Fforest Fawr Geopark
Encyclopedia
Fforest Fawr Geopark was the first Geopark
to be designated in Wales
having gained membership of both the European Geoparks Network
and the UNESCO
-assisted Global Network of National Geoparks in October 2005. The Geopark aims to promote and support sustainable tourism
and other opportunities to improve the economy of the area whilst safeguarding the natural environment. Its aims largely coincide with the statutory duties and purpose of the National Park
within which it sits.
. At its heart are the mountain massifs of Fforest Fawr
, the Black Mountain
and the central Brecon Beacons
. The designated area includes the surrounding lowlands; principally parts of the Usk
, Towy, Tawe and Taf
valleys.
outcrop in various parts of the Geopark. The oldest (of late Ordovician age) occur in the northwest whilst the youngest (of late Carboniferous age) occur along its southern margins.
Many of the Ordovician and Silurian
age sandstone
s and mudstone
s were faulted and tightly folded during the Caledonian Orogeny
. The overlying Devonian
and Carboniferous age sandstones (eg Twrch Sandstone), mudstones and limestone
s have generally been tilted gently to the south and southwest towards the main South Wales Coalfield
basin.
The area was subject to repeated glaciation during the Quaternary period. Glacial till covers large parts of the landscape whilst recessional moraine
s occur within the major valleys of the Geopark and late-glacial moraines form striking features beneath the main north and north-east facing scarps of the mountains. Numerous landslips have occurred in the post-glacial period in both bedrock and superficial deposits, though these are no longer active.
Karst
ic landforms are characteristic of the belt of limestone which runs east-west through the Geopark and include some of Britain's most extensive cave networks including its deepest (Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
at 308m) and large numbers of shakeholes
, the most impressive of which occur where a relatively thin cover of the younger Twrch Sandstone overlies the limestone.
The limestone has been extensively worked in the past and numerous abandoned small quarries are scattered across the outcrops of the Old Red Sandstone which has been worked for building and roofing stone. Quarries in the Twrch Sandstone yielded a very pure silica which when crushed, was specially suitable for the manufacture of firebricks. Sub-tropically weathered occurrences of this rock appear as soft sand deposits ('silica sand') which were worked for a similar purpose.
The Old Red Sandstone
(ORS) forms the principal summits which have attracted walkers to the area for decades. Walks on Pen y Fan
and Corn Du
and over the Carmarthen Fans / Bannau Brycheiniog are amongst the most popular. Carboniferous Limestone
forms an east-west belt of country to the south of the ORS which sports some of the country’s longest and deepest cave networks such as Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
and the impressive Porth yr Ogof
into which the Afon Mellte flows. Further south again is a Millstone Grit
landscape, the most visited part of which is Waterfall Country
which boasts the finest collection of waterfalls in the UK.
Bronze Age
standing stones, Iron Age
hillforts and mediaeval castles all feature with Maen Llia
, Carn Goch and Carreg Cennen Castle being outstanding examples of each to be found in the Geopark.
The industrial archaeology
of the Geopark is outstanding as the industrial revolution
shifted into gear in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries making South Wales one of the earliest industrialised societies in the world. Limekilns
dot the hillsides wherever limestone puts in an appearance and tramways for conveying both raw materials and finished products are plentiful. The ambitious Brecon Forest Tramroad
scheme was one of the earliest and longest tramway systems in the world. Tramways also served the silica rock mines and quarries, notably around Dinas Rock
and the gorge of the Nedd Fechan
at Pontneddfechan. Many of these sites are interpreted for the visitor, others are left for the enthusiast to discover.
A Geopark Development Officer was appointed in January 2007 whilst the National Park Authority also employs an education officer part of whose time is dedicated to the Geopark and the Geopark’s Waterfalls Centre has been staffed by two information assistants since summer 2007.
The Geopark hosted a meeting of the European Geoparks Network in Brecon in spring 2011.
