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Eroded Pen y Fan path repaired using helicopter power

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One of Wales' biggest mountains is being kept in peak condition - thanks to a helicopter.

National Trust said the main path up Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons was eroding by as much as 4in (10cm) a year, because annual visitors numbers had doubled to 350,000 in five years.

The trust has now charted a helicopter to airlift tonnes of gravel to protect access to the Powys beauty spot.

A 360 degree video has been made showing how the work is done.

Pen-y-Fan
Tonnes of gravel are being taken up the mountain to rebuild paths

The helicopter which has been making up to 100 trips a day with specially-selected rock to blend in with the landscape.

The trust thanked members of the public for raising £10,000 of £30,000 needed to carry out the work.

While it spends £100,000 annually on central Beacons paths it made an appeal for help to maintain the route earlier this year.

Lead ranger Rob Reith said: "If we don't put some material down to protect the path… it would just be several gullies, scarred landscape, very difficult for people to walk up and we'd lose all these green rolling hills."

Pen-y-Fan
Thousands of people a year use the path up Pen-y-Fan