UK National Parks
The 519sqm of Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) is one of 15 National Parks in the UK. In Scotland these are the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond, in England The Lake District, The Peak District, Northumberland, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Boards, South Downs, New Forest, Dartmoor and Exmoor. In Wales in addition to Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) we have Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia.
These National Parks are protected areas because of their beautiful countryside, wildlife and cultural heritage. National Parks welcome visitors and provide opportunities for everyone to experience, enjoy and learn about their special qualities.
Each National Park is administered by its own National Park Authority. They are independent bodies funded by central government to:
- conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage; and
- promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of National Parks by the public.
Currently there are no National Parks in Northern Ireland , but large areas of beautiful countryside are protected as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). There is currently a review to look at establishing a National Park in Northern Ireland, with the Mountains of Mourne as a possible area.
Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park Visitor Survey
A survey commissioned by Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) ran between August 2012 and October 2013 seeking to understand what reasons people had for visiting the National Park and what key activities they did whilst here. The survey is based on the results of the 1469 responses gathered.
Almost all survey respondents (94%) had visited Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) within the last 12 months. 80% were staying overnight in the area, 12% were staying outside of Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and 8% came from home for the day.
Reasons for Visiting
A range of factors influence the decision to visit the area and the most influential of these are scenery/landscape (86%), peace & quiet (62%), a
previous visit (47%), accessibility (36%) and the range of things to do (31%) such as outdoor activities including cycling, climbing, caving, gorge walking and canoeing. In addition 24% chose to visit due to the fact Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) is a National Park, 24% for its historic interest, 28% for special attractions and 8% for the festivals.
Key Activities
Activities undertaken by visitors include low level walking/rambling (64%), visiting towns and villages (63%), visiting restaurants/pubs (61%), hill walking/hiking (56%), visiting attractions (39%) and shopping (37%). Families with children have higher levels of interest in visiting attractions (48%).
Things to Do in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park
Here are some ideas on things to do in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons)
Crashed Wellington Bomber Walk