Our area

The Brecon Beacons National Park is a beautiful area with dramatic scenery, varied wild life and an intriguing past. It is a landscape of contrasts with wild, open moor land and water falls, windswept mountains and sheltered valleys, bustling market towns and isolated farmsteads. In this rural area, farming dominates the landscape and Welsh cultural traditions are warmly regarded - especially in the west. This agricultural landscape is rich in wildlife habitats with a wonderful variety of plants and animals some internationally rare. The uplands are almost entirely clothed by heath and moor with red grouse, raven and wheatear. On the narrow ledges, safe from disturbance, can be found rare arctic-alpines at the southern limit of their British distribution. There are two major rivers, the Usk and the Wye. Both are famous for their salmon and on the steeper-sided valleys of their tributaries grow fine woodlands of oak and ash, rich with the songs of redstart and pied flycatcher. The grasslands, even in the low-lying river valleys, display features akin to upland types, with globeflower and greater butterfly orchid typical. There is a powerful sense of history in the legacy of ancient historic buildings and tell tale signs even in the remotest landscape locations illuminating the story of the people who have lived and worked here during the last five thousands years.