Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park
Rediscover your sense of wonder
Welcome to the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park – 520 square miles of adventure, heritage, internationally recognised dark skies, towns, villages and nature.
Only three hours from London and an hour from Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. Find all the information you need to reconnect with nature in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park. #Discoveryourbreconbeacons
Key activities
Walking , Activity
Whether you prefer strolling along to take in the gems you pass or energetically stepping up a slope to get your heart pounding, you’re guaranteed to find a walk to suit your mood in the Bannau (Beacons).
Cycling and Mountain Biking , Activity
Cycling and mountain biking are a fabulous way to experience our glorious countryside. We have lots of different terrain to explore, including roads, towpaths, lanes and hillside tracks.
Stargazing , Activity
On a clear night in the Bannau (Beacons), you can see the Milky Way, major constellations, bright nebulas and even meteor showers. It’s enough to make anyone starry eyed.
Special qualities
Overview
Sweeping grandeur and outstanding natural beauty observed across a variety of harmoniously connected landscapes, including marvellous gorges and waterfalls, classic karst geology with caves and sink holes, contrasting glacial landforms such as cliffs and broad valleys carved from old red sandstone and prominent hilltops with extensive views in all directions
A working, living “patchwork” of contrasting patterns, colours, and textures comprising of well-maintained farmed landscapes, open uplands, lakes and meandering rivers punctuated by small-scale woodlands, country lanes, hedgerows, stone walls and scattered settlements.
Extensive and widespread access to the Park’s diversity of wildlife and richness of semi-natural habitats, such as native woodlands, heathland and grassland, natural lakes and riparian habitats, ancient hedgerows, limestone pavement and blanket bogs including those of international and national importance.
Enjoyable and accessible countryside with extensive, widespread and varied opportunities to pursue walking, cycling, fishing, water-based activities and other forms of sustainable recreation or relaxation.
An intimate sense of community where small, pastoral towns and villages are comparatively safe, friendly, welcoming and retain a spirit of cooperation.
A sense of discovery where people are able to explore the Park’s hidden secrets and stories such as genealogical histories, prehistoric ritual sites, medieval rural settlements, early industrial sites, local myths, legends and geological treasures.
Did you know?
Enjoy the beauty of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons).
With mountains and moorland, standing stones and castles, lively waterfalls and vibrant communities, the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park has plenty to offer residents and visitors. We have a long and colourful history and a rich and varied mythology and culture. Our National Park covers approximately 520 square miles of South and Mid Wales, including parts of Powys, Carmarthenshire, Monmouthshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil. It gets its name from the Central Bannau (Beacons), which dominate the skyline south of Brecon. They rise to 886 metres at Pen y Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain. Our night skies are remarkable. They’ve earned us recognition as an International Dark Sky Reserve. Our industrial heritage is magnificent: Blaenavon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And our rocks tell their own story. They’re so unique that a large part of our National Park has been designated a European and Global Geopark.
As a visitor to the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) you are playing a key role in ensuring the area continues as a living landscape. By spending your time and money here local communities, which include those who farm the land, can thrive and in partnership with the National Park Authority, take care of this national gem.
National Parks are places where animals make their homes, people catch up over coffee, and we pause to marvel at the dark skies above.
Places to connect, discover and look a little closer.
We’d love to see your images of autumn in action in a National Park. Tag us or use the hashtag #AutumnInAction 🧡
#NationalParks #Autumn
What if Middle-earth’s Rangers had more in common with National Park Rangers than we might think?
Of course, our National Park Rangers have a little less to worry about than Aragorn and his fellow Rangers.
But they do both know their landscapes well, protect the places they love and guide others to find their way.
Across the UK’s 15 National Parks, our Rangers are taking action every day. They may not be defending the Shire from the forces of darkness, but they certainly do an incredibly important job. 💚
#MiddleEarth #Rangers #NationalParksUK
15 National Parks. One shared challenge. Our climate is changing, and with it comes an increased risk of wildfire across our landscapes.
That’s why we’ve committed to taking action through our new Wildfire Management Position Statement. Together, the National Parks will work to support nature recovery to help manage wildfire risk, plan for and strengthen wildfire response and coordination, improve risk management and preparedness, and share clear, consistent public messaging.
But we can’t do it alone.
Communities, organisations, land managers and visitors all have a role to play in reducing wildfire risk. By working together, we can help protect our National Parks and prepare for a future where hotter, drier weather may increase the risk of wildfire.
