Autumn Scenic Drives in Mid Wales: The Devil’s Staircase, Llyn Brianne and the Elan Valley

Autumn is when the Cambrian Mountains are at their most dramatic. The bracken turns rust-red on the open hill, the larch plantations go gold, and the oak in the valley bottoms holds its colour into November. The light is low and changes by the minute. If you are on a Mid Wales holiday in October or early November, some of the best of it is seen from the car, on roads that most visitors to Wales never find.

This guide covers four autumn scenic drives in Mid Wales that start within easy reach of Graig Fawr, our holiday cottage near Beulah. Two of them cross some of the emptiest country in southern Britain. All of them are best taken slowly, with stops.

A word of honesty first: two of these roads are single-track mountain roads with steep gradients and few places to pass. They are not hard driving if you take your time, but they are not the place to be in a hurry, in ice, or after very heavy rain. We note the hazards for each one below.

When Does Autumn Colour Peak in Mid Wales?

There is no fixed date, and it varies with the weather each year. The Woodland Trust records full autumn colour in sessile oak (the oak of the Welsh valleys) anywhere from early October to late November. The Ramblers put the peak in the south of the UK at mid to late October.

From what we see on our own land, mid-October to early November is the reliable window here. Bracken on the open hill turns earlier than the trees, so the uplands go bronze first and the valley woods follow. A sharp frost or a big autumn gale can end the show quickly, so if the forecast is calm and bright, use that day.

Autumn also brings new birds. Redwings and fieldfares arrive in the UK from Scandinavia from October, and you will see flocks working the hedgerows and rowan berries along these roads. Red kites and buzzards are easy to spot over open ground. There is more on the season in our guide to autumn in the Cambrian Mountains.

Drive One: The Abergwesyn Pass and the Devil’s Staircase

This is the one people come for. The Abergwesyn Pass runs from Llanwrtyd Wells, which is a few miles from Graig Fawr, through the hamlet of Abergwesyn and over the mountain to Tregaron, a distance of about 20 miles.

The road

From Abergwesyn the road climbs the valley beside the River Irfon, crossing it several times on low bridges. It then reaches the Devil’s Staircase, a series of steep hairpins at a gradient of 1 in 4 (25%). The road tops out at around 475 metres and drops through open moorland and forestry towards Tregaron. There is a second steep descent on the far side.

It is single-track throughout, with passing places. You will meet sheep on the road and cross cattle grids. Grit bins line the steepest section, which tells you what it is like in winter.

What you will see

The upper Irfon valley runs through Abergwesyn Common, owned by the National Trust. In autumn, the bracken on these slopes is the dominant colour, and the narrow valley floor holds the stream, the old field walls and stands of oak. There is roadside parking only, so pull in carefully where there is room.

This was once a drovers’ route, used to move cattle and sheep from west Wales towards the English markets. It is easy to imagine standing on the Staircase on a still day.

Hazards and timing

• Low bridges in the valley can become impassable after very heavy rain. Do not attempt them in a flood.
• Give yourself plenty of daylight. Allow at least half a day for the round trip with stops.
• In frost or snow, leave it for another day.
• Take a flask and food. There is nothing on the pass itself.

Drive Two: Llyn Brianne

A junction off the Abergwesyn Pass leads south to Llyn Brianne, and the two pair naturally into one day. The road down to the reservoir is wider, with better visibility than the Staircase.

The reservoir

Llyn Brianne was completed in the early 1970s. Its rock-fill dam stands 91 metres (300 feet) high and is often described as the tallest dam in the UK. The reservoir sits at almost 300 metres among the conifer forest of the upper Tywi, and its long arms reach back into the hills. In autumn the larch along the shoreline turns gold against the dark spruce, and on a still day the whole scene repeats in the water.

Llyn Brianne is also a Dark Sky Discovery site, so if you stay late on a clear evening it is a good place to look up on the way home.

Twm Siôn Cati’s cave

Below the dam, near Rhandirmwyn, the RSPB’s Gwenffrwd-Dinas reserve has a two-mile loop through steep oak woodland to the cave of Twm Siôn Cati, the 16th-century outlaw sometimes called the Welsh Robin Hood. About half the path is rough and slippery when wet, so it needs boots. In autumn the oak woods along the river are some of the best colour on this whole drive.

Drive Three: The Elan Valley and the Mountain Road

The Elan Valley is 10 to 15 miles north of Graig Fawr, past Rhayader. It is the most visited of these drives and the easiest to do, with good roads and a visitor centre.

