SENTA 2010

Access to a restricted, military training site.

Mynydd Epynt is a small range of hills to the north of the Brecon Beacons, overshadowed by the mountains that surround it on all sides. It is known for being the site of the third largest military training area in the UK, at 31'000 acres (125 square km); the Sennybridge Training Area, commonly known as SENTA. The area is used for 350 days per year for many different aspects of military training, such as artillery testing, rifle ranges, survival situations and war zone simulation.

SENTA was set up in 1940, due to the urgent need for training during World War II. It was a highly controversial move, where the government mandated that all 219 residents must vacate their homes and hand them over to the military. Though they were compensated for the nominal value of the 54 homes and land, they were given precious little notice - a mere 2 months (later extended to 4 months). Another of the traditional Welsh-speaking communities was broken up and scattered. Most houses and the school were knocked down, the chapel deteriorated, and a new fake village was built for training. The way the land was taken was extremely unpleasant, but the armed forces have a definite need for such a facility, to prepare for the situations that they must face. Its continued use for this purpose, by over 1000 troops per day, demonstrates the important role that this area plays in helping to defend our nation. For more information about the area's history, see the Abandoned Communities site.

SENTA is crossed by one public road (with another one crossing the public part of Mynydd Epynt) and one military road where the public is permitted to drive. The outer edge of the area contains a walking route known as the Epynt Way. There is limited access to some of the old farmland or forested parts of the area, typically in the form of (unauthorised) annual memorial visits, rally stages, or specially arranged escorted visits. A small few photographers are lucky enough to get special access for research projects. However, vast amounts of the area are used as the impact zone for the artillery ranges, and are off-limits at all times. Even the military themselves do not visit these parts, except for the teams that infrequently clear any unexploded munitions. 93 farmers have licenses to use the area for somewhat risky sheep grazing, and they may occasionally need to (very carefully) enter the impact zone to retrieve them. However, they will only do so at selected times, and would almost certainly prefer to send dogs in place of themselves.

The Pwll Ffrwd waterfall, one of only two named waterfalls in the Mynydd Epynt range, is located on the Ysgir Fawr river, as it passes Twyn Rhyd-car. The waterfall lies within the impact zone for an artillery firing range. The range sustains regular impacts from military ordnance and may contain unexploded munitions at all times. It absolutely must not be visited without authorisation. There is no public access whatsoever. Although the surrounding area hosts the Epynt Way, you absolutely must not stray into the area containing the waterfall. The only way to view it is through satellite images or using long range aerial viewing.

By a lucky chance, I met one of the high-ranking SENTA officials as a major 70^th anniversary event was beginning; the first time in those 70 years when limited access was being granted for a large, organised group for just one day, while the entire site was not in use. They would be allowed to do a small walk through the farmland, and get a tour of the fake village. My waterfalls project was of significant enough interest to get a special tour to visit Pwll Ffrwd, with the official as my personal guide. I say special, but I mean one-off. I doubt there will be another opportunity to visit this area in this way, due to the danger posed by it being an active impact zone.

My visit then included a guided tour of the majority of SENTA, something for which I am extremely grateful. Of course, I know how incredibly lucky I was to get this rare opportunity, so I have tried to do as much justice to the area as I can, by photographing the parts that are inaccessible to the general public, and getting permission to publish the pictures. Please enjoy.

