Brecon Beacons National Park

Timeline

• October 2005         became member of European Geopark Network

• September 2006     became a UNESCO Global Geopark

• January 2007         Geopark Development Officer appointed

• Summer 2008         revalidation by EGN (‘use it or lose it’)

Geopark Partners

• Brecon Beacons National Park Authority

• British Geological Survey

• Cardiff University

• Other partners include (but are not restricted to) Forestry Commission, Swansea University, Countryside Council for Wales, National Museum & Galleries of Wales, National Trust, WAG, S. Wales Geological Association, Environment Agency, Brecon Beacons Park Society, Sleeping Giant Foundation, ESEF-Cymru, Beacons Tourism, Medrwn, FUW, Craig-y-nos Castle, Assn. Bunkhouse Operators

 Network

• One of 31 European Geoparks:  www.europeangeoparks.org & about 50 globally

 Area

• 763sq km / 300 sq miles

 Location

• Essentially western half of Brecon Beacons National Park.  Northern, southern and western boundaries are coincident with those of the National Park as depicted on OS maps.  The eastern boundary runs north from Merthyr Tydfil area along the Brecon Mountain Railway at Pontsticill then via ‘Gap Road’ north to Groesffordd

Population

• 11,300 of which 7,500 in Brecon.  Other key communities include (but not restricted to) Llandovery, Llandeilo, Llangadog, Ystradgynlais/Abercraf/Glyntawe, Merthyr Tydfil, Glanamman/Brynamman/Cwm Twrch etc, Sennybridge/Defynnog, Penderyn , Hirwaun, Pontneddfechan, Ystradfellte, Myddfai.

Elevations

• Range from 27m / 89ft beside Afon Tywi / River Towy near Llandeilo to 886m / 2907ft at Pen y Fan in Brecon Beacons.  Eight peaks exceed 610m / 2000ft including Fan Brycheiniog 802m / 2631ft in Y Mynydd Du / The Black Mountain and Fan Fawr 734m / 2409ft in Fforest Fawr.

Target audiences

• Visitors – all types from specialist to family/general

• Residents – within and adjacent to Geopark

• Educational – primary, secondary, tertiary

• Youth & community, sports (caving, climbing etc)

Geology

• Quaternary (Legacy of ice age(s) – boulder clay, moraines, glacial cirques(cwms) etc and post-glacial deposits such as peat, Usk and Wye floodplains)

• Carboniferous (Coal Measures, Limestone, Millstone Grit)

• Devonian (broadly equivalent to ‘Old Red Sandstone’ – sandstones, mudstones)

• Silurian (older harder, often tilted/contorted rocks in NW of Park)

• Ordovician (oldest rocks towards Llandovery/Llandeilo)

Administrative areas

• Mostly within the counties of Powys and Carmarthenshire but including parts of the unitary authorities of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Topographical Maps

• All of Geopark contained on OS Landrangers 146, 159 & 160 (95% on 160)

• All contained on OS Explorers 178, 186 and OL12 (95% on OL12)

1:50K Geological maps

• Covered by BGS sheets 212 (Llandovery: to be published early 2008),      

• 213 (Brecon), 230 (Ammanford) & 231 (Merthyr Tydfil). 

• BGS  to produce a 1:25K ‘Classic Areas’ map of southern part of Geopark and a simplified geological map of the whole Geopark in 2007/2008

Geotrails

• BGS preparing a family of up to two dozen walking trails scattered around Geopark during 2007/2008  to retail at £1/each

 Common acronyms

• BGS = British Geological Survey

• EGN = European Geopark Network

• LGAP = Local Geodiversity Action Plan

• OL = (former) Outdoor Leisure (maps)

• ORS = Old Red Sandstone

• OS = Ordnance Survey

• RIGS = Regionally Important Geological/Geomorphological Site/s.

• WAG = Welsh Assembly Government

 Contact details

Alan Bowring, Geopark Development Officer

Brecon Beacons National Park Authority

Plas y Ffynnon

Cambrian Way

Brecon

Powys  LD3 7HP

Tel:       01874 620415 (direct)

01874 624437 (switchboard)

Fax:      01874 622574

E-mail: alan bowring

Web:    www.fforestfawrgeopark.org.uk (from late May 2007)