Hay Bluff has, in my opinion, some of the most spectacular views in the whole of Wales so I thought it deserved a Virtual cache to celebrate this.
As with all outdoor activity, especially in mountainous environments, please ensure you are suitably equipped for the terrain with wet ground being potentially slippery. Also be prepared for the weather bearing in mind that on the summit it will likely be colder and windier than at the car parks and the weather may deteriorate quickly even on what may seem to be the balmiest of days.
Hay Bluff is a prominant hill at the very northern tip of the Black Mountains and sits at the point where the main northeast facing escarpment meets the northwest facing escarpment that forms the southern border of the mid-Wye valley above the town of Hay-on-Wye. The flat summit is at an altitude of 677 metres or 2,221 feet above sea level but only has a prominance of about 10m from the main ridge. At the summit (listed coordinates) is a Trig Point which you will need to visit to claim the cache find.
For those who like an adventure, a night time visit is to be recommended especially on a clear night when the dark skies, a result of minimal light polution, produce a spectacular display of the stars and planets. Auroral displays may also be glimpsed during periods of intense solar activity.
In March 2024, the summit of Hay Bluff became quite famous when a 3 metre tall stainless steel monolith appeared close to the summit. Who put it there remains a mystery but it has since been removed.
The closest road to Hay Bluff is the narrow single track road which leads over the Gospel Pass, at 549 metres or 1,801 feet high it is the highest paved road in the entirity of Wales. This road was made famous, or infamous, as the moorland road in the opening scenes of the 1981 classic horror film "An American Werewolf in London". In poor weather it is easy to see why it was used.
Access to the top of Hay Bluff can be made by a number of routes including the Offa's Dyke long distance footpath with climbs the eastern flank or a more direct, steep path up the northern front of the hill; both can be accessed from the flat car park on the northern side of the hill. An easier route of about 1 mile each way is from the small Gospel Pass car park which follows a well defined path along the top of the western escarpment known as Ffynnon y Parc. The entire hill is open access land.
UPDATE: The road up the valley to the Gospel Pass from Cwmyoy via Llanthony is now back open
THE VIRTUAL CACHE
To claim the cache you will need to answer two questions - please submit the answers to my profile via the message centre and do not include them in your logs or pass them on to other people. You will also need to submit a photo as proof of visit.
Question 1 - On the Trig Point (listed coordinates) is a small square plaque - Not the flush bracket - What are the two letters on this plaque?
Question 2 - On the path leading to the summit (waypoint Q2) - What crosses the footpath at this point?
Photo - Please submit a photo as proof of visit as follows (see examples below) - note AI generated or photoshopped images will result in the log being deleted
- Either a selfie including a photo of the view and the trig point (If you don't wish to show your face it must include your caching name)
- Or a photo of the flush bracket with you caching name clearly visible.
When writing up your log it might be nice to include a brief description of the weather conditions you encountered along with an estimate of how far reaching your views were.
Enjoy your visit, stay safe and I hope you will not be disappointed.
The cache is on Open Access Land and has been placed with kind permission and knowledge of the Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority.
FTF - Coedmieri & Superpower11
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Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.