Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BRECON BEACONS NATIONAL PARK
Rippling dramatically for 45 miles from Llandeilo in the west all the way to the English
border, Brecon Beacons National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) encom-
passes some of the finest scenery in South Wales. High mountain plateaus of grass and
heather, their northern rims scalloped with glacier-scoured hollows, rise above wooded,
waterfall-splashed valleys and green, rural landscapes. It couldn't be more different than
rock-strewn Snowdonia to the north, but it offers comparable thrills.
There are four distinct regions within the park, neatly bounded by main roads: the wild,
lonely
Black Mountain
(Mynydd Du) in the west, with its high moors and glacial lakes;
Fforest
Fawr
(Great Forest), which lies between the A4067 and A470, whose rushing streams and
spectacular waterfalls form the headwaters of the Rivers Tawe and Neath; the
Brecon Beacons
(Bannau Brycheiniog) proper, a group of very distinctive, flat-topped hills that includes
Pen-y-Fan (886m), the park's (and southern Britain's) highest peak; and, from the A40
northeast to the English border, the rolling heathland ridges of the
Black Mountains
(Y
Mynyddoedd Duon) - don't confuse them with the Black Mountain (singular) in the west.
In 2005 the western half of the national park was given geopark recognition by Unesco.
The
Fforest Fawr Geopark
(
www.fforestfawrgeopark.org.uk
)
stretches from Black Mountain in the west
to Pen-y-Fan in the east, and it takes in important landscape features such as the ice-sculp-
ted northern faces of the Brecon Beacons, the gorges and waterfalls around Ystradfellte,
and the caves and limestone pavements of the southern Black Mountain.
There are hundreds of walking routes in the park, ranging from gentle strolls to strenu-
ous climbs. The park's staff organise guided walks and other active events throughout sum-
mer. A set of six Walk Cards (£1 each) is available from the town tourist offices in and
around the park, as well as the national park visitor centre near Libanus.
Likewise, there are many excellent off-road mountain-biking routes, including a series of
14 graded and waymarked trails detailed in a map and guidebook pack (£7.50); see also
Ordnance Survey (OS) Landranger maps 160 and 161 cover most of the park, and have
walking and cycling trails marked.
Getting There & Away
There is no public transport other than the Beacons Buses.
