A small market town on the southern edge of the Black Mountains and in the eastern part of the Brecon Beacons National Park, Crickhowell is a popular tourism destination.

John Evans described Crickhowell as the “Glittering Jewel of the Vale” in his 19th century book, The Garden of Wales.

The chain-free High Street prides itself on being one of the few thriving thoroughfares left where local businesses sell local produce.

The town has a population of around 2,800 people.

Crickhowell’s most notable son was the surveyor Sir George Everest (1798–1866), a Surveyor-General of India, after whom Mount Everest was named.