52-528: River Tanat , also known as Afon Tanat , is a river in northern Powys , Wales . Its source is close to the Cyrniau Nod mountain, to the north of Lake Vyrnwy . The river flows in a generally east-south-east direction until it joins the River Vyrnwy near Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain . For a short distance prior to its confluence it flows within western Shropshire , England . Its tributaries include
104-407: A "huge blow". Most of the national park is bare, grassy moorland grazed by Welsh mountain ponies and Welsh mountain sheep , with scattered forestry plantations , and pasture in the valleys. Common ravens , red kites , peregrine falcons , northern wheatears , ring ouzels , and the rare merlin breeds in the park. The Brecon Beacons National Park was established in 1957, the third of
156-558: A continuous massif of high ground above 300 metres (1000'). The A470 road forms the approximate boundary between the central Beacons and Fforest Fawr. The highest peak of the Black Mountain is Fan Brycheiniog , at 802.5 metres (2,633 ft). There are notable waterfalls in this area, including the 90-foot (27 m) Henrhyd Falls and the Ystradfellte falls to the south of Fforest Fawr. The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system
208-705: A further 54 enclosures and settlement sites. Powys is served by the Cambrian Line and Heart of Wales line which offer connections to major towns and cities such as Swansea , Wrexham , Shrewsbury , Birmingham , Wolverhampton , Manchester , Cardiff , Aberystwyth , London and Telford . The county used to be served by key railways such as the Mid-Wales Railway , Oswestry and Newtown Railway , Tanat Valley Light Railway , Llanfyllin Branch , Leominster and Kington Railway , Swansea Vale Railway and
260-460: A paragraph on Brecknockshire, John Leland 's 1536–1539 Itinerary notes that: Blak Montayne is most famose, for he strecchith, as I have lerned, his rootes on one side within a iiii. or v. myles of Monemuth , and on the other side as nere to Cairmerdin ( Carmarthen ). Though this be al one montayne, yet many partes of him have sundry names. Leland ascribes the name "Banne Brekeniauc" to the hills surrounding "Artures Hille" (Pen-y-Fan), also calling
312-489: A population of 133,891 in 2022. After Newtown (11,362), the most populous settlements are Ystradgynlais (8,270), Brecon (8,254), and Llandrindod Wells (5,602). The county is entirely rural, and characterised by multiple market towns and villages. The Welsh language can be spoken by 16.4% of the population. The county is predominantly hilly and mountainous. To the west lie the Cambrian Mountains , where
364-581: A significant role during the Industrial Revolution as various raw materials including limestone, silica sand and ironstone were quarried for transport southwards to the furnaces of the industrialising South Wales Valleys . The Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre was opened in 1966 to help visitors understand and enjoy the area. This western half of the national park gained European and global status in 2005 as Fforest Fawr Geopark , which includes
416-520: A slightly smaller area than it does presently. A 'Variation Order' was made in June 1966 to extend it by about 4.5 square miles (12 km ) at its southeastern extremity. West of the canal, the boundary had previously been drawn along the boundary between the (then) administrative parishes of Llanover and Goytre. The park is managed by Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, a special purpose local authority with responsibilities to conserve and enhance
468-532: A total area of 1,344 square kilometres (519 sq mi). The Brecon Beacons and Fforest Fawr uplands form the central section of the park. To the east are the Black Mountains , which extend beyond the national park boundary into England, and to the west is the similarly named but distinct Black Mountain range. These ranges share much of the same basic geology, the southerly dip of the rock strata leading to north-facing escarpments. The highest peak of
520-649: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in England is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Wales is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Powys Powys ( / ˈ p oʊ ɪ s , ˈ p aʊ ɪ s / POH -iss, POW -iss , Welsh: [ˈpou̯ɪs] ) is a county and preserved county in Wales . It borders Gwynedd , Denbighshire , and Wrexham to
572-542: Is a " semé of black lozenges " for the former coal mining industry, while the golden fleece it carries is a reference to the importance of sheep rearing in the county. The county motto is: Powys – the paradise of Wales ( Welsh : Powys Paradwys Cymru ). On 1 April 1974, Powys was created under the Local Government Act 1972. At first, the former administrative counties of Montgomery , Radnor , and Brecknock were districts within it. On 1 April 1996,
