The Old Exchange Abercraf · Cymru
The Area

Things to do in Abercraf & the Brecon Beacons

The Old Exchange sits in Abercraf (Abercrave), in the upper Swansea Valley where Waterfall Country meets Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park and the Fforest Fawr UNESCO Global Geopark. This is our honest local guide — every entry hand-picked by Gemma & Adam, with distances measured from your front door.

Find Your Way

Everything on one map

The brass pin marks Abercraf village — for privacy, the exact address is shared once your booking is confirmed. Tap any green pin for the full guide to that spot.

Explore by Area

Or narrow it down by where you’re headed

We’ve grouped everything into five parts of the park — from the doorstep to the far western fans — so you can plan around one direction at a time.

From the door On the doorstep Everything you can reach on foot or in a few minutes’ drive. 11 places → 15–20 min Waterfall Country The densest cluster of waterfalls in Wales, a short drive south. 9 places → 30–45 min Brecon Pen y Fan, the market town and the canal — the heart of the park. 4 places → 25–50 min The Black Mountain The quiet, wild western end — and Wales’ great glasshouse beyond. 4 places → 20–35 min Heads of the Valleys Whisky, a 70mph zip line and ironmasters’ history to the east. 3 places →
Who It Suits

A base for every kind of escape

Ordered by what our guests actually do — walking and eating out on Gemma’s recommendations top nearly every review.

Walkers & waterfall hunters

The thing guests rave about most. Two walks start at the door — Cribarth and Henrhyd — and Waterfall Country, the densest cluster of falls in Wales, is a short drive away.

Cribarth — the Sleeping Giant The Four Waterfalls Walk Henrhyd Falls

Food lovers & pub crawlers

Guests come back for the eating out. The Ancient Briton is a 20-minute stroll, Lle Tarw does the valley’s best coffee, and Gemma’s restaurant list means no research required.

The Ancient Briton Lle Tarw The Felin Fach Griffin

Couples & slow weekends

The Old Exchange sleeps two by design. Waterfall walks, castle grounds, a pub dinner you can stroll home from, and a dark sky overhead — romance sorted.

Henrhyd Falls Craig-y-Nos Castle & Country Park The Ancient Briton

Hikers & mountain days

Pen y Fan and the high Beacons are half an hour up the road; quieter summits like Llyn y Fan Fach are closer still.

Pen y Fan Llyn y Fan Fach — the Lady of the Lake Cribarth — the Sleeping Giant

Wedding guests at Craig-y-Nos

Getting married — or invited — at Craig-y-Nos Castle? The Old Exchange is just up the road: a quiet, characterful base minutes from the venue.

Craig-y-Nos Castle & Country Park The Ancient Briton Lle Tarw

Climbers & adrenaline

Sport climbing at Dinas Rock, canyoning in the gorges, and one of the world’s fastest seated zip lines.

Dinas Rock Zip World Tower The Four Waterfalls Walk

Walks & Waterfalls

Waterfalls, summits and riverside rambles — several without touching the car keys.

Walk from the door Henrhyd Falls The tallest waterfall in South Wales — and a bona fide Batcave. Read the guide Walk from the door ★ Guest favourite Cribarth — the Sleeping Giant The hill that watches over the village. Climb the giant from the front door. Read the guide ~25 min drive ★ Guest favourite The Four Waterfalls Walk Four thundering falls in one wooded gorge — including the one you walk behind. Read the guide ~30 min drive Pen y Fan The roof of South Wales — 886 metres of proper mountain, half an hour away. Read the guide ~35 min drive Llyn y Fan Fach — the Lady of the Lake A glacial lake, a fairy legend, and the quietest big views in the Beacons. Read the guide 5 min drive Craig-y-Nos Country Park Forty free acres of lakes and riverside paths — and a Dark Sky Discovery Site — five minutes away. Read the guide ~15 min drive Sgwd Gwladys & the Elidir Trail The gentle waterfall walk — a riverside stroll to the Lady Falls, with a pub at the trailhead. Read the guide About 20 minutes’ drive Porth yr Ogof The largest cave mouth in Wales — where an entire river vanishes underground. Read the guide About 30 minutes’ drive Melincourt Falls A quiet 24-metre curtain of water that Turner came to paint. Read the guide
Days Out

Caves, castles, whisky and rescued monkeys: the big days out are all within easy reach.

