by Nick Ford

Created on: August 18, 2010

The Brecon Beacons are both a mountain range and a National Park. The park is a well known centre for outdoor pursuits. The mountains are located in mid-Wales just to the north of the formerly industrial Welsh valleys.

The hills to the south of Brecon are known as the Brecon Beacon mountain range. The highest mountains are Pen y Fan (886 m), Corn Du (873 m), Cribyn (795 m) and  Fan y Big (719 m ). These form a horseshoe ridge around the source of the Taf - Fechan river. Several parallel ridges extend north east from the horse shoe.

The National Park which was established in 1957 extends over a much broader area than the mountain range. The Park stretches rather confusingly between two sets of Black Mountains. There are Black Mountains in the east to the south of Hay on Wye and there are Black Mountains in the west to the south of Llandeilo. When storm clouds gather on the Welsh mountains it is easy to see why they are called black. The western section of the national park is known as Fforest Fawr which means the Great Forest. Most of the park is moorland with some pasture and plantations in the valleys. There are some reservoirs in the park, particularly to the north of Merthyr Tydfil which are accessible to sailing enthusiasts. Mountain ponies and sheep graze freely throughout the park. Many waterfalls fall from the crags, the most famous being the 27 metre fall at Sgwd Henrhyd and the falls at Ystradfellte.

The Brecon Beacons have an enviable reputation as a walking centre. The traditional walk has always been top complete the Horseshoe around the headwaters of the Taf - Fechan. In recent years several new long distance footpaths have opened through the Brecon Beacons. The Taff Trail explores that river from its source in the Brecon Beacons to its outfall into the Bristol Channel in Cardiff Bay. The Beacons Way is a long distance footpath which runs the entire length of the Brecon Beacons from Ysgyryd Fawr to the east of Abergavenny to Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire. It opened in May 2005.  The Brecon Beacons Park Society runs guided walks in the park throughout the year. Walkers should beware. The Brecon Beacons are renown for their very rapid changes in weather conditions. A seemingly good day can turn rough even in mid-summer.

In 2005 the western section of the park described by Fforest Fawr and the eastern Black Mountains was designated a European and Global Geopark. The rocks are highly layers and were used by early geologists to map out geological time and understand the Silurian and Ordovician periods. The geopark contains many waterfalls and caves. The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu, or cave of the black Spring, in the upper Swansea valley is the deepest cave in the UK and the second longest in Wales. The cave system is 1010 feet (308 m) deep and a staggering 30 miles (48 km) long.

Part of the Brecon Beacon National Park near Sennybridge is not open to the public. It is used by the British Army to train the elite Special Air Service and for basic infantry training. But, there is plenty of land to go round and the there is no need to intrude on army land.

The Brecon Beacon National Park has facilities to cater for a wide range of outdoor activities. Walking, horse riding, mountain biking and conventional cycling are all possible. Fishing, sailing, canoeing and windsurfing takes place in the rivers and reservoirs. Hang-gliding, rock climbing and potholing are possible in the hills. As one would expect in an rural area noted for its outdoor activities accommodation is limited. Many visitors chose to use a caravan or camp.

Further Reading
 http://www.breconbeacons.org
http://www.breconbeaconsparksociety.org/

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