Brecon Beacons

Bannau Brycheiniog, the Brecon Beacons, rises as a high sandstone ridge across southern Wales. Pen y Fan and Corn Du form its best-known summits above deep glacial valleys and broad moorland. The Welsh name combines peaks with Brycheiniog, the early medieval kingdom of the district, while the later English name described the mountain used as a beacon above surrounding country.

Routes crossed the range through passes and along watersheds, linking the Usk and Wye valleys and the communities of south and mid Wales. Sheep grazing, cattle movement and upland summer pasture shaped the open landscape. The high ground also marked boundaries between lordships and parishes; its exposed ridge made communication easy in clear weather but dangerous in cloud, wind and winter snow.

The mountains acquired a clearer military role during the medieval and later border conflicts of the Welsh border. Watch beacons and tracks gave warning and direction across difficult country, while the valleys below supported small farms, mills and market towns. The range remained sparsely settled, with its commons used for grazing rather than arable farming. Its compact summits and broad ridges made it a conspicuous physical landmark long before formal maps defined the massif.