Brecon Prom

Brecon Prom – an ideal walk if you are visiting Brecon and want to walk by the river from the town centre.

This is an ideal walk for you if you’re visiting Brecon for a saunter around town and fancy a walk beside the River.

There’s nothing better than strolling along this riverside promenade to experience the river Usk in all its glory.

Sometimes you can spot kingfishers and dippers.

The Promenade is popular with families for walking, picnics and dog walking. There are surfaced riverside paths, a large meadow, views of the Beacons and a children’s play area. A flat tarmac path with seating, runs alongside the River Usk for approx. 1/2 miles/800m from the entrance at Watergate bridge to the meadow. If approaching from the town end, it is necessary to cross a short, but steep, flood embankment from the car park, near Watergate bridge. This section can get flooded after heavy rain.

An alternative route is along Kensington. Again, there is a short steep flood embankment by the bowling club. After passing the weir, the path splits. The left fork slopes down, the right fork is level, then slopes down. Further upriver from the Promenade car park there is a flat surfaced circular path with benches and grassy meadows. A further ¼ mile/400m through the meadows is accessible to walkers via narrow kissing gates. The path continues, but stops being easily accessible, becoming narrow, steep in places, and uneven with compacted soil and grass and exposed tree roots in places.

This route is a grade 2 walk – a route with tarmac surface, some sections with slight gradients but no gates. There are plenty of seats along the way.

Of interest

You’ll experience the river in one of its many moods: anything from dreamily flowing along at a low level to a raging chocolate coloured torrent (brown with mud stirred up by it’s passage). Fish abound in the river Usk’s waters feeding kingfishers, cormorants and mallard and goosander ducks. Look out for the blue flash of the kingfisher as it darts along the river, or you may spot cormorants perched near the weir drying themselves after diving for fish under the water.

Llanfaes Bridge with its seven arches which was originally built in 1563 but has been much modified since, previously you would have had to wade across river via a ford near this point before the bridge was built.

Public Transport: Buses from Swansea, Cardiff, Abergavenny and Hereford (TC) to Brecon Interchange approx.0.75 miles (1.2km) away. To access the Promenade take no. 40 town bus (TC) to Cradoc Rd and there is a 5 min walk from there along Fenni Fach Rd. Be aware some stretches have no pavement.

Parking: Pay and Display car parks at the Promenade (the furthest car park is nearest the toilets) and at Kensington car park, all with disabled parking bays.

Nearest EV Charging: Morrisons Brecon, Free Street, LD3 7SE

Facilities: There is a café and boat hire at the Promenade car park. There is a kiosk café at by the Kensington car park with outside seating. Both open late spring to autumn.

Toilets: Toilets, including a disabled toilet (RADAR) can be found at the main public toilet block at the Upper Meadow car park.