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#1732786567511624-547: Is also a standards committee with three members. Between 1995 and 2020 the park authority had 24 members, sixteen appointed by the local authorities and eight by the government. Outdoor activities in Brecon Beacons National Park include walking , cycling , mountain biking and horse riding , as well as sailing , windsurfing , canoeing , fishing , rock climbing , hang-gliding , caravanning , camping and caving . A long-distance cycling route,
676-493: Is first attested in the sixteenth century, and 'Brecon Beacons' first occurs in the eighteenth century as "Brecknock Beacons". Bannau Brycheiniog derives from the Welsh bannau , "peaks", and Brycheiniog , the name of an early medieval kingdom which covered the area. The English name is derived from the Welsh one; in the eleventh century the town of Brecon is recorded as 'Brecheniauc', which became "Brecknock" and "Brecon". In
728-498: Is located two miles (3 km) north of Merthyr Tydfil town centre. Mountain rescue in south Wales is provided by five volunteer groups, with the police having overall command. In serious situations they were historically aided by Royal Navy or Royal Air Force helicopters from RM Chivenor or RAF Valley , but since 2015 this task has been performed by Bristow Helicopters on behalf of HM Coastguard . The five groups are: The groups are funded primarily by donations. Their work
780-553: Is not restricted to mountain rescue – they frequently assist the police in their search for missing or vulnerable people in the community. The Brecon Beacons are used for training members of the UK armed forces and military reservists . The Army ’s Infantry Battle School is located at Brecon, and the Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service use the area to test the fitness of applicants. An exercise unique to
832-720: Is now the largest administrative area in Wales by land and area ( Dyfed was until 1996 before several former counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 were abolished). It is bounded to the north by Gwynedd , Denbighshire and Wrexham County Borough ; to the west by Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire ; to the east by Shropshire and Herefordshire ; and to the south by Rhondda Cynon Taf , Merthyr Tydfil County Borough , Caerphilly County Borough , Blaenau Gwent , Monmouthshire and Neath Port Talbot . The largest towns are Newtown , Ystradgynlais , Brecon , Welshpool , Llandrindod Wells and Knighton . Powys has
884-442: Is on the southwestern edge of Fforest Fawr. Numerous town and community councils operate within these areas and include the town councils for Brecon and Hay on Wye and the community councils for Cefn-coed-y-cymmer , Llanfihangel Cwmdu with Bwlch and Cathedine , Llangattock , Llangors , Llanthony , Llywel , Pontsticill , Pontsarn and Vaynor , Talybont-on-Usk , Trallong , Trecastle and Ystradfellte . The geology of
936-725: Is the region northwest of Welshpool. The county is named after the Kingdom of Powys , which was a Welsh successor state , petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain . Powys covers the same area as the historic counties of Montgomeryshire , Radnorshire , and Brecknockshire . Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire , most of Brecknockshire , and part of historic Denbighshire . With an area of about 2,000 square miles (5,200 km ), it
988-523: The Afon Eirth , Afon Rhaeadr , Afon Iwrch and Afon Goch , and they form part of the Tanat Valley . [REDACTED] Media related to River Tanat at Wikimedia Commons 52°47′N 3°07′W / 52.783°N 3.117°W / 52.783; -3.117 This Powys location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Shropshire location article
1040-759: The Black Mountains in the east, the Brecon Beacons and Fforest Fawr uplands in the centre, and the Black Mountain in the west. The park is entirely within Wales and therefore excludes the Olchon Valley and Black Hill , which are part of the Black Mountains but in the English county of Herefordshire . The central Brecon Beacons range comprises six main peaks, which from west to east are: Corn Du, 873 metres (2,864 ft); Pen y Fan,
1092-595: The Brecon Mountain Railway . The railway is a 1 ft 11 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ( 603 mm ) narrow gauge tourist railway on the south side of the Brecon Beacons. It climbs northwards from Pant along the full length of the Pontsticill Reservoir (also called 'Taf Fechan' reservoir by Welsh Water ) and continues past the adjoining Pentwyn Reservoir to Torpantau railway station . The railway's starting point at Pant
