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Tours > Wales > Brecon Beacons National Park
Brecon Beacons National Park
In Welsh, Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog (Park Kenned-lye-thol Banneye Bruckeye neeog), the National Park is a vast expanse of empty mountain and moorland dominated by its high grounds. The Black Mountains are to the east; the Black Mountain to the west, and the Beacons in the centre, capped by Pen y Fan (Pen uh Van). At 2,907 ft, Pen y Fan is the highest peak in South Wales. The park is 519 sq. miles, half of which is enclosed farmland, and the other half is used by the British Army as a training ground.
 But there are vast expanses for the hiker to enjoy, grassy hills or steep cliff faces; magical, legend filled lakes, such as Llyn y fan Fach (Thlin uh Van Vach) or Llyn y Fan Fawr (Thlin uh Van Vowr). The famous breed of Welsh pony also has its home in these wild, windswept slopes, which it shares with approximately four million sheep. Pony trekking is an extremely popular summer pastime. At the high point of the road over the Beacons from Merthyr Tydfil to Brecon (A470) is Storey Arms and a Youth Adventure Center.
On the road from Swansea to Brecon you'll find the remarkable edifice known as Craig y Nos (Krige uh Noce), the home of the famed American opera singer Adelina Patti (1843-1919). Here she bought the 1842 mansion and with her second husband, Italian tenor Nicolini, turned it into a mecca for music lovers with a specially built theater. It contains an aviary and a winter garden (now enjoying a new life in Swansea as the Patti Pavilion).
The Brecon Beacons National Park is also the home of the largest explored and developed cave system in Britain at Dan yr Ogof Caves (Dan ur Ogov), first discovered in 1912. The caves can be reached in the Swansea Valley, on the A4067 leading from Swansea to Sennybridge. The longest show cave in Britain is known as Dan yr Ogof; Cathedral Cave has the largest single chamber of any British show cave; and Bone Cave displays the history of the prehistoric men and animals who lived here.
Bronze age inhabitants left many artifacts behind at Dan yr Ogof, including a bronze razor, sword blade and gold bead. The whole system is full of underground lakes, caverns, natural bridges and fine stalactites. Just south of the caves, the grounds of Craig Yr Nos have been converted into a woodland park with summer demonstrations of country crafts.
The Brecon Mountain Railway can be boarded at Pant Station, Dowlais, a few miles north of Merthyr Tydfil (on the A465). The line runs on the bed of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway which closed in 1962 after one hundred years of service. The narrow gauge line run by steam locomotives offers a 50 minute, four-mile return journey, through forests and green hills, with a stop at Taf Fechan (Tahv Veckan) Reservoir.
Next Stop: Tretower Castle and Court
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