Sennybridge training area

Sennybridge Training Area lies just outside the Brecon Beacon National Park to the north west of the county town of Brecon, covering an area of 12,144 hectares of land in Mid Wales within  the counties of Powys and Carmarthenshire.

Site Description

The Sennybridge Training Area consists mainly of a flat upland plateau known locally as Mynydd Epynt. From this plateau spectacular views are afforded across to the Black Mountains, the Brecon Beacons, the Cambrian Mountains and the Carmarthenshire Black Mountain.

Sennybridge is the MOD's third largest training area and is used 350 days a year. Although used for artillery firing, it has increasingly been used for infantry training since the School of Infantry moved to Brecon. As with all Training Areas Sennybridge is a busy area and visitors must be prepared for unexpected noise.

Access Opportunities

The Epynt Way, which is some 80km in length, follows the periphery of the Sennybridge Training Area. The Epynt Way was established in 2003 and was completed 2005. It is a permissive bridleway which is open all the year round; however the MoD reserves the right to close it if there is a requirement to do so. In addition a number of circular routes connect to the Epynt Way.

The Epynt Way caters well for horses and has 5 horse corrals, along with horse box parking areas so people can ride sections or the whole of the Epynt Way. The name means 'mountain (crossed by) a horse path'.

The route encounters many terrains of varying challenges for horses and their riders, so it is recommended that a reconnaissance visit on foot is undertaken to avoid any nasty surprises!

By the Epynt Visitor Centre there is a path specifically designed for less able visitors. It consists of approximately half a mile of surfaced walk way which leads to a viewing area.

Further Information

Further information can be found at the Epynt Visitor Centre at (Grid Ref SN 994 438) which was refurbished in 2009. There are information boards on the geology, archaeology, ecology and local history of the Epynt, as well as the Military use.

Further details of the Epynt Way are also available at the website, detailed on the right under "Related links".

The website gives details of firing times and closures.  In addition, there are leaflets in PDF format which can be printed. These leaflets are also available at the Tourist Information Centres in Brecon and Llanwrtyd Wells.

OS Map References

OS Landranger Sheet 160
(Brecon Beacons) 1:50,000