Fan Gyhirych

Fan Gyhirych stands in the Fforest Fawr section of Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales. The mountain lies within the county of Breconshire and is administered as part of Powys. Its highest point reaches 725 metres and is marked by a trig point on the western side of the summit plateau. The hill drains to the north into the Afon Crai and to the south and west into the River Tawe. Fan Fraith, a nearby hill, is considered a subsidiary top of Fan Gyhirych. The hill is formed largely from sandstones of the Brownstones Formation laid down during the Devonian period. A part of the summit plateau is capped by sandstones of the Plateau Beds Formation, which also occur on Fan Fraith. The Cribarth Disturbance, a zone of faulting and folding, passes through the hill. The hill’s finest feature is its north-eastern cwm, which held a small glacier during the ice ages. The area is within the Fforest Fawr Geopark, recognised for its geological heritage. Entrepreneur John Christie ran the Brecon Forest Tramroad along the lower western flanks of the hill in the early 19th century. Two lines of this tramroad can still be seen diverging near their crossing of the Nant Gyhirych. The Neath and Brecon Railway was later constructed following part of the lower tramway route, though it closed in the 1960s. Walkers have the freedom to wander across the entire hill, though most use a vehicular track that ascends the broad south ridge. The mountain has a Summits On The Air reference of GW/SW-006.