Picws Du facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Picws Du\Bannau Sir Gaer
Picws Du from Fan Brycheiniog
Highest point
Elevation	749 m (2,457 ft)
Prominence	93 m (305 ft)
Parent peak	Fan Brycheiniog
Listing	Hewitt, Nuttall, sub HuMP
Naming
Language of name	Welsh
Geography
Location	Carmarthenshire, Wales
Parent range	Brecon Beacons
OS grid	SN825217

Picws Du is a cool mountain in Wales. It's the second highest peak in an area called the Carmarthen Fans, or Bannau Sir Gaer in Welsh. You can find it in the Carmarthenshire part of the Black Mountain range. This whole area is inside the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The very highest peak nearby is Fan Foel. Picws Du is like a smaller part of Fan Brycheiniog. Picws Du is also part of the Fforest Fawr Geopark. At the top of Picws Du, there's a big old Bronze Age burial mound. The mountain is 749 meters (2,457 feet) high. Another peak, Waun Lefrith, is to the west.

From the top, you can see amazing views. Below the peak, there's a beautiful glacial lake called Llyn y Fan Fach. Because Picws Du sits on the edge of a ridge, you get wide, open views all around. On a clear day, you can see the Cambrian Mountains and even Swansea far away to the south.

What is Picws Du Made Of?

Picws Du is made from old rocks like sandstone and mudstone. These rocks are part of something called the Brownstone Formation. They were formed millions of years ago during the Devonian period. The very top of the mountain is made of even harder sandstone.

During the ice ages, small glaciers were here. They carved out big, bowl-shaped valleys called cirques. These valleys are now known as Pwll yr Henllyn and Pant y Bwlch. Water from these valleys flows into different rivers. Some water goes into the River Sawdde and then the River Tywi. Other water flows into the River Usk, which you can see from the top. The Afon Twrch and River Tawe also get water from the mountain.

The beautiful Llyn y Fan Fach lake is just below the summit to the west. There are also piles of rocks called moraines left by the glaciers. Some of these moraines even have small pools of water.

Ancient History at Picws Du

The very top of Picws Du has a very large Bronze Age round barrow. This is like an ancient burial mound. It's quite old and hasn't been dug up by archaeologists yet.

However, similar burial mounds have been found on other nearby mountains, like Pen y Fan and Fan Foel. The mound on Fan Foel was dug up between 2002 and 2004. Scientists found two separate burials inside. One burial had the burnt bones of an adult woman and two children. They were buried around 2000 BC. It's likely that the mound on Picws Du is just as old. Back then, the weather was much warmer, and more people lived in this area.

There are also many old stories and legends linked to the glacial lake below Picws Du, Llyn y Fan Fach. One famous story is about the Lady of the Lake.

Exploring Picws Du: Access and Safety

You can walk freely all over Picws Du because it's considered "open country." A popular way to explore is to walk a loop that includes the nearby peaks of Waun Lefrith and Fan Foel.

The long-distance walking path called the Beacons Way also crosses Picws Du. This path goes from Llangadog to Abergavenny. Part of the path follows the edge of the mountain, offering amazing views. In some wet areas, stone paths have been added to make walking easier. There's even a stone staircase where the Beacons Way climbs up from Llyn y Fan Fawr to Fan Brycheiniog.

You can also start your walk from a car park near the small dam at Llyn y Fan Fach. A road leads up to the lake. From the dam, a footpath goes up the ridge to the east. It follows the cliff edge past Waun Lefrith to the summit. Along the way, you'll see rock outcrops and gullies dropping down to the lake. The views from here are wide and impressive. You can see Swansea and the Bristol Channel to the south. To the north, you might spot Mynydd Epynt and Brecon.

Always be careful when walking in the mountains, especially if the weather changes. Mist, fog, rain, or snow can make it hard to see. It's especially dangerous to walk near the cliff edge if you can't see clearly. Always carry a prismatic compass and a local map to help you find your way. Not many people walk on the Black Mountain, so it's important to be prepared and rely on yourself.

Wildlife Around Picws Du

This area is home to many different kinds of birds. You might see red kites, common buzzards, kestrels, carrion crows, common ravens, and skylarks.

The red kite used to be found mostly in this part of South Wales. Farmers and gamekeepers used to hunt them, thinking they attacked game birds, but this was wrong. Luckily, red kites have now been brought back to many other parts of Britain. Kestrels and buzzards are common, but ravens usually stick to the higher mountains.

You can also find many mammals here. These include field voles, rabbits, foxes, weasels, and badgers. There are also many songbirds. Skylarks are very common because there are large grassy areas below the peaks where they can build their nests on the ground. You might see pied wagtails near the streams that flow down the hills.

The mountain tops are too high for trees to grow. But you can find sessile oak trees clinging to the lower valley sides, where they are protected from strong winds. There are also some conifer forests planted by the Forestry Commission on the lower parts of the mountain.