Fan Gyhirych
Encyclopedia
Fan Gyhirych is a mountain
in the Fforest Fawr
section of Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales
. It lies within the county of Powys
, formerly Brecknockshire
.
Its highest point at 725m is marked by a trig point
which is located towards the western side of the summit plateau. The hill drains to the north into the catchment of the Afon Crai
and to the south and west into that of the River Tawe
. Fan Fraith is a nearby hill which can be considered a subsidiary top of Fan Gyhirych.
laid down during the Devonian period. A part of the summit plateau is capped by sandstones of the overlying Plateau Beds Formation which also occur on the nearby peak of Fan Fraith. The Cribarth Disturbance, a north-east to south-west aligned zone of faulting and folding, passes though the hill. The hill's finest feature is its north-eastern cwm which held a small glacier during the ice ages. The hill is within the Fforest Fawr Geopark
designated in 2005 in recognition of the area's geological heritage.
in the early part of the ninenteenth century. Two lines of this can be seen to diverge from near their crossing of the Nant Gyhirych on the northern side of the hill. Subsequently the Neath and Brecon Railway
was constructed following the lower tramway route in part. This line closed in the 1960s.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the Fforest Fawr
Fforest Fawr
Fforest Fawr is the name given to an extensive upland area in the county of Powys, Wales. Formerly known as the 'Great Forest of Brecknock' in English, it was a royal hunting area for several centuries but is now used primarily for sheep grazing, forestry, water catchment and recreation...
section of Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It lies within the county of Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, formerly Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
.
Its highest point at 725m is marked by a trig point
Trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
which is located towards the western side of the summit plateau. The hill drains to the north into the catchment of the Afon Crai
Afon Crai
The Afon Crai is a river in Powys, Wales rising in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park and flowing north into the River Usk. The headwaters known as Blaen-crai flow north from Bwlch Bryn-rhudd, a col between the Crai valley and the upper Swansea Valley for 2km into the...
and to the south and west into that of the River Tawe
River Tawe
The River Tawe is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally south-westerly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach...
. Fan Fraith is a nearby hill which can be considered a subsidiary top of Fan Gyhirych.
Geology
The hill is formed largely from sandstones of the Brownstones Formation of the Old Red SandstoneOld Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...
laid down during the Devonian period. A part of the summit plateau is capped by sandstones of the overlying Plateau Beds Formation which also occur on the nearby peak of Fan Fraith. The Cribarth Disturbance, a north-east to south-west aligned zone of faulting and folding, passes though the hill. The hill's finest feature is its north-eastern cwm which held a small glacier during the ice ages. The hill is within the Fforest Fawr Geopark
Fforest Fawr Geopark
Fforest Fawr Geopark was the first Geopark to be designated in Wales having gained membership of both the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO-assisted Global Network of National Geoparks in October 2005. The Geopark aims to promote and support sustainable tourism and other opportunities to...
designated in 2005 in recognition of the area's geological heritage.
History
Along the lower western flanks of the hill entrepreneur, John Christie ran the Brecon Forest TramroadBrecon Forest Tramroad
The Brecon Forest Tramroad is an early nineteenth century tramway, or rather a network of connecting tramways or waggonways, which stretched across the hills of Fforest Fawr in the historic county of Brecknockshire in south Wales, UK...
in the early part of the ninenteenth century. Two lines of this can be seen to diverge from near their crossing of the Nant Gyhirych on the northern side of the hill. Subsequently the Neath and Brecon Railway
Neath and Brecon Railway
The Neath and Brecon Railway linked the Vale of Neath Railway at Neath with the Brecon and Merthyr Railway at Brecon and also via a connection from Colbren Junction, it linked to the Swansea Vale Railway at Ynysygeinon Junction ....
was constructed following the lower tramway route in part. This line closed in the 1960s.