Brecon Beacons

Wales has three National Parks. One of these is the Brecon Beacons National Park which is in the south east of the country. This particular park takes its name from the Brecon Beacons mountain range, which is the predominant feature. The tallest peak is 886 metres or 2906 feet, if you prefer. Beacons, by the way, are large fires which are used as signals and this is how these mountains got their name, as the Welsh lit large fires at the top of each peak to warn of attacks by the English.

The park was set up in 1957 and has an area of 519 square miles, or 1344 square kilometres. You can walk from one end of the park to the other now that a new trail has opened. Don't expect to do it in a single afternoon though - it's 100 miles long! It starts in Abergavenny and ends in Bethlehem, and along the way you'll see some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales. You will probably see a lot of people too - it's a very popular place for walking, cycling, climbing, caving and water sports. If you're lucky you may also see the famous Welsh Mountain ponies. However, if you see people running up steep hills carrying huge packs or setting up tents in the snow, don't be surprised as this area is also used by the British army to train soldiers!

Now, as we know cars and traffic are not what we really want to see when we visit an area of such beauty. So to avoid these things the park organizers encourage tourists to leave their cars outside and enter the park in a most delightful way. The Brecon Mountain Railway is an old fashioned steam railway with some carriages more than 100 years old and is now used to carry the visitors into the park. It's a wonderful journey, with the steam engine slowly fighting to go up the steep hills and travelling through the highest tunnel in Britain, 400 metres, or 1300 feet, above sea level.

The people who run the railway had a difficult job in restoring the old line. It was in a terrible condition and most of the track and equipment was missing. Indeed, most of the land was then owned by private individuals and it took a long time and a lot of money to buy it back. However, in June 1980 the last piece of the track was finished and since then thousands of people each year enjoy one of the nicest railway rides in the UK.