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41-639: Fforest Fawr ( Welsh pronunciation: [ˌfɔrɛst ˈvau̯r] , transl.  "Great Forest" ) is an extensive upland area in the county of Powys , Wales . Formerly known as the Great Forest of Brecknock in English, it was a royal hunting area for several centuries but is now used primarily for sheep grazing, forestry, water catchment and recreation. It lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park . The area extends from

82-705: 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

123-545: A legend, the local people built four churches in a circle around the Radnor Forest in order to contain the last dragon in Wales , who lay sleeping in the area. The churches, at Llanfihangel Cefnllys , Llanfihangel Rhydithon ( Dolau ), Llanfihangel Nant Melan and Llanfihangel Cascob , were all dedicated to St Michael (Welsh: Mihangel) victor over the dragon. Some people believed that the dragon would awaken if any of

164-416: A number of interesting mosses and liverworts . A variety of typical upland breeding birds are present, including raptors such as the red kite and common buzzard , as well as red grouse , whinchat , European stonechat , northern wheatear and the white-throated dipper at or near the many streams in the forest. Radnorshire Wildlife Trust maintain the 33 hectare Mynydd Ffoesidoes Nature Reserve on

205-613: A set of three gulleys running down the mountain slope on the western side of the Harley valley. There is also some evidence for mining activity. The town of New Radnor was a planned Norman settlement, and there is a large mound just to the north of the town marking the site of a motte and bailey castle . The forest was exploited as a military training area during the Second World War , and has remnants of such activity such as bomb craters and slit trenches. The Harley Dingle site

246-444: A tramroad across the area from Sennybridge to Ystradgynlais in an effort to improve agricultural production though the venture ran into financial difficulties. Parts of the area, notably on the flanks of Cefn Cul above Cray Reservoir , were set aside during the 19th century for rabbit breeding for both fur and meat. 'Pillow mounds' remain as the most obvious sign of this venture. These long low earth mounds were constructed to allow

287-416: Is a county and preserved county in Wales . It borders Gwynedd , Denbighshire , and Wrexham to 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

328-542: 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,

369-472: Is but thinly scattered and does not form the extensive stands so familiar only a few miles west. Peat pools support common cottongrass Eriophorum angustifolium . The steep-sided dingles and rock outcrops of the Forest's edge support rich plant communities, since these eastern Silurian shales are slightly calcareous. Mossy saxifrage and rock stonecrop are common on some cliff faces, with marjoram and

410-402: Is dominated by a mixture of dwarf shrubs, heather , crowberry , and bilberry . Mixed with these dwarf shrubs are hare's-tail cottongrass , purple moor-grass , sedges such as Carex binervis and a number of mosses and lichens . The dwarf shrubs are very well grown and suggest the area has suffered little from fires in the recent past and that grazing pressures are light. Purple moor-grass

451-442: Is equipped with a trig point to mark the summit. A similar plateau adjoining to the east, Black Mixen is the only Nuttall to have a communications mast (a radio transmitter ) on its summit. The massif is formed from argillaceous rocks of Ludlow age , i.e. late Silurian around 425 million years ago. The strata are exposed around Harley Dingle and Whinyard Rocks. In 2020 the area was in course of being geologically mapped for

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492-772: 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

533-419: Is now wild moorland . They are mainly of British Bronze Age date of 2000 BC and sometimes earlier, although few have been excavated scientifically. The cairn on Fan Foel excavated in 2002-4 showed a central cist with the ashes and bones of a woman and two children of date about 2000 BC with a possible wreath of meadowsweet flowers. Although it is an area of open moorland today, it was much more wooded in

574-725: 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

615-677: The Carboniferous Limestone and, to its south, that of the Twrch Sandstone , formerly known as (and still commonly referred to as) the Basal Grit of the Millstone Grit . These three suites of rock all dip southwards into the regionally important South Wales Coalfield basin. The area is criss-crossed by faults which fall into two groups. Two major faults which are closely associated with tight folding of

656-563: 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

697-532: 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

738-463: The Roman road of Sarn Helen . There are also remains of hut circles , stone circles , stone rows and other traces of habitation such as hut platforms and pillow mounds. The mounds are the large remains of former attempts to farm rabbits on the moorland . There are also round barrows visible usually as cairns sometimes on the peak summits, such as that on Fan Gyhirych but also elsewhere on what

779-484: 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

820-545: The A44 main road from Kington to Aberystwyth , shortly after New Radnor , and there is a small car park for visitors to the Warren Wood reserve maintained by Natural Resources Wales . The cascade can be reached via a short walkway beside the river in the hanging valley . There are two other small car parks around the edge of the forest to the north and the east which allow public access to the moorland and woods. According to

861-482: 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 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

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902-576: 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

943-521: The animals to burrow in what were otherwise thin soils. Since October 2005 it has formed the core of the Fforest Fawr Geopark , the first Geopark in Wales and one of several areas in the UK designated for their outstanding geological heritage. The waters of the southerly-flowing Afon Dringarth have been impounded between Fan Fawr and Fan Llia as Ystradfellte Reservoir . The headwaters of