In common with other Geoparks, Fforest Fawr was reassessed in summer of 2008 after an initial three year period of membership of the EGN. It was successfully revalidated and will be reassessed again in 2012.
and the British Geological Survey
. A Partnership Board meets annually whilst a Management Group meets quarterly to consider strategy and project work. Both the Board and the Group derive their membership from a wide cross-section of interests with a stake in the success of the Geopark. These interests include but are not restricted to:
, history
and culture of the Geopark was opened at the Waterfalls Centre in Pontneddfechan in summer 2008. Effectively serving as the Geopark information centre, this former tourist information centre is open to the public free of charge seven days a week during the summer and at weekends during the winter.
Other exhibitions on aspects of the Geopark are in place at the National Park Visitor Centre (Mountain Centre
) near Libanus
south-west of Brecon
and at the Heritage and Information Centre in Llandovery
.
Various leaflets have been published, interpretive panels erected and a website established to promote the Geopark and inform visitors about it.
Geopark
A Geopark is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in its UNESCO Geoparks International Network of Geoparks programme as follows:...
to be designated in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
having gained membership of both the European Geoparks Network
European Geoparks Network
The European Geoparks Network, often known as the EGN, is a trans-national partnership of Geoparks across Europe formed in 2000 to provide mutual support to established and prospective Geoparks across the continent...
and the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
-assisted Global Network of National Geoparks in October 2005. The Geopark aims to promote and support sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is tourism attempting to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development brings a positive experience for local people, tourism companies and the...
and other opportunities to improve the economy of the area whilst safeguarding the natural environment. Its aims largely coincide with the statutory duties and purpose of the National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
within which it sits.
Geography
The Geopark comprises the western half the Brecon Beacons National Park in south WalesSouth Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. At its heart are the mountain massifs of Fforest Fawr
Fforest Fawr
Fforest Fawr is the name given to an extensive upland area in the county of Powys, Wales. Formerly known as the 'Great Forest of Brecknock' in English, it was a royal hunting area for several centuries but is now used primarily for sheep grazing, forestry, water catchment and recreation...
, the Black Mountain
Black Mountain (range)
The Black Mountain is a mountain range in Mid and West Wales, straddling the county boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys and forming the westernmost range of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Its highest point is Fan Brycheiniog at 802 metres or 2,631 ft. The Black Mountain also forms a part...
and the central Brecon Beacons
Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons is a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of popular peaks south of Brecon, including South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan, and which together form the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park...
. The designated area includes the surrounding lowlands; principally parts of the Usk
Usk
Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can...
, Towy, Tawe and Taf
River Tâf
The River Tâf is a river that rises in the Preseli Hills of North Pembrokeshire, West Wales, near the village of Crymych and is around 50 km long....
valleys.
Geology
Rocks from the Ordovician period through to the CarboniferousCarboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
outcrop in various parts of the Geopark. The oldest (of late Ordovician age) occur in the northwest whilst the youngest (of late Carboniferous age) occur along its southern margins.
Many of the Ordovician and Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
age sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s and mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
s were faulted and tightly folded during the Caledonian Orogeny
Caledonian orogeny
The Caledonian orogeny is a mountain building era recorded in the northern parts of the British Isles, the Scandinavian Mountains, Svalbard, eastern Greenland and parts of north-central Europe. The Caledonian orogeny encompasses events that occurred from the Ordovician to Early Devonian, roughly...
. The overlying Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
and Carboniferous age sandstones (eg Twrch Sandstone), mudstones and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
s have generally been tilted gently to the south and southwest towards the main South Wales Coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
basin.
The area was subject to repeated glaciation during the Quaternary period. Glacial till covers large parts of the landscape whilst recessional moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s occur within the major valleys of the Geopark and late-glacial moraines form striking features beneath the main north and north-east facing scarps of the mountains. Numerous landslips have occurred in the post-glacial period in both bedrock and superficial deposits, though these are no longer active.
Karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
ic landforms are characteristic of the belt of limestone which runs east-west through the Geopark and include some of Britain's most extensive cave networks including its deepest (Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
Ogof Ffynnon Ddu is a cave located under a hillside in the area surrounding Penwyllt in the Upper Swansea Valley in South Wales...
at 308m) and large numbers of shakeholes
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
, the most impressive of which occur where a relatively thin cover of the younger Twrch Sandstone overlies the limestone.
