about the options for introductory paragliding sessions.

ZipWorld Tower

The three Zipworld adventure parks in Eryri (Snowdonia) are hugely popular – and now the thrills have spread to South Wales too! Just outside the Brecon Beacons National Park, ZipWorld Tower became the company's fourth site when it opened in 2021, and it's quickly established itself as home to some of the best adrenaline activities in South Wales for all ages. Like its northern neighbours, ZipWorld Tower is a place that marries up adventure, scenery and heritage – it’s taken over the former Tower Colliery, bringing a new lease of life to this traditional mining site.

There are four different activities available at ZipWorld Tower, including Phoenix, the world's fastest seated zipline. The Tower Coaster and Tower Flyer rides are suitable for families, and there are also main and junior versions of the Tower Climber obstacle course, 30 metres above ground level.

Best locations for adrenaline activities

At 520 square miles, the Brecon Beacons National Park is relatively compact, so travelling to different areas for your activities is easier than in some larger parks. That said, if you're planning to try out a few different outdoor activities while you're here, you’ll want to minimise travel time. With that in mind, we've picked out three of the best locations for adrenaline activities in the Brecon Beacons here, so you’ll have a good idea of where to aim for when looking for a place to stay.

• The area around Ystradfellte, known as 'Waterfall Country’, is a great choice of base for all sorts of outdoor activities. The Four Falls Trail is one of the most-loved hiking trails in Wales, and being close to this scenery also puts you within easy reach of thrilling days of gorge walking, canyoning and climbing as well as the Porth-Yr-Ogof cave system.

• Pick a base in Brecon and you’ll be well placed for several of the activity providers recommended in this article. Llangorse Multi-Activity Centre, at Llangorse Lake, is a great option for family activities, and it’s only a short drive to Pen y Fan for approachable mountain climbing. Mountain biking, whitewater rafting and paragliding locations are all close by, and the town itself has lots of options for meals and drinks after your activities.

• Talybont-on-Usk and Abergavenny are great destinations for adventure activities in the Brecon Beacons, as they have easy access to the climbing hotspot of Llangattock, paragliding providers in Crickhowell and water activities on the upper stretches of the River Usk. You’ll also be close to walks or bike rides on the Taff Trail and mountain climbs on the Sugarloaf, among others.

Accommodation for Brecon Beacons adventure activities

If you're coming to the Brecon Beacons for its outdoor activities, you can up the sense of adventure by staying in the open air too. Booking a Brecon Beacons campsite is a great way to make the most of these gorgeous surroundings, and camping in general usually helps to keep the cost of rural breaks nice and low. So what makes a great place to stay when you're planning lots of activities? Here are a few things to look out for when picking your campsite.

• If you've booked an activity with a particular centre or instructor, it's obviously a good idea to stay fairly close to your meeting point. A very simple way to do this is to pick a campsite with an activity centre on site – Parkwood Outdoors Dolygaer and Open Fire Camping are a couple of good options, offering things like archery, gorge walking, climbing and kayaking.

• Adventure activities in the Brecon Beacons may well send you home damp and/or dirty – that's all part of the fun, but it's also nice when you can get properly cleaned up back at base. Pitchup’s filters help you find features that will help with this – look out for showers, a launderette and a drying room. Coity Bach, on a farm close to Talybont-on-Usk, has all three of these to help you  and your kit get clean and dry.

• Think about how you’d like to spend your evening – perhaps you'll want to be close to a pub for a meal and something to steady your nerves, or you’d rather get warm by a campfire (use the campfires allowed filter for this). Or how about both? Tafarn-Y-Garreg Campsite is next door to a pub, and Lower Porthamel Camping has a taproom on site selling its own beers and ciders – perfect for a chilled-out evening after your adventures.

• Staying outdoors doesn't have to mean camping, of course – there are plenty of options for glamping in the Brecon Beacons if you like the idea of coming back to ready-made accommodation with things like comfy beds and possibly even the ultimate post-activity experience in the form of a hot tub.

Enjoying adrenaline activities safely

The fun of the adrenaline activities in the Brecon Beacons is the thrilling sense of danger – while making sure that you don't actually put yourself in any true danger of injury. To help you enjoy your adventure activities safely, we've pulled together a few tips to bear in mind when organising your activities, and while you're there.

• If you're doing an activity that requires a guide or instructor, make sure to book with a reputable provider that holds public liability insurance and provides all the relevant equipment. Local companies know their area well and can choose locations or assess conditions better than anyone.

• Be honest with your guide/instructor about your experience, fitness and any health issues, so they can plan accordingly. That's particularly important if you’re in a group (such as a stag party) where the need to 'fit in' can lead to people overstating their abilities.

• Always pay attention to any safety briefing, even if you've already got experience in the activity – there may be specific procedures to follow, or particular areas to avoid, for example. Following your guide’s instructions and advice will help to keep everyone safe.

• If you're planning your own adventurous outing, use local resources (such as climbing guides or canoe launch spot information pages) to make sure you’ve picked the right location for your activity. Look carefully at the weather forecast as well, so you can plan your day or postpone your activity if necessary. For many activities you don't have to wait for the perfect day, but don’t take unnecessary risks with very wet or stormy days that could put you in danger.

• Whether you're going with a guide or on your own, be prepared with the correct equipment, and make sure things like helmets, harnesses and wetsuits are a good fit. Towns like Crickhowell and Brecon have outdoor shops that should be able to help you out with any extra gear you need.

There are lots of wonderful adrenaline activities available in the Brecon Beacons, all offering the chance to push yourself out of your comfort zone and experience real thrills while also enjoying some stunning scenery. If you’ve ever fancied trying one of these activities, we say – get out there and give it a go!