Fforest Fawr 2008

Barren landscapes that are called a forest.

The Fforest Fawr mountain range can be neatly separated into three parts. In the south is Waterfall Country. In the middle and west are the caves; Ogof Ffynnon Ddu, Porth yr Ogof, Little Neath, Ogof Afon Hepste, Ogof Fechan, and the Sychryd caves. In the north and east are the mountains. The mountains are generally unvisited compared with the other, far more popular mountains in the other ranges within the national park.

The mountains actually have almost no trees at all on them, and the name Fforest Fawr relates to the original meaning of the word "forest" as uncultivated hunting ground, not only an area of trees. Now the name refers more to the wooded valleys of Waterfall Country. Most of the visitors to the area seem to be walking the Beacons Way - a strange route across the park that seems to follow the most boring route it can, ignoring many of the excellent parts of the park (such as the northern Black Mountains, the area around the Blaenafon World Heritage site, the Llangatwg escarpment, then within Fforest Fawr; Waterfall Country).

Well, they are mountains at least. And mountains attract my camera. Plus it is the last part of the national park I have never visited.