The limestone has been extensively worked in the past and numerous abandoned small quarries are scattered across the outcrops of the Old Red Sandstone which has been worked for building and roofing stone. Quarries in the Twrch Sandstone yielded a very pure silica which when crushed, was specially suitable for the manufacture of firebricks. Sub-tropically weathered occurrences of this rock appear as soft sand deposits ('silica sand') which were worked for a similar purpose.
Principal attractions
The Geopark celebrates the geological and wider natural heritage of the area together with the cultural heritage relating to 7000 years of recorded human occupation of the area since the last ice age. Each of these aspects of the area are closely related to one another.The Old Red Sandstone
Old Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...
(ORS) forms the principal summits which have attracted walkers to the area for decades. Walks on Pen y Fan
Pen y Fan
Pen y Fan is the highest peak in South Wales and southern Britain, situated in the Brecon Beacons National Park. At above sea-level, it is also the highest peak in Britain south of the Snowdonia mountain range...
and Corn Du
Corn Du
Corn Du is a mountain immediately to the southwest of Pen y Fan and the second highest peak in South Wales, situated in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Tommy Jones' Obelisk is found on its western flanks, in between the summit and Y Gyrn....
and over the Carmarthen Fans / Bannau Brycheiniog are amongst the most popular. Carboniferous Limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
forms an east-west belt of country to the south of the ORS which sports some of the country’s longest and deepest cave networks such as Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
Ogof Ffynnon Ddu is a cave located under a hillside in the area surrounding Penwyllt in the Upper Swansea Valley in South Wales...
and the impressive Porth yr Ogof
Porth yr Ogof
Porth yr Ogof is a cave located near the village of Ystradfellte, near the southern boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. In 1998 the cave's passageways had been measured as over 2.25 km in length. Among the cave's fifteen entrances is the largest cave entrance in Wales...
into which the Afon Mellte flows. Further south again is a Millstone Grit
Millstone Grit
Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills...
landscape, the most visited part of which is Waterfall Country
Waterfall Country (Wales)
Waterfall Country is the name given to an area around the head of the Vale of Neath in South Wales where an unusually large number of spectacular and publicly accessible falls are to be found...
which boasts the finest collection of waterfalls in the UK.
Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
standing stones, Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hillforts and mediaeval castles all feature with Maen Llia
Maen Llia
Maen Llia is a standing stone which sits on moorland at OS grid reference SN 924192 in the Brecon Beacons National Park in the county of Powys in South Wales. The stone which is composed of Old Red Sandstone measures 3.7m high by 2.8m wide by 0.6m . It is roughly diamond-shaped and is partly...
, Carn Goch and Carreg Cennen Castle being outstanding examples of each to be found in the Geopark.
The industrial archaeology
Industrial archaeology
Industrial archaeology, like other branches of archaeology, is the study of material culture from the past, but with a focus on industry. Strictly speaking, industrial archaeology includes sites from the earliest times to the most recent...
of the Geopark is outstanding as the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
shifted into gear in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries making South Wales one of the earliest industrialised societies in the world. Limekilns
Limekilns
Limekilns, a village in Fife, Scotland, lies on the shore of the Firth of Forth.Unlike the neighbouring village of Charlestown, Limekilns is an extremely old settlement dating back to the 14th century. The oldest building in the village is without doubt The King's Cellar, a large and somewhat...
dot the hillsides wherever limestone puts in an appearance and tramways for conveying both raw materials and finished products are plentiful. The ambitious Brecon Forest Tramroad
Brecon Forest Tramroad
The Brecon Forest Tramroad is an early nineteenth century tramway, or rather a network of connecting tramways or waggonways, which stretched across the hills of Fforest Fawr in the historic county of Brecknockshire in south Wales, UK...
scheme was one of the earliest and longest tramway systems in the world. Tramways also served the silica rock mines and quarries, notably around Dinas Rock
Dinas rock
Dinas Rock is a high promontory of carboniferous limestone which rises between the Afon Mellte and its left-bank tributary, the Afon Sychryd on the border between the county of Powys and the county borough of Neath Port Talbot in south Wales. It can be found near the village of Pontneddfechan near...
and the gorge of the Nedd Fechan
Nedd Fechan
The Nedd Fechan or 'Little Neath' is a river in the county of Powys, south Wales, Great Britain. It rises on the eastern slopes of Fan Gyhirych in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park and flows south for 12km / 7 mi to join with the Afon Mellte at Pontneddfechan, their...
at Pontneddfechan. Many of these sites are interpreted for the visitor, others are left for the enthusiast to discover.
