Brecon Beacons

The Brecon Beacons are a mountain range in south Wales, crowned by Pen y Fan at 886 metres. The range’s three highest peaks—Pen y Fan, Corn Du and Craig Gwaun Taf—form a long ridge above the Taf Fechan valley. Four glacial cirques lie to the northeast, their steep walls framing long parallel spurs. The Central Beacons sit within the larger Brecon Beacons National Park, which stretches across Powys and four neighbouring counties. The peaks have long guided travellers and soldiers. Early maps from the sixteenth century already called the highest summit ‘the Brecknock Beacon’. Today the Army’s Infantry Battle School trains recruits here, and the SAS tests endurance on the famous Fan dance up Pen y Fan. The range’s name comes from the old kingdom of Brycheiniog, whose Welsh word for peaks gave both the Welsh and English forms. Walkers follow clear paths along the ridge, with views over the reservoirs below. The Brecon Mountain Railway climbs beside Pontsticill Reservoir, offering a slower way to reach the high ground. Heather and grass cover the slopes, while the cirques hold pockets of woodland and streams. On clear days the horizon shows the Malvern Hills and Bristol Channel far to the east.