The Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons (Welsh: Bannau Brycheiniog) is a mountain range located in the south-east of Wales. It forms the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog), one of Wales's three National Parks.
History
The National Park was established in 1957, the last of the three Welsh parks; (Snowdonia was first in 1951) with the Pembrokeshire Coast being the other. It covers 519 square miles (1344 km²), 332 100 acres stretching from Llandeilo in the west to Hay-on-Wye in the east. It encompasses the ranges confusingly named the Black Mountains (in the east of the park, on the border with England) and the Black Mountain (in the west). The area to the west of the Brecon Beacons range is known as the Fforest Fawr (Great Forest), and was designated a geopark by UNESCO in 2005. Most of the national park is moorland, with some forestry plantations, and pasture in the valleys. In 1966 the Brecon Beacons Mountains Centre was opened to better enable visitors and tourists to interpret the area.
On 22 May 2005, the first walk to span the entire length of the Brecon Beacons National Park was opened. The 100-mile (160 km) route, called The Beacons Way, runs from Abergavenny, through Crickhowell and ends in the village of Bethlehem, Carmarthenshire.
In 2006 and 2007 controversy surrounded the government decision to build the South Wales Gas Pipeline through the park, the national park authority calling the decision a “huge blow”. However it is now completed.
The Range
The Brecon Beacons range consists of the mountains to the south of Brecon. The highest of these is Pen y Fan (886 m); other notable summits include Corn Du (873 m), Cribyn (795 m), and Fan y Bîg (719 m). These summits form a long ridge which forms a horseshoe around the head of the Taf Fechan river to the south-east, with long parallel spurs extending to the north-east. The round of the Taf Fechan skyline forms a popular ridge walk known as the 'Beacons Horseshoe'. Many other fine walks exist in this part of the National Park but the mountains are known for swift changes in weather conditions, even in summer. In winter they can be dangerous.
The Brecon Beacons are named after the ancient practice of lighting signal fires (beacons) on mountains to warn of attacks by the English, or more recently to commemorate public and national events such as coronations or the Millennium.
Visitor Attractions
Activities in the park include walking, cycling, mountain biking, horse riding, as well as sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and fishing its rivers and reservoirs, rock climbing, hang-gliding, caravanning, camping and caving. The Taff Trail also passes through the Beacons on its way from Brecon to Cardiff. The park is known for its waterfalls, including the 27-metre Henrhyd Waterfall and the falls at Ystradfellte, and its caves, such as Ogof Ffynnon Ddu.
The Brecon Mountain Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway that runs through the Brecon Beacons along the full length of the Taf Fechan Reservoir. It is located three miles north of Merthyr Tydfil.
The line runs along part of the trackbed of the northern section of the former standard gauge Brecon and Merthyr Railway from Pant to Pontsticill and then to Dolygaer. The purpose of the line is to take tourists into the Brecon Beacons National Park in preference to them entering with their cars. Plans exist for the line to be extended as far as Torpantau, at the southern entrance to the tunnel that carried the line through the hills, along the side of Glyn Colwen and as far as Brecon.
The Beacons Way is a waymarked long distance footpath that runs for 161 km / 100 miles through the National Park. It is a strenuous walk with plenty of ascents and descents. Wet weather can make the route extremely difficult and dangerous and large sections of the route are isolated. It can be walked in its entireity in about 8 days but could easily take twice as long as there is so much to explore and enjoy en route.