History of designation
An initial application to the European Geoparks Network (EGN) made for a more geographically restricted Geopark based on the upper Swansea Valley was turned down in 2003 but the present area which extends to 300 square miles (777 km²) was accepted by the EGN at their meeting in October 2005.A Geopark Development Officer was appointed in January 2007 whilst the National Park Authority also employs an education officer part of whose time is dedicated to the Geopark and the Geopark’s Waterfalls Centre has been staffed by two information assistants since summer 2007.
The Geopark hosted a meeting of the European Geoparks Network in Brecon in spring 2011.
In common with other Geoparks, Fforest Fawr was reassessed in summer of 2008 after an initial three year period of membership of the EGN. It was successfully revalidated and will be reassessed again in 2012.
Events
Since its designation, Fforest Fawr Geopark has organised events for the public including walks and talks with National Park wardens, volunteer walk leaders and experts from the various partner organisations contributing their expertise. An established feature of the Geopark year is the fortnight long Geopark Festival which takes place at the end of May/start of June coinciding with similar events in Geoparks across Europe.Administration of the Geopark
Fforest Fawr Geopark is run by a partnership of several organisations, the principal ones being Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Cardiff UniversityCardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
and the British Geological Survey
British Geological Survey
The British Geological Survey is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. The BGS headquarters are in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, but other centres...
. A Partnership Board meets annually whilst a Management Group meets quarterly to consider strategy and project work. Both the Board and the Group derive their membership from a wide cross-section of interests with a stake in the success of the Geopark. These interests include but are not restricted to:
- Swansea UniversitySwansea UniversitySwansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...
- Farmers Union of Wales
- Brecon Beacons Park SocietyBrecon Beacons Park SocietyThe Brecon Beacons Park Society is an environmental organisation with charitable status dedicated to 'advanc the enhancement, protection and conservation of the countryside and other amenities of the Brecon Beacons National Park for the benefit of the public' and, 'to advanc the education of the...
- Environment Agency WalesEnvironment Agency WalesEnvironment Agency Wales is an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It is that part of the Environment Agency that covers Wales. The Regional divisions of the Environment Agency are based on the concept of catchment management and administrative boundaries therefore follow the watersheds of major rivers...
- Forestry Commission Wales
- Brecon Action
- The Sleeping Giant Foundation
- Association of Bunkhouse Operators
- Earth Science Education Forum
- Medrwn
- Tourism Partnership Mid Wales
- Countryside Council for WalesCountryside Council for WalesThe Countryside Council for Wales is an Assembly Government Sponsored Body. It is the Welsh Assembly Government's wildlife conservation authority for Wales...
Further information
A major display on the geologyGeology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and culture of the Geopark was opened at the Waterfalls Centre in Pontneddfechan in summer 2008. Effectively serving as the Geopark information centre, this former tourist information centre is open to the public free of charge seven days a week during the summer and at weekends during the winter.
Other exhibitions on aspects of the Geopark are in place at the National Park Visitor Centre (Mountain Centre
Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre
The Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre is the popular name for the National Park Visitor Centre managed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. It is also known simply as the Mountain Centre, and also as the Libanus Visitor Centre. It is situated near the village of Libanus some 8km / 5mi...
) near Libanus
Libanus, Powys
Libanus is a village in the Brecon Beacons National Park, in the county of Powys, Wales, United Kingdom.It lies on the A470 road approximately 1 mile north-east of its junction with the A4215 road, and approximately 5 miles south-west of Brecon....
south-west of Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
and at the Heritage and Information Centre in Llandovery
Llandovery
Llandovery is a market town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the River Tywi and the A40 road.The town is served by Llandovery railway station, where there is a park and ride to Llanelli and Shrewsbury via the Heart of Wales Line...
.
Various leaflets have been published, interpretive panels erected and a website established to promote the Geopark and inform visitors about it.