Picws Du

Picws Du stands on the Carmarthen Fans in the Brecon Beacons National Park, a ridge of high moorland in Carmarthenshire. It is the second highest summit after Fan Foel and overlooks the glacial lake of Llyn y Fan Fach. The summit is marked by a large Bronze Age round barrow at 2,457 feet above sea level. Waun Lefrith is a lower summit to the west, and the peak commands wide views across the Cambrian Mountains and the Bristol Channel. Pen y Fan and Corn Du are visible to the east across Fforest Fawr. The mountain’s geology shows sandstones and mudstones from the early Devonian period, with harder sandstones on the summit and southern slopes. Small glaciers once gouged out the cwms of Pwll yr Henlwch and Pant y Bwlch during the ice ages. Llyn y Fan Fach lies below the summit to the west, and several large moraines retain small pools. The north face has deep gullies formed by debris flows, regarded as the best examples in Britain. A Bronze Age round barrow sits on the summit, unexcavated and in a degraded state. The Beacons Way crosses the ridge, with a high-level route passing over Picws Du and a low-level route running beside Llyn y Fan Fach. Walkers can follow stone pavements and a stone staircase up the escarpment. The red kite, buzzard, kestrel and raven are among the birds found here, while sessile oak clings to sheltered valley sides.