Fan Hir

Fan Hir
Fan Hir
	Fan Hir summit ridge
Highest point
Elevation	760 m (2,490 ft)
Prominence	43 m (141 ft)
Parent peak	Fan Brycheiniog
Listing	Hewitt, Nuttall
Coordinates	51°52′25″N3°41′59″W / 51.8736°N 3.6996°W
Naming
English translation	long beacon
Language of name	Welsh
Geography
Location	Powys, Wales
Parent range	Brecon Beacons
OS grid	SN825217

Last updated September 08, 2024

Fan Hir is a peak at the eastern end of the Black Mountain (Y Mynydd Du) in the Brecon Beacons National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) in southern Wales. It is a subsidiary summit of Fan Brycheiniog. It falls within the county of Powys and is also a part of the traditional area of Fforest Fawr. Its Welsh name means "long peak", a fitting description, particularly if seen from the east when its steep eastern face is seen to advantage. It is about 2.5 miles or 4 km long and faces east. Its summit is 2490 feet (about 760m) above sea level. Fan Hir is separated from its higher neighbour to the north-west, Fan Brycheiniog (2633 feet or 802 metres) by a col known as Bwlch Giedd, where a path rises from Llyn y Fan Fawr via a stone staircase.^[1]

Geology

The peak is formed from sandstones of the Brownstones Formation and the overlying Plateau Beds Formation of the Old Red Sandstone laid down during the Devonian period. In accord with a regional trend, the beds dips southwards into the South Wales Coalfield basin. A notable feature of the hill is the prominent ridge of Fan Fechan (the 'little peak') which parallels the main ridge below it to the east. It is largely composed of broken Old Red Sandstone and has been interpreted as either a glacial moraine or as a pro-talus rampart. The peak is within the Fforest Fawr Geopark designated in 2005 in recognition of the area's geological heritage.^[3]

Archaeology

The escarpment overlooks a famous Welsh stone circle, Cerrig Duon (or black stones) which are likely of British Bronze Age date, although it has never been excavated scientifically. There is a large standing stone, Maen Mawr, and a small stone avenue close by which are associated with the circle. The standing stone is about 5 feet high, and can be seen from a distance when driving down the Trecastle to Abercraf road. The monuments are close to the road further on, but cannot be seen directly from there, so the visitor must cross the River Tawe and climb the bank to view the site. There is another standing stone further north and east, and not far from the same minor road. There are many other ancient remains extant on the moor, such as hut circles and house platform as well as traces of cultivation such as lynchets. The climate was much warmer then and the area well wooded showing that timber was available locally for structural use.

Access

The entire hill is open country and thus available for walkers to roam at will, although there is much peat bog off route, which can be difficult to cross. The path along the ridge is popular and forms a part of a circuit. The views from the edge of the escarpment are spectacular with Pen y Fan and Corn Du visible on the skyline to the east, and Fan Gyhirych closer in Fforest Fawr. The Beacons Way long distance footpath runs beneath Fan Hir on the east affording close-up views of this impressive hill. The path leads to the glacial lake of Llyn y Fan Fawr and then climbs up the escarpment via a stone staircase of even gradient to the bwlch below Fan Brycheiniog. The stone path is well drained and dry, and there is little exposure to steep drops.

Related Research Articles

The Brecon Beacons are a mountain range in Wales. The range includes South Wales's highest mountain, Pen y Fan, its twin summit Corn Du, and Craig Gwaun Taf, which are the three highest peaks in the range. The Brecon Beacons have given their name to the larger Brecon Beacons National Park, and the range itself is therefore sometimes known as the Central Beacons to differentiate the two.

Brecon Beacons National Park, officially named Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, is a national park in Wales. It is named after the Brecon Beacons, the mountain range at its centre. The national park includes the highest mountain in South Wales, Pen y Fan, which has an elevation of 886 metres (2,907 ft).

Pen y Fan is the highest peak in South Wales, situated in Brecon Beacons National Park. At 886 metres (2,907 ft) above sea-level, it is also the highest British peak south of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia. It is the highest point of the historic county of Brecknockshire. The twin summits of Pen y Fan and Corn Du at 873 metres (2,864 ft) were formerly referred to as Cadair Arthur or 'Arthur's Seat'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan Brycheiniog</span> Hill (801.7m) in Powys, Wales

Fan Brycheiniog is the highest peak at a height of 802.5 metres (2,633 ft) in the Black Mountain region of the Brecon Beacons National Park in southern Wales. There is a trig point at the peak and on the edge of the escarpment, and nearby, a stone shelter with an inner seat. It lies just inside the historic county of Brecknockshire which gives the mountain its Welsh name. A subsidiary top, less than a kilometre from the summit along the ridge to the northwest, is the highest point of the neighbouring county of Carmarthenshire. Fan Brycheiniog is also within the Fforest Fawr Geopark designated in 2005 in recognition of the area's geological heritage. The views of the moorland and open country to the north are spectacular when the weather is clear, and reveals the isolation of the range, especially when compared with the more popular Pen y Fan range to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Mountain (range)</span> Mountain range, west of Brecon Beacons, Wales

The Black Mountain is a mountain range in South, Mid and West Wales, straddling the administrative 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 of the Fforest Fawr Geopark.

