Wilderness
and wildlife |
The Brecon Beacons National Park is one of Wales's most spectacular wilderness
landscapes covering an area of over 500 square miles. The National Park
takes in a wide variety of scenery from lakes and woodlands to moorland and mountains.
| | Brecon Beacons National Park |
Boasting
the biggest mountains in southern Britain, the Brecon Beacon's wild and unspoilt
landscape is great for walking and nature spotting. The Brecon Beacons are
great for ramblers of all ages and abilities with walks for the casual stroller
and the hardened hiker. Spectacular scenery The
Brecon Beacons has been strikingly sculpted by glacial action from the last Ice
Age, resulting in impressive features like corries, which are huge hollows in
the hillside.
On higher ground visitors walkers can find Arctic Alpine
plants, usually associated with inhospitable mountain ranges like the Alps. The
area's rocky cliffs are fantastic places for plants with 500 species including
Arctic Alphines and the delicate, purple Saxifrage. Steep escarpments,
rocky summits, limestone pavement, heather moorland and vast underground cave
systems can all be found in the Park's upland areas. The park's lowlands
are characterised by grasslands, hay meadows, woodlands, and some important wetlands
such as Llangorse Lake.  Bird
watchers' paradise
Ramblers should look out for the wonderful upland birds
that make their home here from Peregrines and Buzzards to the agile Merlin and
scarce species such as the Wheatear and Whinchat. Spring is a good time
to visit when there are dozens of different types of birds to be seen. The
Red Grouse is only found on upland moorlands like the Brecon Beacons, hiding in
the low and dense cover to avoid predators. In the Spring crowing males
defy each other with loud crowing challenges from prominent perches in a display
of one-upmanship. Another bird which has made its home here is the Ring
Ouzel, an upland blackbird which loves steep, boulder-strewn slopes and bare mountain
sides. The Ring Ouzel with its black body and white chest is mostly easily
spotted from its monotone 'too-too-too' singing. There are 20 pairs in the Brecon
Beacons. Also look out for Ravens, Kestrels, Sparrow Hawks, and Red Kites. A
good place to go bird watching is the Craig Cerrig Glesiad National Nature Reserve,
located in an area called the Crags of the Blue Stones, noted for its harsh Winter
climate. Horse power  Welsh
Mountain Ponies are one of the local residents in Brecon Beacons. This semi-wild
breed goes back 3,000 years to before Roman times.
Today there are about
500 ponies in total, which are used for riding, breeding, farming and pulling
carts.
A good place to see these ponies is the Black Mountain or Mynydd
du, a real 'wild west' area of the national park, a wilderness rich in myths and
legends. The ponies are one of the reasons that there are so many rare
flowers, because they eat the other vegetation, allowing beautiful flowers such
as the Meadow Saffron to survive. Sadly the number of ponies is less than
it once was due to the decline of traditional hill farming. Photos courtesy of Brecon Beacons National
Park. | 
