Pen y Fan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pen y Fan |
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Pen y Fan from Cribyn
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 886 m (2,907 ft) |
| Prominence | 672 m (2,205 ft) |
| Listing | Marilyn, Hewitt, Council top, Nuttall |
| Naming | |
| English translation | the top peak |
| Language of name | Welsh |
| Geography | |
 Pen y Fan
Location in Brecon Beacons
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| Location | Powys, UK |
| Parent range | Brecon Beacons |
| OS grid | SO012215 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 160, Explorer OL12 |
Pen y Fan is the highest mountain in south Wales. It stands tall in the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park. At 886 meters (2,907 feet) above sea level, it is also the highest peak in Britain south of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia. Pen y Fan is the highest point of the old county of Brecknockshire. Today, it is part of the Powys council area. The two peaks, Pen y Fan and Corn Du (873 m or 2,864 ft), used to be called Cadair Arthur, which means 'Arthur's Seat'.
The National Trust owns Pen y Fan and the land around it. They work hard to fix paths and stop the ground from wearing away. This is because so many people love to walk on this mountain! The military also uses the mountain. It is part of the tough training for the UK's Special Forces.
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Getting to Pen y Fan
Pen y Fan is a main stop on the Beacons Way. This is a long walking path that crosses the mountains from east to west. Everyone is welcome to walk here. There is a well-made path from a place called the Storey Arms. This path starts 1,500 feet below the summit. The National Trust works to keep this path and others in good shape. This helps to stop damage from the many thousands of walkers each year. You can also find a major path from Cribyn, which is another peak nearby to the east.
The Storey Arms Centre
The Storey Arms is an outdoor education centre. It sits next to the A470, which is a main road through Wales. The centre is in the Brecon Beacons National Park, near Libanus, Powys. Cardiff City Council has run this centre since 1971. Up to 58 people can stay there at one time. They offer many fun activities like kayaking, caving, hill walking, and rock climbing.
The centre is 440 meters (1,444 feet) above sea level. It is located in the pass between Pen y Fan and Fan Fawr, at the bottom of Corn Du. The name 'Storey Arms' comes from a large old inn that was there before. That inn was knocked down in 1924.
Starting Your Climb
Buses stop right outside the Storey Arms centre on the A470. There is also a car park at Pont ar Daf, which is 200 meters (656 feet) from the centre. This car park is the most popular place for walkers to start their climb up Pen y Fan. It has space for about 50 cars and is owned by the Welsh Government. You can find toilets there too. A footpath connects the Storey Arms, the bus stops, and the Pont ar Daf car park to the main path leading up to Corn Du and Pen y Fan.
Reaching the Top
The very top of Pen y Fan is on a long ridge. This ridge stretches from Talybont Reservoir in the east to the A470. About 0.5 kilometers (0.3 miles) to the southwest is the smaller peak of Corn Du. After Corn Du, the ground slopes down gently to another peak called Y Gyrn. Then it drops more steeply to the Storey Arms on the A470. To the east, the ridge drops sharply to a low point that connects it to Cribyn. Cribyn is the next mountain along the ridge. From Corn Du, another ridge goes south towards Merthyr Tydfil.
Ancient History at the Top
The summit of Pen y Fan has an old Bronze Age cairn. A cairn is a pile of stones. This one is very well preserved. In the middle of the cairn is a stone cist. A cist is like a stone box. It is similar to the one on the nearby peak of Corn Du. This grave has circles of stones around it. These circles helped to protect the central mound from falling apart.
The stone box (cist) is made of vertical stone slabs. Today, a National Trust sign sits inside it. But long ago, it would have held the ashes or bones of a person or people. It was common in the British Bronze Age for several people to be buried together. The cist also held grave goods. These were items left with the person's remains. They could be flint tools, urns, or even flowers. A similar burial mound on Fan Foel was dug up in 2002-2004. It showed items like these in its central cist, including flowers from the plant called meadowsweet.
What Pen y Fan Means
The name Pen y Fan comes from Welsh words. Pen means 'top', 'head', or 'peak'. Y means 'the'. And fan is a changed form of ban. Ban means 'summit', 'crest', or 'beacon'. The same word ban, in its plural form bannau, is in the Welsh name for the Brecon Beacons: Bannau Brycheiniog. There isn't just one perfect way to translate Pen y Fan. But 'the mountain's peak' or 'the beacon's summit' are both good ways to understand it.
How the Mountain Was Formed
Pen y Fan is made of different types of Old Red Sandstone. These rocks were formed during the Devonian period, which was a very long time ago. The lower parts of the mountain are made of sandstones and mudstones. The upper parts are made of harder sandstones. The very top of Pen y Fan, like Corn Du, is made of very tough sandstones. These layers of rock gently slope south towards the South Wales Coalfield.
During the last ice age, the Brecon Beacons had their own glaciers. These glaciers carved out valleys like Cwm Llwch and Cwm Sere. Llyn Cwm Llwch is a lake that sits in a hollow dug out by a glacier. Part of the lake is held back by a pile of rock and dirt left by the glacier.
Pen y Fan is the highest point in the Fforest Fawr Geopark. This geopark was created in 2005. Its goal is to help the area's economy grow. It especially focuses on sustainable tourism based on the amazing geology of the area.
Tommy Jones' Obelisk
Near the path from the Storey Arms to the summit, there is a special stone monument. It is a granite obelisk. An obelisk is a tall, thin, four-sided pillar. The words on it tell a sad story: "This obelisk marks the spot where the body of Tommy Jones aged 5 was found. He lost his way between Cwm Llwch Farm and the Login on the night of August 4, 1900. After an anxious search of 29 days his remains were discovered Sept [2nd]. Erected by voluntary subscriptions. W Powell Price Mayor of Brecon 1901."
Tommy was the son of a Rhondda coal miner. He was visiting his grandparents when he got lost. He died from being too cold and tired. It is still a mystery how such a young boy managed to climb so high. The obelisk is a helpful landmark for walkers, especially when it's foggy. People paid for it with money from a special fund. The search for Tommy was even used as the idea for a 1980 film called Tommy Jones.
Amazing Views
On a clear day from the top of Pen y Fan, you can see for miles! You might spot the Bristol Channel, including the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm. You can also see Carmarthen Bay, Swansea Bay, and the Gower Peninsula. Look out for the Black Mountains, the Cambrian Mountains, and even Exmoor. The town of Brecon and much of Mid Wales and the South Wales Valleys are visible too. If you look northeast, you might even see the Clee Hills in South Shropshire.
