What is Crickhowell known for?

Its independent shops and its food. People come for the shopping and stay for lunch. The high street was judged the best in the United Kingdom in 2018, and there are still almost no chains along it.

Is it a good base for walking?

Excellent. The Black Mountains ridge runs north from behind the town, Crug Hywel is an hour up and an hour back, and the central peaks are about forty minutes west by car. The walking festival every March fills the town, so book early for that week.

Abergavenny six miles down the valley, Brecon fourteen miles up it, and the canal at Llangattock just across the bridge. Tretower Court and Castle is three miles west on the A479, with an admission charge and nowhere on site to buy lunch.

Are there dog-friendly places to stay?

Seven of the ten here say yes, the highest share of these three towns. Six have an open fire as well, which matters more than you would think in March. The towpath at Llangattock is the flat walk. The ridge behind the town is open grazing, so leads stay on above the last gate.

How many people do they sleep?

From four up to ten, and four of the ten sleep eight or more. Seven say they suit families. This is the town in the park for a group going in together, which is part of why it is the dearest of the three.

How much does accommodation in Crickhowell cost?

Listed from £12 a night, with the middle of the range at £145. Five of the ten are over £150, because most of them sleep a crowd rather than a couple. Only one is under £100. Each listing shows its own guide price.

Crickhowell Accommodation

Where to Stay in Crickhowell

Crickhowell sits on the Usk under a flat-topped hill called Crug Hywel. The hill came first and the town took its name from it.

Where to find Crickhowell — map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Area

Town

Accommodation Type

11 places to stay · showing 11–11

Book Direct

B&B

The Kestrel Guest House

★★★★4-Star

Crickhowell, Brecon Beacons

2 bedrooms

A 4-star Visit Wales graded guesthouse in the heart of Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons — a superb base for walkers and cyclists in the Usk…

From£75 per night

View details

More About Crickhowell

It is a handsome, well-kept place of Georgian fronts, set deep in the Black Mountains. The walking starts at the end of the street, and the ruined castle sits in its own green in the middle of town.

The bridge is long and low and has a different number of arches on each side. Three miles west at Tretower a ruined keep and the manor house that replaced it stand side by side in one field.

The highest mountain on earth is named after a man from this town. George Everest grew up at Gwernvale, on the western edge of Crickhowell, and spent his working life surveying India from one end to the other.

In 1865 the Royal Geographical Society put his name on the mountain. He never saw it, and he objected to the idea on the grounds that his name could not be written in Hindi.

Crug Hywel is an hour up from the end of the street and an hour back down. The top is ringed by an Iron Age bank and ditch, and on a clear day you see the length of the Usk valley.

Count the arches as you cross the bridge over the Usk. There are thirteen on one side and twelve on the other, and nobody has ever quite squared it up.

The shops are the other reason people stop. There are almost no chains, and in 2018 the high street was named the best in the United Kingdom at the Great British High Street Awards.

That is why people still drive here for lunch and end up carrying a bag home. Book-ish is the bookshop everyone mentions, a shop and café together at 18 High Street. The butcher, the delicatessen and the outdoor shop are all on the same short stretch of High Street.

Tretower, three miles west on the A479, is worth the short drive out. There is an admission charge and the parking is free, and its café is closed at the moment, so take a flask and something to eat.

The town fills every March for the Crickhowell Walking Festival, which puts on more than eighty guided walks over nine days. The one in March 2026 was the eighteenth. Beds go months ahead, so book early for next March.

Crickhowell accommodation — your questions answered

What is Crickhowell known for?: Its independent shops and its food. People come for the shopping and stay for lunch. The high street was judged the best in the United Kingdom in 2018, and there are still almost no chains along it.
Is it a good base for walking?: Excellent. The Black Mountains ridge runs north from behind the town, Crug Hywel is an hour up and an hour back, and the central peaks are about forty minutes west by car. The walking festival every March fills the town, so book early for that week.
What’s nearby?: Abergavenny six miles down the valley, Brecon fourteen miles up it, and the canal at Llangattock just across the bridge. Tretower Court and Castle is three miles west on the A479, with an admission charge and nowhere on site to buy lunch.
Are there dog-friendly places to stay?: Seven of the ten here say yes, the highest share of these three towns. Six have an open fire as well, which matters more than you would think in March. The towpath at Llangattock is the flat walk. The ridge behind the town is open grazing, so leads stay on above the last gate.
How many people do they sleep?: From four up to ten, and four of the ten sleep eight or more. Seven say they suit families. This is the town in the park for a group going in together, which is part of why it is the dearest of the three.
How much does accommodation in Crickhowell cost?: Listed from £12 a night, with the middle of the range at £145. Five of the ten are over £150, because most of them sleep a crowd rather than a couple. Only one is under £100. Each listing shows its own guide price.

Crickhowell sits in the quiet eastern corner of the park, with Crug Hywel behind it and the Black Mountains ridge running north. It is six miles from Abergavenny and fourteen from Brecon, so a car gets you anywhere in the park inside the hour. Most of what is listed here sleeps a group rather than a couple. See the rest of the Brecon Beacons.

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