• Looking over the Honddu valley from the public B4519 at the start of the restricted area, in the direction of the waterfall. The Ysgir Fawr lies on the far side of the ridge. Unfortunately.
• Looking up the Ysgir Fawr valley, from a military road used as part of the Epynt Way. The waterfall lies some 3 km up the valley from here. The deeply incised little valley that contains it can be seen in the distance.
• Near the bridge over the Ysgir Fawr, looking down into the publicly accessible parts of it.
• Our route now takes a dirt track heading away from the Epynt Way. It is fitted with barriers, as the main road is open for pedestrians walking the Epynt Way, and occasionally for rallies.
• The middle of the Ysgir Fawr. Our target lies at the right edge of this picture.
• Buzzard. One of many that accompanied us.
• As the track turned back towards the road, we branched off along a poorly defined track through the grass. This soon ran out, and the powerful pickup continued over the bumpy ground.
• Looking up to the head of the Ysgir Fawr valley, and the highest point in Mynydd Epynt; 478 metres (no name).
• Looking down to the incised part of the valley containing the waterfall. The large "F" sign marks the end of the safe square which is kept clear of munitions. From here on, we have to keep a careful lookout. Walking through bracken would be particularly risky, so we had to locate a route with as little as possible.
• The off-roading became more demanding, tackling stream valleys a few metres deep, with unknown amounts of boggy ground hiding under the grass. And by the way, "demanding" is another word for "fun".
• I hope this picture will show you just how serious my warnings were. This part of the impact zone is used for some of the higher powered artillery testing. This is the impact crater from a shell with a kill radius of 180 metres. If an unexploded munition is triggered, you could be nearly by the river, and still die. Do not enter this area.
• A second stream's ditch was so steeply sided that the grass brushed the bull bars, and felt like it was going to touch the top of the bonnet. I expected my guide to stop but no, this was too much fun.
• We walked the last part down into the valley. On the right is Blaen Ysgir Fawr. In the middle is Twyn Rhyd-car (about 450 metres). On the left is Cefn Merthyr Cynog (409 metres) with an observation tower for a grenade range. Behind it are the shadowy peaks of the Brecon Beacons. In the valley below Twyn Rhyd-car is a large meander, followed by a hidden gorge containing the waterfall. The deep stream valley that almost cuts into the meander has no name.
• Beneath our feet were the remains of a couple of flares. The rusty can is the container for a bright flare, and the parachute that my guide is holding, slows its descent so that it lights up a combat area for as much time as possible.
• Demonstration of a flare. It is normally fired from a mortar, but we didn't have one of those to hand right now, so this was simply thrown into the air.
• The large meander, where the river cuts and weaves through glacial drift - the remains of a moraine - eventually intersecting the underlying rock.
• Immediately, it drops down the Pwll Ffrwd waterfall. This is 2.5 metres tall on the left, and 3 metres tall on the right, with a deep plunge pool. It has a tiny undercut that is too small to get into. This is seen here in high water, on the only dry day after a week of rain. In normal flow, only the main strand on the left remains. In extreme flood, water has been reported flowing several metres deep, further down the valley.
• Pwll Ffrwd. It is the most significant waterfall in Mynydd Epynt, but that's not saying much. It may be pretty, and quite special for me to get access to it, but it is not worth the risks for others to get here. Please enjoy the pictures, and read the warnings at the start of this gallery.
• Below the waterfall, the river cuts a short gorge. The shape of it means that the waterfall is invisible from virtually all directions.
• At the end of the gorge is Pwll Cam, only a deep pool. Several more flare parachutes could be seen hanging in the tree on its left side. According to a 1942 geological document, the total drop is roughly 11 metres from the top of the waterfall to Pwll Cam.
• Heading back past another impact crater.
• Testing the boggy ground before trying to cross it - you can imagine the embarrassment if we were to get stuck.
• A final look over the lower Ysgir Fawr from near the summit of Cefn Trum yr Hwch (433 metres). Three of the Brecon Beacons groups can be seen from here; the Brecon Beacons, Fforest Fawr and the Black Mountain. These will be individually identified in later pictures.
• Looking down into the lower Ysgir Fechan. The farm on the left marks the edge of the military land.
• One of the buildings constructed by the military, which may be used for siege tactics.
• Lower Ysgir Fechan, overlooked by the Black Mountains. The ones that can be distinguished are Waun Fach (811 metres), Pen y Gadair Fawr (800 metres), Mynydd Llysiau (663 metres), Pen Twyn Glas (646 metres), Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres) and Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres).
