HEART of DARKNESS

Steam railways, historic castles and a majestic cave system... Victor Charles finds more than mountains in the Brecon Beacons

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Standing amid the stalactites and stalagmites in a massive cave, we could only imagine what it must have been like for Tommy and Jeff Morgan, the brothers who discovered this spectacular system way back in 1912.

Here we were more than 100 years later, revelling in a Welsh treasure. Inspired by the brothers' story, we had travelled to the Brecon Beacons, a wonderful place of natural beauty, with streams and reservoirs, cave systems, a heritage mountain railway and lush woodland landscapes.

We towed our caravan into the campsite at The National Showcaves Centre for Wales, spotting horses and goats at the farm next door. It was a lovely way to start our break in the Welsh countryside, in one of its most visited spots for outdoor pursuits.

The Showcaves are a very popular tourist attraction in South Wales. You have to book ahead of your visit, so we bought tickets for the weekend, when the forecast was for grey skies - saving the predicted sunny days for activities above ground.

We arrived at the campsite on Friday, set up quickly, ate lunch, then headed out to see the sights. We began by visiting Llwyn-onn Reservoir and Garwnant Visitor Centre, following three easy, well-marked walks by a stream, through woodland and alongside trails hosting carved wooden animals.

The landscape was wonderful, and the walks are well worthwhile. The visitor centre has a shop, café and bike hire, so you can cycle around the forest trails if you prefer.

We then went down to the reservoir, following a waterside footpath, watching birds catching insects over the water and seeing the occasional splash of fish.

Discovering Dan-yr-Ogof

The next day, we embarked on our planned trip to the Showcaves. We like to take our time and take lots of photos, so we chose an early slot and stayed all day.