Fforest Fach facts for kids
Fforest Fach is a small area of open land in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. It is located southwest of Sennybridge in the county of Powys. The name "Fforest Fach" comes from the Welsh words for 'little forest'. It got this name because there is a much larger area of open land to the south called Fforest Fawr, which means 'great forest'.
Even though Fforest Fach and Fforest Fawr have been separate for many centuries, Fforest Fach is now part of the Fforest Fawr Geopark. This Geopark covers a much wider area than the traditional royal hunting forest.
Fforest Fach has two main high points. The highest one is 382 meters tall and is in the south. The other high point is 381 meters tall and is in the north. This northern point has a special marker called a trig point on top. A trig point helps people measure the land. There used to be a rifle range in the northwest part of the hill.
What is Fforest Fach Made Of?
Fforest Fach is made from rocks called sandstones and mudstones. These rocks are part of the St. Maughans Formation. They were formed a very long time ago, during the Devonian period. Some of the sandstone rocks on the northeastern side of the hill were dug up in the past. People used them for building houses or possibly for roof tiles.
There is a large, old quarry called Pantymaes Quarry on the eastern side of the hill. You can easily see it from the road. This quarry was used to dig out sandstone.
During the last ice age, glaciers covered this area. When the ice melted, it left behind a type of soil and rock mixture called glacial till around the sides of the hill. The sides of Cwm Clydach, a valley on the eastern side of the hill, show signs of past landslides. These probably happened a long time ago, after the ice age ended.
Exploring Fforest Fach
The top part of Fforest Fach is open land. This means that walkers can explore and wander freely across it. There are also a couple of paths called bridleways that you can use. One of these paths goes from east to west across the hill. It connects two valleys called Cwm Treweryn and Cwm Crai.
