The Brecon Beacons National Park has many areas of naturally or artifically exposed rock faces. Ice carved slopes such as Craig Cerrig-gleisiad and Fan Brycheiniog are natural inland cliffs formed thousands of years ago. In other places the action of ice or subsequent weathering has created boulder and rock slopes. Other exposures are more recent and were created by quarrying and cuttings for roads and tracks.

These cliffs create a unique environment for wildlife. The cliffs are inaccessible to people and livestock, making perfect nesting sites for peregrine falcons. The north facing cliffs are cool and have allowed alpine plants like purple saxifrage to cling on in the National Park, when in colder times past they would have be much more widespread. The rock faces contain cracks and small caves, providing roost sites for bats and a number of different ferns and mosses can cling on where they will be undisturbed.

Use the navigation bar on the left to explore other rock habitats or go back to Biodiversity in the National Park.