Annual repairs are currently under way to the main footpath up Pen y Fan.

A helicopter has been giving National Trust Cymru rangers a helping hand in airlifting 180 tonnes of stone scalpings to the high mountain path.

Each square metre of footpath on the increasingly popular route costs more than £300 to repair and the battle to combat erosion to the landscape is ongoing. For more than 30 years National Trust staff and volunteers have used traditional techniques to fix the pitched paths, add drainage ditches and re-vegetate areas to protect the mountain tops and combat soil loss.

More than 750,000 people use the path each year to reach the iconic peaks of Corn Du and Pen y Fan, starting out from Pont ar Daf where the conservation charity are creating a new car park. Funds made from the car parking charges directly contribute towards maintaining the 70km of paths cared for by the Trust in the Central Beacons.

For more information about the Trust’s work in Bannau Brycheiniog visit their website.