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#17327865675111144-682: The Caledonian orogeny . Further faulting and folding, particularly in the south of the park is associated with the Variscan orogeny . The area was inhabited during the Neolithic and the succeeding Bronze Age , the most obvious legacy of the latter being the numerous burial cairns which adorn the hills of the centre and west of the National Park. There are remnants of round barrows on Fan Brycheiniog, Pen y Fan and Corn Du. The former
1196-499: The Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway , all of which offered connections to South Wales , Hereford , Oswestry , North Wales and West Wales but have all since closed. The gold in the county coat of arms symbolises the wealth of the area. Black is for both mining and the Black Mountains . The fountain is a medieval heraldic charge displayed as a roundel barry wavy argent and azure. It represents water and refers to both
1248-484: The Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire . The Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire and Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire were appointed as lieutenants. The present lord lieutenant is Shân Legge-Bourke of Crickhowell . From 2024, Powys would be in the UK parliament constituencies of Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe and Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr , both of which extend out of the county. In December 2007, Powys
1300-630: The River Severn and River Wye both have their source on the Powys side of the Plynlimon massif; together with their tributaries they drain most of the county. The southern quarter of the county is occupied by the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) national park, and further north are two more upland areas, Mynydd Epynt and Radnor Forest . The only extensive area of flat land in Powys
1352-642: The Taff Trail , passes over the Beacons on its way from Brecon to Cardiff , and in 2005 the first walk to span the entire length of the park was opened. The 99-mile (159 km) route, called the Beacons Way , runs from Abergavenny via The Skirrid ( Ysgyryd Fawr ) in the east and ends in the village of Llangadog in Carmarthenshire in the west. A railway with narrow gauge trains is run by
1404-432: The water catchment area and the rivers and lakes. Thus, the arms contain references to the hills and mountains, rivers and lakes, water supply and industry. The crest continues the colouring of the arms. A tower has been used in preference to a mural crown , which alludes to the county's military history and remains. From the tower rises a red kite , a bird almost extinct elsewhere in Britain but thriving in Powys. The bird
1456-611: The Black Mountain, the historic extent of Fforest Fawr, and much of the Brecon Beacons range and surrounding lowlands. The entire national park achieved the status of being an International Dark Sky Reserve in February 2013. 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
1508-480: The Black Mountains is Waun Fach (811 metres (2,661 ft)), and Fan Brycheiniog (802.5 metres (2,633 ft)) is the highest of the Black Mountain. The park was founded in 1957 and is the third and most recently designated national park in Wales , after Snowdonia (Eryri) and the Pembrokeshire Coast . It is visited by approximately 4.4 million people each year. The name Bannau Brycheiniog
1560-554: The Brecons Beacons range from the national park, the range is sometimes called the "Central Beacons". In April 2023, the national park changed its name to Bannau Brycheiniog in English , abandoning the previous English name Brecon Beacons . The area covered by the national park stretches from Llandeilo in the west to Hay-on-Wye in the northeast and Pontypool in the southeast, covering 519 square miles (1,340 km ). It principally consists of three mountain ranges;
1612-648: The Romans came to Wales in 43 CE, they stationed more than 600 soldiers in the area. Y Gaer , near the town of Brecon was their main base. During the Norman Conquest many castles were erected throughout the park, including Carreg Cennen Castle . Brecon Castle is of Norman origin. There are many old tracks which were used over the centuries by drovers to take their cattle and geese to market in England. The drovers brought back gorse seed , which they sowed to provide food for their sheep . The area played
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1664-468: The ancient Welsh Kingdom of Powys , which in the sixth century AD included the northern two-thirds of the area as well as most of Shropshire and adjacent areas now in England, and came to an end when it was occupied by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd of Gwynedd during the 1260s. The uplands retain evidence of occupation from long before the Kingdom of Powys, and before the Romans, who built roads and forts across
