Blorenge via Keeper's Pond

This circular route just south of Abergavenny follows the lower slopes of the isolated hill of Blorenge to Keeper's Pond before gently scaling the main ridgeline to the summit.

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County - Monmouthshire

National Park - Brecon Beacons

Distance - 12.1 km (7.5 miles)

Elevation Gain - 416 m (1,364 ft)

Categorised Climbs - 1 x Cat.3

Difficulty - Moderate (38/100)

Time - 3 ¾ hours

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Route Preview

Blorenge, standing at 812 metres, offers exceptional uninterrupted views including the popular Sugar Loaf hill just a few miles to the north. In addition, the panoramic views include some of the higher summits of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The Punch Bowl on the eastern side of Blorenge is dominated by a large, wooded glacial cwm containing a man-made lake with some of the trees being over 200 years old.

The Keeper’s Pond was built in the early 19th century to provide water for Garnddyrys Forge, which started production in about 1817. The iron foundry was dismantled during the 1860s and whilst the pond no longer fulfilled an industrial purpose, it rapidly became a local beauty spot

This route contours Blorenge to pass Cwm Craf before continuing along the northern flank of Blorenge

Blorenge offers some exceptional views especially to the north, so take your time

from where you can look down on Abergavenny

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Blorenge via Keeper's Pond

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Blorenge via Keeper's Pond (mobile)

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Points of Interest

The Punch Bowl

This spectacular site on the eastern side of Blorenge is dominated by a large, wooded glacial cwm containing a man-made lake with some of the trees being over 200 years old.

Keeper’s Pond

The Keeper’s Pond, also known as Pen-ffordd-goch Pond or the Forge Pond, is situated near Pwll Du, on the hill above Blaenavon. The pond was built in the early 19th century to provide water for Garnddyrys Forge, which started production in about 1817. The forge was dismantled during the 1860s and whilst the pond no longer fulfilled an industrial purpose, it rapidly became a local beauty spot. It also acquired the name Keeper’s Pond because the gamekeeper of the grouse moors lived in a cottage nearby.

Fox Hunter Memorial

Foxhunter (1940–1959) was a champion show jumping horse ridden by Harry Llewellyn, best known for their part in securing Great Britain's only gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Foxhunter and Llewellyn are the only horse and rider to win the King George V Gold Cup three times (in 1948, 1950, and 1953), and also won 78 international competitions during their joint career. A memorial plaque listing Foxhunter's achievements marks the site. When Sir Harry Llewellyn died in 1999 his ashes were scattered around the horse's memorial.

Blorenge

Blorenge (also called The Blorenge) is a prominent mountain overlooking the valley of the River Usk in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, southeast Wales. It is situated in the southeastern corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Elevation: 561 m (1,841 ft)

Prominence: 134 m (440 ft)

Route Details

1

From the starting point head east down the steep lane

2

Where the lane turns sharply to the right, take the track on your left and follow this through to a lane

3

Turn left along this lane and after 300 metres turn sharp left and follow a rising track to reach an intersection of tracks

4

Go right through the gate descending to pass a small lake in The Punchbowl.

5

This route contours Blorenge to pass Cwm Craf before continuing along the northern flank of Blorenge to a junction of paths and tracks with a plantation on your right

6

Stay left here following the path to Keeper's Pond (Pen-fford-goch Pond) which will be on the left of the path.

7

Continue along the edge of the pond towards the car park

8

At the southern end of the pond bear left onto a grassy path heading east to reach a lane

9

Keep left along the lane across the moorland and follow it as far as the Foxhunter car park and the WT station

10

Turn left and follow the clear path to the summit of Blorenge

11

Follow the path initially heading northeast to reach the escarpment edge

12

Here the path turns south and leads to the moorland lane

13

Turn left over the cattle grid and head down the lane back to the starting point

14

Congratulations! You have completed this route

Navigation

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Blorenge via Keeper's Pond

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Comparative Elevation Profile

Detailed Elevation Profile

Climb Details

Local Weather Forecast

Nearby Routes

Sugar Loaf

Distance - 4.8 km (3.0 miles)

Elevation Gain - 316 m (1,037 ft)

Categorised Climbs - 1 x Cat.3

Difficulty - Easy (17/100)

Time - 1 ¾ hours