Brecon Beacons

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View from the 886 meter high Pen y Fan to the 795 meter high Cribyn

The Brecon Beacons ( Welsh: Bannau Brycheiniog ) are a mountain range in south-east Wales. The name comes from the medieval tradition of the beacon ( beacons) on the mountain peaks as a warning of attacks by the British.

Location

The Brecon Beacons include the mountains in the south of Brecon with the Pen y Fan ( 886 m), the Corn Du ( 873 m), the Cribyn (795 m ) and the Fan y Big (719 m). These peaks form a hufeiseinförmigen mountain range to the delta of the river Taf Fechan in the southeast as well as drawn parallel spurs northeast. The Taf Fechan panorama is also called the Beacons horseshoe.

National park

The mountain range forms the core of the Brecon Beacons National Park ( Welsh: Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog ), one of three National Parks in Wales.

The national park was founded in 1957 as the last of the three Welsh parks. With its 1344 square kilometers, it covers significantly from more land than just the Brecon Beacons itself It stretches from Llandeilo in the west to Hay-on -Wye in the east. It also includes the Black Mountains in the east of the park on the border of England and the Black Mountain in the west. The area west of the Fforest Fawr Brecon Beacons is or Large forest called and in 2005 was honored by UNESCO as a Geopark. The park is also known for its waterfalls as the Henrhyd, the 27 meter plunges into the depth or Ystradfellte cases and their cave systems such as Ogof Ffynnon Ddu.

The largest part of the national park consists of using forestry and pasture interspersed moorland. Popular activities in the park include hiking, cycling, horse riding, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, fishing, rock climbing and caving. On 22 May 2005, the first continuous trail was opened, which passes from Abergavenny over a distance of 100 miles of Crickhowell and ends in Bethlehem, Carmarthenshire. On its way from Brecon to Cardiff and the Taff Trail passes through the Beacons.

Due to its remoteness parts of the park are used as a training area for units of the British Army. The Special Air Service SAS is known to perform challenging exercises and marches in the Brecon Beacons.

Villages and settlements

  • Abercrave, Aberdare, Abergavenny, Ammanford
  • Brecon, Brynmawr
  • Crickhowell
  • Glynneath
  • Hay on Wye, Hirwaun
  • Felinfach
  • Llandovery, Llangadog, Llanwrtyd Wells
  • Pontypool, Pontypridd
  • Sennybridge
  • Talgarth, Tredegar
  • Ystradgynlai
Hay-on-Wye
103566
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