• Upper Ysgir Fechan, heading to the left. The far ridge with the blocks of trees (called plantations) are on the far side of the Ysgir Fawr. The plantations are used for bivouac and survival training. This picture is taken from another road used by the Epynt Way.
• Ysgir Fechan.
• Descending into Nant Bran (or Nant Brân), looking downstream, with the Black Mountain in the background. The publicly accessible part of Nant Bran starts just beyond the plantation.
• Remains of a tank in an old quarry.
• Ripped through by armour-piercing rounds. Incendiary tips so hot that they melt the surrounding metal.
• Nant Bran is easily overlooked, but there is a lot of valley hiding upstream to the left.
• Looking into the public part of the valley.
• Fire in the lower valley.
• The lower Cilieni, overlooked by Fforest Fawr and the Black Mountain. The land becomes publicly accessible about 1 km away from the camera.
• Looking up into the military-controlled part of the valley. This looks like farmland from any other part of Wales. The valley here is at a lower level than the earlier valleys, so it was farmed for much of its length.
• The remains of the barn at Cefn-bryn-isaf (or Cefnbryn-isaf). This is how most of the farms now look, though the Cefnbryn farms are still standing.
• Cefn-bryn-uchaf (or Cefnbryn-uchaf). The few farms that remain have been altered for military training purposes - stripped and rendered. Of course, these are not representative of many war zones, but there are still some types of training that they can be used for.
• Drainage culverts. Seemingly mundane but these were built by prisoners of war in World War II, and some have the names of their builders carved into them.
• Moss on the remains of Babell Chapel. The tomb is not as new as it looks.
• Babell gravestones.
• Tumbledown and largely neglected, but there's something very romantic about it.
• Fresh flowers, probably laid that day by the visitors. However, they are deceptive, as the flowers are plastic - after all, they must survive until the next memorial. Gone but not forgotten.
• The Cilieni river, flanked by an obstacle course.
• A tug of war. Quite appropriate.
• House martin.
• Military Firing Range. No Entry Without Permission. DANGER. Do No Touch Any Military Debris. It May Explode And Kill You. SHEEP MUST BE DRIVEN CLEAR OF TARGET AREA BEFORE FIRING COMMENCES.
• The Cofio'r Epynt project had been setting up all day, and the event had already started. About 250 people - some of the old residents and their descendants - were walking from the Cefnbryn farms to the upper Cilieni valley, in memorial of their heritage here. We would meet them later.
• This was only the beginning. Later that day, there would be so many cars that the roads were lined with them as well.
• Hangmans Wood, a little further up the Cilieni valley. The remains of the Llwyn-Coll farmhouse can be seen here as lumps in the ground. The wood gets its name from a girl who hung herself here, after being unable to marry the man of her choice.
• One of the most impressive of the military installations is the FIBUA village, built in the late 1980s, during the cold war. It represents an East German village, thought to be the most likely place for any conflicts. The burned out (napalmed?) tanks are very dramatic, but I notice the Arabic-looking graffiti. Perhaps this is now used for training for Afghanistan - they have bog grasses there, right?
• Courtyard or village square. Visitors are occasionally given tours of this area, but tend to be kept under close watch. I was lucky enough to be allowed to go wherever I wanted with the camera.
• Armoured vehicles hiding behind the courtyard.
• An impressive armoured vehicle. This place is a photographer's playground, and it would be easy to spend weeks photographing it. I was literally running around with the camera and tripod, trying to see as much as possible during my short visit.
• Closeup of the rusting armour.
• An alien mix of this fake village, set in the Welsh countryside, seeming totally out of place.
• As I was given free run of the site for a while, I paid a visit to the blank, unrendered interiors.
• Upstairs in FIBUA.
• The village church.
• You may wonder why they go to the effort of adding details like gravestones, but then it makes sense to simulate what might be in a real village, and gravestones could easily provide protection from gunfire. There are even sewers here, used for infiltration training.
• Entrance to the fortress.
• Gatehouse window.
• Ring of razor wire.
• So ... who is allowed in here?
• The village backs onto an artillery range, set up with many colourful tanks to use as targets. The flag is currently down, as no firing is taking place - a shame, as the picture would look much better with the flag blowing at the top. But then I wouldn't be allowed here, so it's a good compromise.
• Range and observation tower in Cwm Cyrnog. And no, live firing is not currently in progress beyond this point.
• Bland to the point of monochrome. The only colour comes from lichens.
• Upper houses of the village. The scratches in the concrete are probably from tanks.
• I would like some colour. Not too much. Perfect.
• Armoured engineering vehicle.