1716-642: The area is the ' Fan dance ', which takes place on Pen y Fan. In July 2013 three soldiers died from overheating or heatstroke on an SAS selection exercise. An army captain had been found dead on Corn Du earlier in the year after training in freezing weather for the SAS. On 17 April 2023 it was announced that the National Park had officially adopted the name Bannau Brycheiniog in both Welsh and English. The new official English name became Bannau Brycheiniog National Park , or "the Bannau" for short. The change took effect on
1768-600: The area. There are 1130 identified burial mounds within the county, of varying styles and ages, dating from 4000 BC to 1000 BC, most of them belonging to the Bronze Age . Of these, 339 are scheduled monuments . Standing stones , most again dating to the Bronze Age, also occur in large numbers, 276 being found across the county, of which 92 are scheduled. From the Iron Age , the county has 90 scheduled hillforts and
1820-636: The decision, with its leader Jane Dodds comparing it to movements in New Zealand. Conservative MP James Evans described the move as "not a priority" for locals and raised concerns over cost, and the local Conservative MP, Fay Jones , argued that the English name could have been kept. Upon the news of the name change the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated "I'm going to keep calling it the Brecon Beacons, and I would imagine most people will do that too." Catherine Mealing-Jones,
1872-453: The districts were abolished, and Powys was reconstituted as a unitary authority . There was a minor border adjustment in the northeast—specifically, the addition of the communities of Llansilin and Llangedwyn from Glyndŵr district in Clwyd —and with moving the border, so that rather than half of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, all is included. The first Lord Lieutenant of Powys was previously
1924-465: The highest peak, 886 metres (2,907 ft); Cribyn , 795 metres (2,608 ft); Fan y Bîg , 719 metres (2,359 ft); Bwlch y Ddwyallt , 754 metres (2,474 ft); and Waun Rydd , 769 metres (2,523 ft). These summits form a long ridge , and the sections joining the first four form a horseshoe shape around the head of the Taf Fechan , which flows away to the southeast. To the northeast of
1976-408: The industrial area of Ystradgynlais in the southwest of Brecknockshire. In Radnorshire, the language survived into the 20th century west of Rhayader with a few native speakers from Nantmel parish surviving into the 20th century too. The 2021 census recorded that 16.4% of the population were able to speak the Welsh language, a decline from 18.6% in 2011 and 21% in 2001 . The county is named after
2028-516: The lowest population density of all the principal areas of Wales. Most of Powys is mountainous, and most roads and railways are relatively slow. Just under a third of the residents have Welsh linguistic skills: Welsh speakers are concentrated mainly in the rural areas both in and around Machynlleth , Llanfyllin and Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant (where William Morgan first translated the whole Bible into Welsh in 1588) in Montgomeryshire, and
2080-522: The national park consists of a thick succession of sedimentary rocks laid down from the late Ordovician through the Silurian and Devonian to the late Carboniferous period. The rock sequence most closely associated with the park is the Old Red Sandstone from which most of its mountains are formed. The older parts of the succession, in the northwest, were folded and faulted during
2132-543: The natural beauty of the park, aid visitors' enjoyment of the park, and support the economic and social well-being of local communities. The National Park Authority has 18 members, twelve are appointed by the area's local authorities and six by the Welsh Government. Of the local authority members six are appointed by Powys County Council, and one each by the councils of Blaenau Gwent, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Torfaen. There
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2184-490: The north; the English ceremonial counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire to the east; Monmouthshire , Blaenau Gwent , Merthyr Tydfil , Caerphilly , Rhondda Cynon Taf , and Neath Port Talbot to the south; and Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion to the west. The largest settlement is Newtown , and the administrative centre is Llandrindod Wells . Powys is the largest and most sparsely populated county in Wales, having an area of 5,181 km (2,000 sq mi) and