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Cribyn is a mountain in the Brecon Beacons with an elevation of 2608 feet, about 300 feet lower than the neighbouring peaks of Pen y Fan and Corn Du. It is a prominent peak in the long and impressive escarpment facing north and running roughly east–west of the central section of the Brecon Beacons.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan Fawr</span> Mountain (734m) in Powys, Wales

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan Nedd</span> Mountain (663m) in Powys, Wales

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan Llia</span> Mountain (631.9m) in Powys, Wales

Fan Llia is a subsidiary summit of Fan Fawr in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. In common with other peaks in the Fforest Fawr uplands it lies within the county of Powys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan Gyhirych</span> Mountain (725m) in Powys, Wales

Fan Gyhirych is a mountain in the Fforest Fawr section of Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales. It lies within the county of Breconshire, and administered as part of the unitary authority of Powys.

Llyn y Fan Fawr is a natural lake in the county of Powys, Wales. It lies at the foot of Fan Brycheiniog, the highest peak of the Black Mountain range within the Brecon Beacons National Park. Created as a result of glacial action, it is one of the largest glacial lakes in southern Wales. The lake is roughly rectangular in shape with its long axis oriented roughly north–south.

Fforest Fawr Geopark is a Geopark in the Brecon Beacons National Park, south Wales. It is the first designated Geopark 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waun Lefrith</span> Hill (676.1m) in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Waun Lefrith is a top of Picws Du and is also the westernmost of the Carmarthen Fans, a group of peaks within the Black Mountain of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It lies within Carmarthenshire, Wales. The summit plateau of the mountain reaches a height of 2221 feet above sea level. Picws Du and Fan Foel are the other, higher summits of the Carmarthen Fans. The glacial lake of Llyn y Fan Fach dominates the panorama to the north of the peak. Beyond the lake to the north lies the Usk Reservoir and then the Cambrian Mountains on the horizon. Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel are visible to the south across the undulating dip slope of the mountain. The Towy (Tywi) valley lies to the west, with Llandovery and Llandeilo as important market towns nearest to the hills.

Picws Du is the second highest peak of the Carmarthen Fans in the Carmarthenshire section of the Black Mountain in the west of the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales. The highest peak is Fan Foel immediately next along the ridge and it is a subsidiary summit of Fan Brycheiniog. Picws Du falls within Fforest Fawr Geopark and its prominent summit is marked by a large Bronze Age round barrow at a height of 2457 feet above sea level. Waun Lefrith is the other, lower summit of the Carmarthen Fans situated to the west. The peak overlooks the glacial lake of Llyn y Fan Fach in the cwm below. As the peak sits on the edge of the escarpment on a ridge which juts out into the valley below, the views from the summit are panoramic and extensive. The views to the north are especially impressive when the weather is clear, looking towards the Cambrian Mountains, Mynydd Epynt and Brecon. Swansea and the Bristol Channel can just be seen on the horizon to the south, across the gently falling dip slope. Pen y Fan and Corn Du are distinctive landmarks seen directly to the east across Fforest Fawr.

Cefn Cul is a hill in the Fforest Fawr sector of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, southern Wales. It is a broad north-northeast to south-southwest aligned ridge whose summit reaches a height of 562 m above sea level. The hill is bounded to the west by the upper valley of the River Tawe though which the old Trecastle road runs whilst to the east is the pass of Bwlch Bryn-rhudd over which the A4067 road runs from the Crai valley south to that of the Tawe.

Tawe-Uchaf is a community in Powys, Wales. Situated north-east of Ystradgynlais in the upper valley of the River Tawe, it includes the villages of Caehopkin, Coelbren, Glyntawe, Pen-y-cae, Penwyllt and Ynyswen. It had a population in 2001 of 1,516, increasing at the 2011 Census to 1,562.

References

↑ Nuttall, John & Anne (1999). The Mountains of England & Wales - Volume 1: Wales (2nd edition ed.). Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone. ISBN 1-85284-304-7.
↑ Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL12 'Brecon Beacons National Park: western area'
↑ British Geological Survey 1:50,000 map sheet 213 'Merthyr Tydfil' & accompanying memoir

External links

images of Fan Hir and area on Geograph website

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[1] Nuttall, John & Anne (1999). The Mountains of England & Wales - Volume 1: Wales (2nd edition ed.). Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone. ISBN 1-85284-304-7.

[2] Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL12 'Brecon Beacons National Park: western area'

[3] British Geological Survey 1:50,000 map sheet 213 'Merthyr Tydfil' & accompanying memoir

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