Introduction:
Some
national parks are wilderness areas, others are landscapes where people
have lived and worked for thousands of years. Ten
National Parks were created in England and Wales at during the 1950’s.
The Brecon Beacons is one of three in Wales, along with the
Pembrokeshire Coast and Snowdonia National
Parks. England has seven
National Parks, which include the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales,
and Dartmoor. Recently the Broads have been given a similar
status and presently the South Downs will be designated. The establishment of
National Parks in Scotland (for long one of only four countries in the
world without) is currently underway. Altogether they cover more than
10% of the land in the United Kingdom.
Image
produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey
and Multi Media Mapping.
A Lived in Landscape:
The
Brecon Beacons National Park is one of these "working" or
“lived in” landscapes, which has evolved over the centuries as a mix
of natural beauty and human history. The designated area encompassed
within this national Park covers some 519 square miles over half of
which is 1,000 ft above sea level. Pen Y Fan the highest mountain in
South Wales reaches 2,907 ft above sea level (886 metres). It is perhaps
easiest to understand the geography of this national park as a quartet
of upland ranges. The central massif known as the Brecon Beacons is
located between Merthyr Tydfil in the south and Brecon in the north.
This includes such notable peaks as Pen y
Fan, Cribyn, and Corn Du as
well as the most popular high level ridge walk - the Beacons horseshoe.
The Eastern part of this quartet is known as the Black Mountains
(plural) which is in the region located between Abergavenny and
Crickhowell in the south with Hay on Wye to the North. In the far West
of the National Park is the upland range known as the Black Mountain
(singular). This remote almost wilderness like location contains one of
the finest ridge walks anywhere in England or Wales encompassing the
Carmarthen Fans. Sandwiched between the Brecon Beacons central massif
and the Black Mountain in the West can be found Forest Fawr roughly
located between Ystradfellte and waterfall country in the south with
Sennybridge in the north.
Designation and Ownership:
The
designation of the Brecon Beacons as a National Park in 1957 recognised
the outstanding qualities of the landscape. A special authority was set
up to conserve and protect the countryside and to help people enjoy and
understand this beautiful area. On behalf of us all, the National Park
Authority works to ensure that the park remains a special place for the
people who live and work here and for visitors, both now and in the
future. Ownership of land within the national park is not altered by
National Park designation. Much of the park is owned and cared for by
the farmers who live and work here. Some land belongs to private estates
and companies. More than a quarter of the land is owned or leased by
public bodies or companies such as Welsh Water, Forest Enterprise, and
the National Trust as well as by the National Park authority itself.
Since the early 1980's the authority has acquired over 19 thousands
hectares of common land to ensure their traditional use as grazing land
and to protect the wider public interest in these beautiful places for
the future.
Landscape
Character and History:
The
Brecon Beacons National Park is a beautiful area with dramatic scenery,
varied wild life and an intriguing past. It is a landscape of contrasts
with wild, open moor land and water falls, windswept mountains and
sheltered valleys, bustling market towns and isolated farmsteads. In
this rural area farming dominates the landscape and Welsh cultural
traditions are warmly regarded - especially in the west. This agricultural
landscape is rich in wildlife habitats with a wonderful variety of plants
and animals some internationally rare. There is a powerful sense of
history in the legacy of ancient historic buildings and tell tale signs
even in the remotest landscape locations illuminating the story of the
people who have lived and worked here during the last five thousands
years.
General Information:
Brecon Beacons:
Black Mountain - The West
Black Mountains - the East
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