The dams

There are five dams on the Elan and Claerwen: Caban Coch, Garreg Ddu, Pen y Garreg and Craig Goch on the Elan, and Claerwen on its own valley. The Elan dams were built between 1893 and 1904 to send water to Birmingham. Claerwen is the newest and largest. Queen Elizabeth II opened it on 23 October 1952, one of her first engagements as monarch.

The road up the Elan from the visitor centre passes each dam in turn, with stopping places along the way. In autumn the oak and birch along the reservoirs are at their best, and the hillsides above them are bracken and moor.

The mountain road to Cwmystwyth

From the top of the Elan, a single-track mountain road continues west across open moorland to Cwmystwyth, past old lead mine workings, and on towards Devil’s Bridge. It has been listed by the AA as one of the best scenic drives in the world. It is high, open and exposed, so check the weather and turn back if cloud comes down.

The Elan Valley Visitor Centre is open all year with shorter winter hours, and its café overlooks Caban Coch. Our guide to the Elan Valley’s reservoirs and trails covers the valley in more detail.

Drive Four: Mynydd Epynt and the B4519

South of Graig Fawr, the B4519 crosses Mynydd Epynt, a broad, high moorland plateau between Garth and Upper Chapel. It is a very different drive: wide open sky, rolling grass and moor, and views towards Bannau Brycheiniog on a clear day.

The history

Much of Epynt is the Sennybridge Training Area. In 1940, the War Office cleared the land for military training. Fifty-four farms and a pub received notices to leave, and a Welsh-speaking community was moved out almost overnight. The ruin of the Drovers Arms, a former inn, still stands beside the road.

What to know

The land beside the road is military, with live firing ranges. Red flags by day and red lights at night mean firing is taking place. Never leave the road or the marked paths onto the range. The Epynt Visitor Centre on the B4519 between Upper Chapel and Garth has free parking and toilets, and is a good place to stop and read about the clearance.

Epynt is at its best on a bright autumn afternoon, when the moor glows bronze and the light runs long across it.

The Four Drives at a Glance

Drive	Road type	Best for	Watch for
Abergwesyn Pass and Devil’s Staircase	Single-track, 25% hairpins	Bracken, river valley, wild moor	Low bridges after heavy rain, ice, sheep
Llyn Brianne	Wider side road	Forest, reservoir, dam	Rough paths at the RSPB reserve
Elan Valley and the mountain road	Good valley road, then single-track	Dams, oak woods, open moor	Cloud on the mountain road
Mynydd Epynt (B4519)	Two-way B road	Open sky, history, big views	Military firing: red flags

Planning an Autumn Driving Day

Start early. By late October the light goes around five, and earlier still once the clocks change. The best colour shows in morning and late afternoon sun, so plan the long stretches for midday.

Fuel up first. The filling station at Beulah is about 3.5 miles from Graig Fawr and is the nearest. There are no fuel stops on the Abergwesyn Pass or across the Epynt.

Download maps. Mobile signal on these roads is patchy or absent. Download offline maps before you leave, and do not rely on sat-nav to choose a route over the mountains.

Bring the dogs. All four drives have places to stop and stretch your legs. Keep dogs on leads near sheep, which are everywhere up here.

Pair it with a walk. Our guide to hiking near Builth Wells suggests walks along the way, and the walkers’ and cyclists’ base camp piece covers the Devil’s Staircase from a cyclist’s point of view.

Why Graig Fawr Is a Good Base for Autumn Drives

Graig Fawr is a stone barn holiday cottage for two on our 40-acre conservation farm at Llanafanfawr, near Beulah. As a holiday let, it sits right at the centre of these four drives. Llanwrtyd Wells and the start of the Abergwesyn Pass are a short drive west. The Elan Valley is 10 to 15 miles north through Rhayader, and the Epynt lies to the south.

Autumn on the farm is worth staying in for as well. The hedgerows are full of fruit, the meadow edges go bronze, and the woodland on the 40 acres turns slowly through October. Coming back after a day on the mountain roads, you can walk the mown trails before dark or sit out on the patio overlooking the pond.

The barn has underfloor heating throughout, powered by the farm’s air source heat pumps and solar panels, so it is warm when you come in from a cold afternoon on the hill. Up to two dogs are welcome at no extra charge.

A short break of three nights is enough for two of these drives and a slower day at home. A week lets you wait for the clear, still days that show autumn at its best, which is how we would do it. Our guide to autumn and winter short breaks has more ideas for the season.

Plan Your Autumn Holiday at Graig Fawr

If you like the idea of an autumn holiday spent on empty mountain roads, with a quiet farm and a warm barn to come back to, Graig Fawr is a good place to do it from. It suits a short break or a longer holiday, with up to two dogs welcome. Check availability for Graig Fawr on Airbnb, or email us at paul@wildahome.co.uk to book direct with no booking fees on top.