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Your Guide to the Brecon Beacons
National Park
The Brecon Beacons was designated a National Park in 1957, thanks to its gorgeous, rolling hills, dramatic waterfalls and pretty villages. The Brecon Beacons covers 519 square miles and two thirds of this area is comprised of Old Red Sandstone rocks. They form four distinct blocks of hills which are cut through by major river valleys. The tallest being to Pen y Fan, with its distinctive red table top summit - the highest old Red Sandstone summit in Britain. The landscape is scattered with prehistoric monuments, Roman remains, and medieval castles. There is soo much to explore.
In 2005, the National park was awarded membership of the highly prestigious European Geoparks Network for an area within the Brecon Beacons known as "Fforest Fawr Geopark". This covers western half of the National Park. This was followed in 2006 by designation as a UNESCO Global Geopark.
The southern fringe of the Brecon Beacons National Park
consists of a long belt of outcrop lime stone which has created a highly
distinctive environment characterised by a wooded gorges, caves, swallow
holes, and waterfalls. The best place to discover Brecon's waterfalls
is around Ystradfellte. This area is known as "waterfall country"
and the most memorable has to be "Sgwd-yr-Eira" on the River
Hepste where you are to walk along the path behind the waterfall, sensible
footwear is essential.
Did you know that the Brecon Beacons National Park not only has the highest natural lake in South Wales in Llyn y Fan Fawr but also the largest natural lake in South Wales? This is Llangorse Lake or Lake Syfaddan. It has a circumference of 5 miles and a total area of 327 acres 153 hectares and is one mile long . It is one of the few naturally eutrophic lakes in Wales and is of national if not international importance, surrounded by an extensive reed bed, rich grassland and Alder and Willow woodland it is a haven for wildlife, but is equally well-known for its fishing, sailing, windsurfing.
The Brecon and Monmouthshire Canal is one of the most scenic canal routes in Britain. It runs for 32 miles (51.5 km) through idyllic scenery in the National Park between Brecon and Pontypool. As it goes through the Brecon's it passes through six locks and there are several public houses are to be found adjacent to the canal. One of my favourite spots is the short tunnel through which the canal passes through near Talybont on Usk, as it is fun to watch novice canal users negotiate their way through. The Canal has a few aqueducts along the route, and you are often able to spot a Kingfisher as the canal is a favourite breeding area.
The Brecon Way is a long distance footpath through the Beacons, which is ideal for serious walkers to enjoy, and covering 100 miles. The east-west route starts at Abergavenny and runs westwards to Llangadog and along the eight sections of the walk there are 8 unique pieces of art work set in stone, and it is well worth taking along some A4 paper and a crayon to create a rubbing of each one.
In the east of the Brecon Beacons National Park are the
Black Mountains, with a high point of 811 metres at Waun Fach. They
also form a natural border with Herefordshire and England. Talgarth
is a small and ancient town which sits comfortably beneath the Mountains
and makes a great place to stay to explore this hill walking and mountain
biking terrain.
From Abergavenny with its thriving market and September food Festival to Crickhowell, a Georgian holiday haven, there is something for everyone. Spend time in Talybont nestling between the River Usk and the Brecon Canal or the drovers town of Llandovery, where you can discover the story of the Lady of the Lake or find out how 30,000 cattle could be crammed here on their way to London. No holiday is complete without a visit to Blaenavon World Heritage Site, where you can explore the iron foundry or go down a real coal mine at the Big Pit - and discover how the industrial revolution effected this area.
