Brecon/Aberhonddu

Three rivers meet at Brecon. The Honddu and the Tarell both run into the Usk here, and the Welsh name, Aberhonddu, means the mouth of the Honddu. Brecon Cathedral stands on high ground above the Honddu; it began as the church of a priory set up after the Norman knight Bernard de Neufmarché conquered the area in 1093, and has only been a cathedral since 1923. The old centre has some 460 listed buildings, including the Greek-style Shire Hall of 1839 to 1843, now Y Gaer, the town museum, gallery and library. Brecon Jazz Festival is held every August, the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal ends in a basin by the theatre, and Pen y Fan is a few miles south-west.