Foel Fraith
Encyclopedia
not to be confused with Fan Fraith
a few miles further east in the Fforest Fawr
range
Foel Fraith is a hill in the Black Mountain
in the county of Carmarthenshire
, southwest Wales
. It lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park and Fforest Fawr Geopark
. Its plateau-like summit attains a height of 602 metres (1,975.1 ft) above sea level. To the north the subsidiary summit of Cefn y Cylchau reaches 556 feet (169.5 m), and to the southeast is the subsidiary summit of Carn Fadog or Cefn Carn Fadog, which reaches a height of 512 metres (1,679.8 ft).
rocks and its southern slopes by the Twrch Sandstone (formerly known as the 'Basal Grit') of the overlying Marros Group
, but also dating from the Carboniferous period. In common with the regional trend
the rock strata dip moderately to the south though locally the beds overlying the limestone have foundered as this soluble rock has dissolved away over millennia. There is an extensive area of shakeholes across the entire hill. Carn Fadog is similar in character. Its summit plateau conceals three small bodies of water. On its flanks are numerous quarries both for limestone and for gritstone.
to Llangadog
crosses Foel Fraith from east to west.
Fan Fraith
not to be confused with Foel Fraith a few miles further west in the Black Mountain rangeFan Fraith is a top of Fan Gyhirych in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park in the county of Powys, south Wales. Its summit is at a height of 668m...
a few miles further east 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...
range
Foel Fraith is a hill in the Black Mountain
Black Mountain (range)
The Black Mountain is a mountain range in Mid and West Wales, straddling the county boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys and forming the westernmost range of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Its highest point is Fan Brycheiniog at 802 metres or 2,631 ft. The Black Mountain also forms a part...
in the county of Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, southwest 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 Brecon Beacons National Park and 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...
. Its plateau-like summit attains a height of 602 metres (1,975.1 ft) above sea level. To the north the subsidiary summit of Cefn y Cylchau reaches 556 feet (169.5 m), and to the southeast is the subsidiary summit of Carn Fadog or Cefn Carn Fadog, which reaches a height of 512 metres (1,679.8 ft).
Geology
The hill has a split personality with its northern slopes dominated by the succession of Carboniferous LimestoneCarboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
rocks and its southern slopes by the Twrch Sandstone (formerly known as the 'Basal Grit') of the overlying Marros Group
Marros Group
The Marros Group is the name given to a suite of rocks of Namurian age laid down during the Carboniferous period in South Wales. These rocks were formerly known as the Millstone Grit Series but are now distinguished from the similar but geographically separate rock sequences of the Pennines and...
, but also dating from the Carboniferous period. In common with the regional trend
Geology of South Wales
South Wales is an area with many features of outstanding interest to geologists, who have for long used the area for University field trips.This varied and accessible region has provided a written record of geological interest going back to the 1100s when Giraldus Cambrensis noted pyritous shales...
the rock strata dip moderately to the south though locally the beds overlying the limestone have foundered as this soluble rock has dissolved away over millennia. There is an extensive area of shakeholes across the entire hill. Carn Fadog is similar in character. Its summit plateau conceals three small bodies of water. On its flanks are numerous quarries both for limestone and for gritstone.
Access
The hill is designated as open country so freely accessible to walkers. A long bridleway runs north to south from Cwm Sawdde Fechan to Cwm Twrch on the eastern side of Foel Fraith and Carn Fadog. The Beacons Way from AbergavennyAbergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
to Llangadog
Llangadog
Llangadog is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales, which includes the villages of Llangadog, Bethlehem and Capel Gwynfe. A notable local landscape feature is Y Garn Goch with two Iron Age hill forts....
crosses Foel Fraith from east to west.