Misty Mountain Hop - Pen y Fan, the easy route

Peny Fan in the Brecon Beacons has long been on my to-do list, especially because of the nice, easy route to the summit and its spectacular views...

Starting on a sunny day, by the time I arrived at the car park, the mist had rolled in.

Even so, there were three (yes, three!) snack vans in the car park and many parking spaces already taken (on a misty October morning)

The route was easy to follow, even with the low cloud.

This route is often known as "the motorway" and the clear path shows why.

There were plenty of people on the way...

...plus  wild ponies grazing the heathland.

A short detour took me to the top of Corn Du.  Quite steep, but only about 10 minutes extra walking.

The view on Corn Du summit was somewhat limited

If you peer closely, you can just see the fields far below, honest!

From Corn Du, I descended by the fencing...

...and reached the top of Pen y Fan, my main objective. 
There were plenty of people around to take my picture

The views were hazy, but the mist began to lift

And what I could see was stunning...

...in every direction.

The  view to Cribyn - I was intending to walk there too, but the poor weather meant I left for another day

Looking back to Corn Du, momentarily cloud-free.

Llyn Cwm Llwych (The boggy lake)

On descending, I saw the Saddle, which I'd passed earlier in the mist:the path ahead ascends Corn Du; the right-hand path goes below it straight to Pen y Fan. 

I wondered if I'd witnessed a proposal!

The descent back to the car park (left of the trees)

What a great walk - I left wanting to return very soon, to explore more. Cribyn of course and the unusually named Fan y Big

TODAY'S ROUTE: 5 miles easy. This is a great way to climb a spectacular mountain, even if you have never done one before.  The path was clear, and the ascent not too steep. It would be difficult to get lost, as there are always lots of people on the path. It would be a great first mountain for children, as it is not too far. It took me 1.5 hours to climb up, and 1 hour to descend. This included hanging about on the summit for ages waiting for the mist to clear! What are you waiting for?
Park at the car park just past the Storey Arms, (marked on maps, just outside Brecon) and follow the clear path to the summit and back. Couldn't be more straightforward.
PS I took wet weather gear, dry socks, spare jumper, food, water and a flask of coffee, plus a first aid kit and a whistle. It is the mountains after all.