Rownd Mynydd Du 

25 summits, 108 km, +4,300 m

Rownd Mynydd Du (Black Mountains Round) is a circular fell running round that starts and finishes in the market town of Abergavenny*, summiting every mountain and significant hill in the Black Mountains area of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park. 

The round visits 25 summits or trig points and depending on route choice, comes in at a distance of between 108 km (67 miles) – 117 km (72 miles) with between 4,300 m (14,100 ft) – 5,300 m (17,388 ft) of elevation gain and loss.

The round was devised by Mynydd Du club member Brett Mahoney and its first completion was made in winter conditions on 5th December 2021 by Brett Mahoney & Tim Woodier. The round provides an excellent tour of the eastern area of the National Park and is an admirable stepping stone to the classic rounds (Bob Graham / Paddy Buckley / Charlie Ramsay) for aspiring fell runners.

Current overall record:

Male: Brett Mahoney & Tim Woodier (Joint) – 16:26:03

Female: Elizabeth Gatherer – 18:59:14

See below for table of all completions 

General rules / ethics for a legitimate completion

Athletes attempting the round must adhere to the countryside code – no crossing of private land other than by rights of way. Leave no trace / leave it better than you find it and respect the beautiful landscape you are adventuring through.

Start / Finish Point: The official start and end point of the round is touching the gate outside the Scout Hall in the centre of Abergavenny (SO 2998 1454). * If you can reduce your travel / environmental impact by starting and ending the round at a different point on the course, please do so! You must however still visit and touch the gate at the Scout Hall as part of your round.

The 25 summits and/or trigs: 

All must be summited to achieve a successful round: 

1. Pen y Fâl (Sugar Loaf) - 596m (SO 2726 1878)

2. Crug Hywel (Table Mountain) - 450m (SO 2252 2071)

3. Pen Cerrig Calch - 701m (SO 2170 2236)

4. Pen Allt Mawr - 719m (SO 2068 2433)

5. Pen Twyn Glas - 646m (SO 2129 2574)

6. Mynydd Llysiau - 663m (SO 2072 2792)

7. Mynydd Llangors - 506m (SO 1571 2611)

8. Mynydd Troed - 609m (SO 1656 2922)

9. Waun Fach - 810m (SO 2154 2997)

10. Pen Y Gadair Fawr - 800m (SO 2294 2876)

11. Pen Twyn Mawr - 658m (SO 2421 2673)

12. Crug Mawr - 550m (SO 2621 2268)

13. Bal Mawr - 607m (SO 2675 2710)

14. Chwarel Y Fan - 670m (SO 2582 2941)

15. Twyn Talycefn - 702m (SO 2205 3252)

16. Rhos Dirion - 713m (SO 2114 3341)

17. Twmpa (Lord Hereford’s Knob) - 680m (SO 2248 3505)

18. Penybegwm (Hay Bluff) - 677m (SO 2442 3663)

19. Crib y Garth (Black Hill) - 640m (SO 2748 3481)

20. Unnamed Trig - 610m (SO 2809 3077)

21. Unnamed Trig - 552m (SO 3045 2787)

22. Hatterrall Hill - 464m (SO 3152 2414)

23. Twyn y Gaer - 427m (SO 2935 2195)

24. Bryn Arw (Cairn) - 383m (SO 3028 2023)

25. Ysgyryd Fawr - 486m (SO 3310 1828)

Route choice: The route and direction of travel are entirely up to the individual, providing they abide by the rules and ethics set out above.

Photos from the first round, 2021

Submission of a successful round

To submit a successful round completion, please e-mail: secretary@mynydd-du.org including a round report (as short or long as you like!), gpx file, date of completion and time elapsed along with a declaration of what category and style you completed it in.

Category and style of completion: The category and style of completion used will fall in line with those highlighted by the Fastest Known Time website: https://fastestknowntime.com/guidelines  

More information on category and style can be found at the FKT website: https://fastestknowntime.com/guidelines  

New records: If you believe you have achieved a Fastest Known Time (FKT) in your category and style, please also submit your completion to the FKT website here: https://fastestknowntime.com/submit-fkt

The round is listed as Rownd Mynydd Du (Black Mountains Round) (United Kingdom)

Table of all completions

Rownd Mynydd Du - Completions.xlsx