2236-441: The park authority's CEO, stated: "the name Brecon Beacons doesn't make any sense – the translation Brecon Beacons doesn't really mean anything in Welsh", adding that "a massive carbon-burning brazier is not a good look for an environmental organisation". Mealing-Jones admitted that people can refer to the park by either name, and that the change "isn't compulsory", but hoped the emphasis on the Welsh name would encourage people to use
2288-617: The range the "Banne Hilles". The term "Brecknock Beacons" was used in the eighteenth century and referred to the area around Pen y Fan, which was itself was sometimes called 'the (Brecknock) Beacon'. For instance, Emanuel Bowen's A New and accurate map of South Wales (1729) labels the peak as 'The Vann or Brecknock Beacon', John Clark's 1794 General View of the Agriculture of the County of Brecknock refers to 'the Vann, or Brecknock Beacon,
2340-530: The ridge, interspersed with long parallel spurs, are four cirques (Welsh: cwm ) or four round-headed valleys, which from west to east these are Cwm Sere, Cwm Cynwyn, Cwm Oergwm and Cwm Cwareli. The Black Mountains in the east are clearly separated from the central Beacons range by the Usk valley between Brecon and Abergavenny. Waun Fach (811 metres (2,661 ft)) is the highest mountain in this range. The Brecon Beacons range, Fforest Fawr, and Black Mountain form
2392-422: The same day, the 66th anniversary of the park's designation. The authority stated that the change was to promote the area's culture and heritage, as well as part of a wider overhaul of how the park is managed and to address environmental issues , such as climate change , and removing references to carbon-emitting beacons. The plan for the park to become net zero by 2035 and to address environmental concerns
2444-405: The term. She stated: "We’d always had the name Bannau Brycheiniog as the Welsh translation and [...] we wanted to be celebrating Welsh people, Welsh culture, Welsh food, Welsh farming". In May 2023 more than 50 local businesses in the national park campaigned for the "Brecon Beacons" name be restored alongside the Welsh name as a dual name. The campaigners say the decision did not respect Wales as
2496-596: The three Welsh parks after Snowdonia in 1951 and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in 1952. It covers an area of 519 square miles (1,340 km ), which is much larger than the Brecon Beacons range. Over half of the park is in the south of Powys ; the remainder of the park is split between northwestern Monmouthshire , eastern Carmarthenshire , northern Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil , and very small areas of Blaenau Gwent , and Torfaen . The Park as designated in 1957 covered
2548-743: The undisputed sovereign of all the mountains in South Wales', and an 1839 tithe map of Cantref parish labels the mountain simply 'Beacon'. A slightly wider definition was used in 1809 by the Breconshire historian Theophilus Jones , who wrote that 'of the lofty summits of the Brecknock Beacons, that most southwards is the lowest, and the other two nearly of a height, they are sometimes called Cader Arthur or Arthur's chair'. This implies that "Brecknock Beacons" referred to only three summits, including Pen y Fan and Corn Du. To distinguish
2600-525: Was awarded Fair Trade County status by The Fairtrade Foundation . Brecon Beacons National Park Brecon Beacons National Park , officially named Bannau Brycheiniog National Park ( Welsh pronunciation ), is a national park in Wales. It is named after the Brecon Beacons ( Welsh : Bannau Brycheiniog ), the mountain range at its centre. The national park includes the highest mountain in South Wales, Pen y Fan , which has an elevation of 886 metres (2,907 ft). The national park has
2652-600: Was excavated in 2002–4 and the ashes in the central cist dated to about 2000 BCE using radiocarbon dating . A wreath of meadowsweet was probably placed in the burial. Over twenty hillforts were established in the area during the Iron Age . The largest, and indeed the largest in South Wales , were the pair of forts atop y Garn Goch near Bethlehem, Carmarthenshire – y Gaer Fawr and y Gaer Fach – literally "the big fort" and "the little fort". The forts are thought to have once been trading and political centres. When
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#17327865675112704-484: Was supported by Welsh actor Michael Sheen . The change was described by a local as "pride" for Welsh-speakers, while others admitted both names would probably continue to be used. As part of the name change, the park also adopted a different logo, replacing its previous logo showing a lit beacon. Plaid Cymru's Welsh language spokesperson supported the move, while the Welsh Liberal Democrats welcomed
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