Forts along the middle Usk
Besides the village of Trallong the community includes Penpont and Llanfihangel Nant Bran*.
The lie of the land
The Community ranges in height from 150m in the floodplain of the River Usk where it is joined by the Afon Bran to 453m on Mynydd Epynt several miles to the north of the Geopark. Other notable hills include;
- Allt Lom 381m (SN 965270)
- Twyn y Gaer 367m (SN 989280)
The area is drained largely by the Nant Bran which flows into the River Usk.
Solid rocks
The area is underlain wholly by the red and purple mudstones and siltstones of the Raglan and St Maughan’s Formations of the Old Red Sandstone which are of Devonian age.
Legacy of the Ice Ages
A major glacier flowed down the Usk valley.
Archaeology
Overlooking the Usk are the remains of the Iron Age hillfort of Twyn y Gaer. Pillow mounds are found on its slopes. A similarly named fort lies on the northern side of the Usk just outside the Geopark.
Maps
Geology
Sheet 213 ‘Brecon’ of the British Geological Survey’s 1:50,000 map series of England and Wales gives full coverage of both the bedrock geology and superficial deposits of the Community area. BGS publishes a ‘sheet explanation’ to accompany this map.
General
The following Ordnance Survey maps cover the Community:
- Landranger sheet 160 ‘Brecon Beacons’ (1:50,000 scale)
- Explorer sheet OL12 ‘Brecon Beacons National Park/Western area’ (1:25,000 scale)
Public transport
Bus services operate along the A40 road between Llandovery and Brecon.
See Traveline Cymru for bus and train services including stops, timetables and route-planning information.