5 min drive Dan yr Ogof — The National Showcaves Centre Ten miles of caves, a cathedral underground and 250 life-size dinosaurs. Read the guide 4 min drive Wales Ape & Monkey Sanctuary A hill-farm rescue sanctuary for chimps, baboons and friends — four minutes away. Read the guide 6 min drive Craig-y-Nos Castle & Country Park An opera diva’s castle, a Grade I theatre and 40 free acres of riverside parkland. Read the guide ~20 min drive Penderyn Whisky Distillery The distillery that brought Welsh whisky back from the dead — tours and tastings, 20 minutes away. Read the guide ~45 min drive Carreg Cennen Castle The most dramatically perched castle in Wales — with a secret cave beneath it. Read the guide ~20 min to the start The Black Mountain Pass One of Britain’s great drives — the Top Gear road — starts 20 minutes from the door. Read the guide About 20 minutes’ drive The Glynneath Gunpowder Works Moss-covered ruins of Wales’ first gunpowder works, lost in a wooded gorge. Read the guide About an hour’s drive National Botanic Garden of Wales The world’s largest single-span glasshouse — and a British bird-of-prey centre. Read the guide About 20 minutes’ drive Spring Valley Lakes Lakeside activity day in the Vale of Neath — paddle, swim or take aim. Read the guide About 20 minutes’ drive Glynneath Golf Club A friendly hillside eighteen with long views over the Vale of Neath. Read the guide About 35 minutes’ drive Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery An ironmaster’s Gothic “castle”, now a museum in a lakeside park. Read the guide
Adventure

Climb it, zip down it or canyon through it — the upper valley is an outdoor playground.

~20 min drive Dinas Rock Limestone walls, sleeping knights and canyoning gorges at the gateway to Waterfall Country. Read the guide ~25 min drive Zip World Tower A 70mph zip line over the pit the miners bought back. Read the guide 6 min drive Pentre Riding Stables Pony trekking straight onto the open mountain — no roads, all views. Read the guide Guided in Waterfall Country, about 20–30 minutes away Gorge Walking in Waterfall Country The wettest, wildest way to take on the waterfalls — with a qualified guide. Read the guide Under an hour’s drive Parkwood Outdoors Dolygaer Instructor-led adventure above Pontsticill Reservoir — climb, paddle, gorge-walk. Read the guide
Eat & Drink

Award-winning ale, serious coffee and a proper Sunday lunch, all within a village or two.

~35 min drive The Felin Fach Griffin The area’s destination meal — a Michelin-listed dining pub fed by its own kitchen garden. Read the guide 5 min drive The Penycae Inn An award-winning gastropub with its own little zoo out the back. Really. Read the guide Stroll or 3 min drive ★ Guest favourite The Ancient Briton The walk-to pub: twelve handpumps, home cooking and a proper Welsh welcome. Read the guide Stroll or 2 min drive ★ Guest favourite Lle Tarw Speciality coffee and serious brownies in a quirky roadside hideout. Read the guide
Evenings & Culture

Cinema in a miners’ hall, theatre on a canal basin — the after-dark question, answered.

~6 min drive The Welfare, Ystradgynlais First-run cinema and touring bands in a century-old miners’ hall, five minutes away. Read the guide ~25 min drive Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon Theatre on the canal basin — drama, comedy and mountain-film nights, 25 minutes away. Read the guide
Remembrance

Two places of quiet remembrance nearby — visited gently, to pay respects.

Trailhead about 10 minutes’ drive The Wellington MF509 Memorial, Carreg Goch A mountain walk to where six Canadian airmen fell — and are still remembered. Read the guide About 45 minutes’ drive The Aberfan Memorial A place of quiet remembrance for the 144 lives lost in October 1966. Read the guide
Plan Around

More guides

Festivals & Events Staying for Green Man, Brecon Jazz or the Royal Welsh? The year’s big events within an hour of the door — with dates, distances and why to base yourself here. See the events guide For Cyclists A traffic-free path from the door, and Dragon Ride climbs all around NCN Route 43, the Black Mountain, Devil’s Elbow and the climbs of the 2027 Tour de France. See the cycling guide After Dark You’re sleeping inside an International Dark Sky Reserve An official stargazing site five minutes away, and the Milky Way visible to the naked eye. See the stargazing guide Cold-Water Country Wild swimming in Waterfall Country — done safely River pools and plunge pools between the Swansea Valley falls and the upper Usk, with the safety note first. See the wild-swimming guide Local Produce Farmers’ markets, starting ten minutes up the valley Artisan bread, Welsh cheeses and street food — a good market within reach most weekends, from Craig-y-Nos to Brecon and Swansea. See the markets guide
Getting Here

Finding The Old Exchange

Abercraf sits on the A4067 between Swansea and the heart of the Beacons — around 40 minutes from the M4. There’s free parking at the property, and the exact address is shared through Airbnb once your booking is confirmed.

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Make Abercraf your base

Live availability, exact pricing and instant booking are all on the Airbnb listing.

There’s a 2-night minimum stay.

Bookings are handled securely through Airbnb.

Check availability

Pick your dates and we’ll take you straight to the Airbnb listing.

There’s a 2-night minimum stay.