984-600: 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

1025-453: 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

1066-591: The edge of the Black Mountain in the west eastwards to the A470 Brecon to Merthyr Tydfil road, just west of the Brecon Beacons themselves. It includes the peaks of Fan Fawr (734 m), Fan Frynych (629 m), Craig Cerrig-gleisiad (629 m), Fan Llia (632 m), Fan Nedd (663 m), Fan Gyhirych (725 m), Fan Bwlch Chwyth (603 m) and Cefn Cul (562 m). Traditionally Fforest Fawr also included

1107-573: The entire area is open access for walkers. Two major long-distance paths , the Beacons Way and the Cambrian Way , run east–west through Fforest Fawr. [REDACTED] Media related to Fforest Fawr at Wikimedia Commons 51°51′N 3°35′W  /  51.850°N 3.583°W  / 51.850; -3.583 Powys Powys ( / ˈ p oʊ ɪ s , ˈ p aʊ ɪ s / POH -iss, POW -iss , Welsh: [ˈpou̯ɪs] )

1148-421: The exclusion zone, further land to the west of Black Brook is subject to restricted access due to the presence of unexploded ordnance. The area is home to a waterfall or cascade which is known as "Water Break-its-neck". The Waterfall has been popular with tourists for over 200 years and was an especially popular destination for Victorian tourists. It can be reached via a short rough track or forestry road from

1189-460: 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

1230-447: The limestone and Millstone Grit outcrop. The area was glaciated during the ice ages and at least three glacial cirques are evident, of which Craig Cerrig-gleisiad is the most dramatic. At both this location and on the eastern slopes of Fan Dringarth are spectacular landslips . There are many extant prehistoric monuments in the area, and especially two famous standing stones , Maen Llia and Maen Madoc , both of which stand near to

1271-516: 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

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1312-543: The northerly-flowing Afon Crai are stored in Cray Reservoir immediately west of the A4067 Ystradgynlais to Sennybridge road. There are numerous conifer plantations on both the northern and southern slopes of Fforest Fawr. Fan Frynych and Craig Cerrig-gleisiad are protected as a national nature reserve which is owned and managed by Natural Resources Wales for its Arctic–alpine flora. Almost

1353-459: The past; but that is not the meaning of "Fforest" in the name. In the Middle Ages, "forest" referred to land demarcated for hunting, with the right to hunt animals there restricted to the local lord (cf Radnor Forest and New Forest ). Bernard de Neufmarche , Norman lord of Brecon, established the forest around 1100. In the 13th century, another part of the highland was added, to the SW of Sennybridge ;

1394-657: The peaks of Fan Hir and Fan Brycheiniog , although the modern recreational use of the name tends to be restricted to the area east of the Black Mountain of which they form a part. The area is largely underlain by sandstones and mudstones of the Old Red Sandstone , of which the more resistant sandstone beds, the Brownstones Formation give rise to the major peaks. To the south of the main peaks are two more broken north-facing scarps, that of

1435-701: The population. The county is predominantly hilly and mountainous. To the west lie the Cambrian Mountains , where 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

1476-493: The publication of the 'Knighton' 1:50,000 scale geological map by the British Geological Survey , no such work having been undertaken in this area since the middle of the nineteenth century. Part of the area is a designated and protected SSSI , with rare saxifrage and other plants. It covers the highest peaks and a rocky gorge near the centre. The vegetation of the summit ridges is fairly uniform, and

1517-630: The rocks through which they pass, constitute one group. These are known as the Cribarth and Neath Disturbances . They run north-east to south-west through the area and are usually associated with the Variscan orogeny though the origins of these weaknesses in the Earth's crust can perhaps be ascribed to the earlier Caledonian Orogeny . The second set of faults form something of a swarm which run north-northwest to south-southeast and are most apparent within

1558-417: The summit plateau. The topmost parts of the forest exhibit several Bronze Age round barrows , and there are also several ring cairns in the area. Most occur on or near the peaks, such as Black Mixen and Bache Hill . Prehistoric settlement is shown by hut circles often present as distinctive platforms. On the west side of Harley Dingle is a distinctive landscape feature known as "The Three Wriggles",

1599-681: The two were distinguished by the names Fforest Fach (Little Forest) and Fforest Fawr (Great Forest). Following the Norman Conquest the area was owned by the Lord of Brecon, Bernard de Neufmarche, eventually passing into the possession of the Crown in 1521. It was sold by the Crown in 1819 to raise funds depleted by the cost of the Napoleonic Wars . The entrepreneur John Christie purchased some of this land and subsequently constructed

1640-451: Was awarded Fair Trade County status by The Fairtrade Foundation . Radnor Forest The area lies to the north of the Black Mountains and to the east of the Cambrian Mountains . Hergest Ridge is immediately to the south-east of the area (just across the English border into Herefordshire ), near the small town of Kington . The highest point in the area is Rhos Fawr a broad plateau which reaches 660 metres (2,165 ft), and

1681-429: Was used by Imperial Chemical Industries ' defence arm during the 1920s. It was subsequently used in connection with the development of rocket motors and other weapons systems. Now operated by Radnor Range Ltd, it is still used for testing ammunition and ordnance. A public exclusion zone exists around the facility with multiple warning flags and signs at the boundaries of the range. The zone was extended during 2017. Beyond

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