Glasfynydd Forest is an extensive area of

coniferous Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

plantations in the west of the

Brecon Beacons National Park Brecon Beacons National Park, officially named Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (), is a National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Wales. It is named after the Brecon Beacons (), the mountain range at its centre. The national park ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It straddles the border between the counties of

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

and

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

. The forest is divided into three blocks: * The northernmost () encircles the

Usk Reservoir The Usk Reservoir () is located in the upper River Usk, Usk Valley, at above sea level, in the western part of the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. The county boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys runs through the reservoir which lies ...

near the head of the

River Usk The River Usk (; ) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it flows north int ...

. Car parking and picnic facilities exist at the northern end of the Usk Reservoir dam on land owned by

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is a not-for-profit company which supplies drinking water and wastewater services to most of Wales and parts of western England that border Wales. In total, it serves around 1.4 million households and businesses and over thr ...

and managed on its behalf by the

Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales () is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Countryside Council for Wales, E ...

. * The southernmost () is the largest block and occupies the ground south of the Usk valley and to the west of

Crai Crai may refer to: * Crai (village), Welsh village and community ** Afon Crai, a river that runs through the Welsh community * Crai (supermarket), Italian cooperative society * Crai (record label) Sain (Welsh for ''Audio'', ), in full – ''S ...

which rises to

Moel Feity Moel is a variant spelling for: *Mohel, the person performing the Jewish ritual of circumcision *Saint Mel, a 5th-century Irish religious figure *In Welsh placenames The place-names of Wales derive in most cases from the Welsh language, but have ...

. * The smaller central block () lies to the south of the minor road between

Trecastle Trecastle () ("the town of the castle") is a village in Powys, Wales, situated on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park () and in the community of Llywel. The village has a population of about 200. History Trecastle is named after Cast ...

and Llanddeusant at Mynydd Wysg.Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL12, ''Brecon Beacons National Park: Western Area''. Car parking and picnic facilities are provided by

at Pont'ar Wysg on this road.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Images of Glasfynydd Forest and surrounding area on Geograph website
Year of establishment missing Black Mountain (range) Forests and woodlands of Carmarthenshire Forests and woodlands of Powys Forests and woodlands of the Brecon Beacons National Park