Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, National park and dark sky reserve in South Wales.
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park is a national park and dark sky reserve spanning several counties in southern Wales. The terrain shifts between open moorland, wooded hills, and rocky summits crossed by sheep pastures and streams.
The Welsh Parliament created this protected area in 1957 as the third national park in the country. Before that, farming families had worked most of the land for centuries through sheep farming and small holdings.
The name comes from the Welsh "bannau," describing the sharp rock faces visible from the valleys below. In the surrounding villages, many residents still speak Welsh, and place names on signs often appear in both languages.
The path network covers roughly 1900 kilometers (1200 miles) of public routes, including a continuous long-distance trail of around 160 kilometers (100 miles) through the main ridges. Fog or rain can make orientation and visibility challenging in the higher elevations.
The designation as an international dark sky reserve allows visitors to see millions of stars and the Milky Way on clear nights without artificial interference. Some remote spots in the park rank among the darkest locations in all of Britain.
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