Fforest Fawr

Fforest Fawr is a large upland area in Powys, Wales, within the Brecon Beacons National Park. Once a royal hunting ground for centuries, it now serves as a landscape for sheep grazing, forestry, water collection and recreation. The region stretches from the Black Mountain in the west to the A470 road near the Brecon Beacons. It includes several notable peaks such as Fan Fawr, Fan Frynych and Fan Llia. The name ‘Fforest Fawr’ comes from the medieval term for land set aside for hunting, not from woodland. The area holds archaeological treasures like standing stones Maen Llia and Maen Madoc near the Roman road Sarn Helen. Remains of Bronze Age round barrows and hut circles dot the moorland, including a cairn on Fan Gyhirych. The Fforest Fawr Geopark, established in 2005, highlights its geological heritage with features such as glacial cirques and landslips. Two long-distance paths, the Beacons Way and the Cambrian Way, cross the region, offering walkers access to its varied terrain. Visitors find open moorland, conifer plantations and reservoirs like Ystradfellte and Cray. The peaks rise above dramatic landscapes shaped by ice ages and rock faults. Natural Resources Wales manages the national nature reserve on Fan Frynych and Craig Cerrig-gleisiad for its rare Arctic–alpine plants. Ancient tracks and standing stones connect the modern paths, linking past and present across the uplands.