Talybont-on-Usk

Allt yr Esgair is a steep-sided hill to the north east of Talybont, and has an Iron Age settlement on the summit. There are other Iron Age and Bronze Age sites in the vicinity, and a Roman road flanks the slopes of Allt yr Esgair. A small castle was built at Pencelli during the Norman invasion, and this was later replaced by the sixteenth century Pencelli House. The canal was built around 1800 to transport lime, coal and iron to Newport. There are some lime kilns to the east of the village, and a tramroad was built to transport limestone from the crags above. The language of Talybont (and Crickhowell and Llangynidr) was originally Welsh. In his 1893 book Wales and her language, John E…

The village is located on the B4558 road about 6 mi southeast of Brecon and 8 mi northwest of Crickhowell. It is a mile from the River Usk and on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal and is connected to the A40 trunk road on the other side of the Usk by a short section of unclassified road. The village has a shop and several pubs. The valley one mile south of the village is dammed to form the Talybont Reservoir. This has a 380 m dam and there are forest trails in its vicinity. Talybont-on-Usk is a popular place for walkers and offers the Henry Vaughan walk through the nearby countryside where the 18th century poet once lived. Another walk can be followed along the line of the former Brinore…