Brecon Beacons

Brecon Beacon's National Park in South Wales covers five hundred and nineteen square miles and is of course centered on the Brecon Beacon range of hills. The park was established in 1957 and it straddles some of the finest landscapes in the British Isles; with wild hills, lakes and water falls to explore. But to many visitors it's the park's remoteness which is its greatest charm, it's a real taste of the great outdoors. Recently the western half of the park has been designated a Geopark -- a place renowned for its geology. There are only half a dozen of these Geoparks in the whole of United Kingdom. Mining here was once an economic mainstay. Iron and coal were taken from these hills to help fire the industrial revolution. A feature of the Geopark are its waterfalls, but not all are above ground. This one which falls for forty feet is actually five hundred feet beneath the surface in a complex of caves at Dan-yr-Ogof. One of the caves is called 'Cathedral Cave' a truly massive cavern. These caves formed through the erosion of limestone by water over centuries. At one stage this systems of caves was totally filled by water. Once the water level fell and the cave was filled with air formations like stalactites and stalagmites began forming within the caves. The caves are an important feature of the geo park and are a must see on a trip to the Brecon Beacons. The life size model dinosaurs on the surrounding hillsides add an extra dimension to a visit here. The models help to explain in dinosaurs terms how geological time evolves and how that in turn shaped the landscape we see today. They seem right at home in the rugged beauty of this unique National Park of the Brecon Beacons.

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