• Powered by...
• Tank, complete with the wood used to burn it. If I had had more time, there would have been some interior shots too.
• FIBUA reflections.
• Fenced path through the village. You may use it to hide, but then you also cannot see where the enemy is.
• A maze. Seriously.
• Find your way through.
• Ammunition boxes in natural light.
• The village was also used for a dramatic production, using the village as the backdrop for a story about a soldier's failure. Performed at night in whatever weather, this must have been a very imposing setting.
• Why are there trees growing on this trailer?
• A buried van surrounded by barbed wire entanglements. I absolutely love the contrast with the backdrop, ramping up to the peaks of the Brecon Beacons.
• When the non-walking visitors arrived at FIBUA, they were bussed around the main loop. Many were disappointed at not being able to walk around the village.
• We met the walkers later, heading up the valley.
• 250 of them, remember. They may have been able to walk around the fake village, or they may have been bussed - I do not know.
• Panorama over the upper Cilieni valley, taken from the private road running over Bryn y Garn (410 metres). In the middle of the picture is the FIBUA village. The mountains on the left will be covered later.
• FIBUA, perched on the hillside, in contrast to the normal Welsh villages which are usually in the valleys.
• The Dulas valley, seen from the concessionary military road passing over Mynydd Bwlch-y-Groes (442 metres). This marks the northern edge of SENTA, with the village of Tirabad just out of sight in the valley.
• Demonstrating the use of a post for protection on the 400 metre rifle range. The public are sometimes allowed to use the rifle ranges for organised target practice (they shoot at the targets, they are not targets themselves...).
• The rifle range. Troops train to use the various different kinds of protection that they may encounter, such as ditches, posts, walls, roofs, windows and doorways.
• Shooting through simulated explosion damage. It almost needs a comic "POW!" sign.
• And the sniper position on the roof. Don't place your hot gun barrels here.
• The moutains lining the southern end of the Elan Valley. On the left is Garn Wen (510 metres). In the middle are the small hills around Llanwrtyd Wells, with Drygarn Fawr (645 metres) between them. On the right are the slopes of Gorllwyn (613 metres).
• Then we speed along the rally route through the forest to the top of Llethr Ddu, part of the Epynt Way. Between the finger post and flag are the hills around Llanwrtyd Wells. To the right of the flag are Drygarn Fawr, Gowllwyn and Y Gamriw (604 metres). Then in the wide valley is Builth Wells, followed on the far right by the unnamed highest point in Mynydd Epynt.
• Farmers ascending Llethr Ddu to collect their herds, with the backdrop of Drygarn Fawr.
• Convoy of sheep blocking the public B4519.
• Cwm Graig-ddû with Banc y Cwm (467 metres) on the right, seen from the public viewpoint.
• It was time to head back for the day's event. With the area out of use, some of the children were making good use of the obstacle course in the Cilieni Valley.
• With the event starting, I took the chance to capture some of the Faces Of Epynt. There is a style to them that shows their heritage and vocations.
• The oldest of these will have lived in Mynydd Epynt before it was taken, with two of them having lived in the Cilieni valley.
• Such a look. Not anger or fear as it may appear, but a reaction to the words that had just been spoken about this place which was once home.
• One of my favourites. There is a look of pride and loss to his face. Hiraeth.
• Still farming.
• A last image. With teacups.
• With Epynt having been a Welsh-speaking community, the entire proceedings were carried out in Welsh. Translation was provided through headphones for those who had not learned the language. The evening ended with the entire group, now numbering well over 300, singing Welsh hymns.
• I left in time to get a view of the Brecon Beacons over the Nant Eithrim valley. Names will be covered in a moment.
• A huge stream of sheep blocking my path. After following for a while, I took a dirt track to bypass them, and rejoin the concessionary military road.
• The main Brecon Beacons. On the left is Tor y Foel (551 metres) in the southeast Brecon Beacons. Then there are Waun Rydd (769 metres), Gwaun Cerrig Llwydion (754 metres), Fan y Bîg (719 metres), Cribyn (795 metres), Pen y Fan (886 metres) and Corn Du (873 metres). On the right is the edge of Fforest Fawr.
• The Black Mountain. Moel Feity (591 metres), Fan Hir (761 metres), Fan Brycheiniog (802 metres), Picws Du (749 metres), Waun Lefrith (677 metres) and Garreg Las (635 metres).
• The Brecon Beacons. On the left is Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres) in the Black Mountains. After that are the main Brecon Beacons. Visible in Fforest Fawr are Fan Fawr (734 metres), Fan Llia (632 metres), Fan Nedd (663 metres), Fan Gyhirych (725 metres) and Cefn Cul (562 metres). Lastly, on the right is the Black Mountain. A fitting end to an awesome day.

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