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FFOREST FAWR

FFOREST FAWR

Visit Fforest Fawr and you will be among the forgotten hills of S Wales. For every 100 ramblers who tramp the Black Mountains or the Brecon Beacons probably no more than ten explore Mynydd Du (Black Mountain), and of them perhaps only one ever sets foot in Fforest Fawr. This is all the more surprising considering Fforest Fawr’s strategic position, nicely tucked between the Beacons and Mynydd Du, and its claim to at least as large a share of the higher ground as its peers.

Fforest Fawr is bounded in the W by the Crai and Tawe valleys and by Bwlch Bryn-rhudd. The E limit is marked by the A470 as it follows the beds of first the Tarell and then the Taf. To the N the hills gently succumb to the pastoral charms of the Usk while S, sad to say, it is the harsh realities of the S Wales industrial belt that supplant them.

Two valleys encroach upon the hills: the Senni from the N, the Mellte from the S. Both are beautiful. The Mellte is generously endowed with waterfalls, potholes and wooded canyons while the Senni retains a simpler, more rustic loveliness. A narrow mountain road links them, thereby splitting the area in half.

Of the six heathery, grassy hills that top 2000ft, four are in the E half and two in the W. The E sector is dominated by Fan Fawr, doyene of the range, whose flat decapitated top is a familiar landmark. Unlike Fan Fawr, Fan Lila is the culmination of a long whale-backed ridge and has little immediate appeal. These two peaks are perfectly balanced in the W: Fan Nedd (the custodian of another long ridge) which parallels Fan Llia, while Fan Gihirych is another headless giant.

The NE tip of Fforest Fawr protudes like a dwarf’s head from a neck created by two cwms (Cerrig-gleisiad and Du) that thrust deeply into the hills. Nearby are the two remaining peaks, Craig Cerrig-gleisiad and Fan Frynych, though ‘peak’ is scarcely the word, for neither has sufficient presence to justify the title. Yet though these two peaks have little appeal, do not write off the cwms where Fforest Fawr sheds its usual austerity and displays its lofty soaring crags among prettily wooded slopes and timeless pastoral tranquillity.

Austerity is the key to Fforest Fawr’s neglect. The highlands are bare, windswept fells devoid of secrets. Scarcely a wall, hardly a trace of rock, obtrudes upon the smooth uniformity of the moors. Few trees survive, even on the lower slopes, and no tarns reflect the sun’s rays. On a dull day, or in winter with a bustling wind, it is a bleak and cheerless landscape without the slightest semblance of shelter. Even Fan Fawr and Fan Gihirych, imposing as they are, impress more by the stark, simple severity of their lines than by shapeliness.

Austerity does have another side – remember, even deserts have their admirers! Fforest Fawr still manages to lay claim to the hearts of those who derive pleasure from striding wild open places with only the wind, the challenge of far horizons and the munching sheep for company. There is but one inviolable rule: choose a fine day. Fforest Fawr has few landmarks and is a hard taskmaster in mist when route-finding ability of a high order is required. What would be the point anyway? Pick a clear bracing day in winter, or a sun-dappled day with the clouds scurrying overhead, and you have a day to remember!

Fforest Fawr is considerate to hillwalkers. Gradients are easy, many of the walks start fairly high and the prevailing terrain is firm, short-cropped grass and heather with little bog and few tussocks to slow you down. Miles flow easily, giving ample opportunity to admire the views. The best of these are N and S; N to the Usk Valley with the bleak uplands of Mynydd Eppynt and the hills of mid-Wales rising hazily beyond; S to the boundless moors and foothills that gradually decline to the coast and Swansea Bay. The Beacons are all but obscured by Corn Du, and it is the silhouette of the Black Mountain that claims pride of place among the major hills to the W.

Note Restrictions on rights of way must be observed even more carefully than usual in the W half of Fforest Fawr because the whole area is part of the privately owned Cnewr Estate. There is only one permissive route across the estate and this is open all year round except for the period 15 April-10 May when it is closed for lambing. At the time of writing this route is roughly equivalent to my routes FF13, 14 and 15. My routes FF11, 12 and 16 are not covered by the agreement. Please, therefore, check your route before setting out and if you are in any doubt, or wish to apply for special permission, write to The Estate Office, Sennybridge, Brecon LD3 8SP.