Read the full statement by clicking on the link in our bio 🔗
Photos:
Slide 1 - Fighting the Glenmore wildfire, © Ed Smith. Slide 2 - Fighting the Glenmore wildfire, © Malcolm Smith. Slide 3 - View across Loch Morlich during Glenmore wildfire, July 2026, © Brenna Jessie. Slide 4 - Fighting the Glenmore wildfire, © Malcolm Smith. Slide 5 - View from the cab of a tractor aiding in fighting the wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park, CPNA. Slide 5 - Firefighting vehicles at the Glenmore wildfire, © Malcolm Smith.
#Wildfires #NationalParksUK
It’s not every day you get to see one of our National Parks in biscuit form on @britishbakeoff!
Last night, The Great British Bake Off contestant @itsdoctoryan created a beautiful biscuit mosaic inspired by the Broads National Park, perfectly capturing the view at St Benet’s Mill, Thurne.
And it wasn’t just a feast for the eyes as the mosaic was made using treacle and ginger, honey and lemon, cocoa and malted milk, and pistachio biscuits.
Two great things combined: a beautiful National Park view and delicious biscuits. What could be better than that? 💚
Photo: Channel 4
#GBBO #BakeOff #NorfolkBroads @broadsnationalpark
You’ve likely heard of one - but what does it actually do?
Our 15 Parks wouldn’t be able to function without the authorities working behind the scenes to keep them running.
And each authority relies on people. People within the community, volunteers, staff and members. People that run businesses, or partner as organisations. People that are skilled and knowledgeable in a variety of areas from wildlife to accessibility.
Our National Parks are full of people and action, and it’s the Authorities that bring them all together.
💚
#NationalParksUK #NationalParkAuthorities
The Yorkshire Dales has one of the highest concentrations of caves and caverns of any of our 15 National Parks - a whole landscape hiding beneath the ground.
Our National Parks don’t just protect and preserve the landscapes we see every day. They also help care for historic and unique places discovered by our ancestors, like Ingleborough Cave and Gaping Gill, both of which were shrouded in myth and legend until they were explored by Victorians in the 1800s.
There’s so much more to our National Parks than meets the eye and sometimes, quite literally beneath the surface 👀
#YorkshireDales #GapingGill #Ingleborough
A week on from National Parks UK’s Big Volunteer Weekend, we’re still celebrating the people who make a difference across our National Parks.
Last weekend, hundreds of people came together across all 15 National Parks to give their time, share their skills and support our landscapes.
But volunteering in our National Parks doesn’t happen just one weekend a year. All year round, volunteers play an incredible variety of roles – from leading guided walks and supporting education, to conservation, planting and caring for our landscapes.
Every volunteer makes a valuable contribution to protecting our natural and cultural heritage. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you. 💚
So, to all our volunteers: thank you for your time, energy, enthusiasm and everything you bring to our National Parks.
If you know someone who volunteers in a National Park, help us spread the thanks by sharing this post. 🌿
#Volunteers #NationalParks #NationalParksUK
Mae’r Bele yn un o famaliaid prinnaf Cymru, ond mae eu niferoedd yn tyfu yn raddol. Mae hynny’n newyddion da i’n coetiroedd ac i’r Parciau Cenedlaethol, sy’n darparu rhai o’r cynefinoedd pwysicaf ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt ledled Cymru a Phrydain.
Ym Mannau Brycheiniog, mae’r prosiect adfer wedi gosod blychau nythu yn y coed, ac mae gwaith monitro wedi nodi presenoldeb y Bele, gan gynnwys grwpiau teuluol. Mae’r ffilm arbennig hon yn dangos un ohonynt ar waith. 🐾
Mae’n atgof hyfryd o’r hyn sy’n bosibl pan ddaw coetiroedd iach a gwaith cadwraeth arbenigol at ei gilydd i roi’r gofod sydd ei angen ar rywogaethau prin i wella.
Pine Martens are one of Wales’ rarest mammals, but they’re slowly making a comeback. That’s good news for our woodlands, and for National Parks, which provide some of the most important habitats for wildlife across Wales and Britain.
In Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), the recovery project has installed treetop den boxes, with monitoring identifying pine martens, including family groups. This special footage shows one in action. 🐾
It’s a lovely reminder of what can happen when healthy woodlands and specialist conservation work come together to give rare species the space they need to recover.
#BreconBeacons #BannauBrycheiniog #PineMartins #Wales
