Fforest Fawr UNESCO Geopark Festival 20th Anniversary Programme
Join us for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of establishing Fforest Fawr UNESCO Geopark in Bannau Brycheiniog. On Saturday 27 September 2025, the Visitor Centre will host geology and archaeology stalls, expert talks and a walk, to officially open the festival. Following that, there are activities on different days in various locations, offering something for everyone. Please see below for the full festival programme and booking links.
By purchasing tickets for our festival, you’re not just joining in the celebration – you’re helping care and share the stories for our shared landscape. Your support goes directly into important projects such as the development of new Geopark trails for everyone to enjoy. Thank you for being part of it.
Rivers Fieldwork GCSE Geology – Private Event
Tuesday, 23 September 2025
Social Walk from YHA Brecon Beacons – SOLD OUT
Thursday, 25 September 2025
As part of YHA’s Festival of Walking, help us celebrate 20 years as a UNESCO Geopark as we explore two dramatic cwms set in Craig Cerrig Gleisiad, a national nature reserve.
Evolution of Flowering Plants
Expert Talk with Maria Golightly
10.15AM, 27 September 2025
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Visitor Centre
Maria Golightly will be our guide to the unfolding story of flowering plants from the Jurassic period to the present day, and how without them, humans wouldn’t have existed.
Brecon Beacons Tramroads Project
Expert Talk with Roy Manning
11.20AM, 27 September 2025
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Visitor Centre
Join us for an Expert Talk with Roy Manning, Brecon Beacons Park Society, who will share his knowledge and passion for these key transport systems, and how recent partnership work is allowing us to survey and record this part of our history.
A Brief History of Fforest Fawr Geopark. Part 1: Rocky Underpinnings
Expert Talk with Alan Bowring
12.15PM, 27 September 2025
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Visitor Centre
Geopark Officer, Alan Bowring will be our guide as we journey through 470 million years, tracing the origin in ‘deep time’ of the rocks which make up our ‘layer-cake’ landscape.
Iron and Ice – Ages Past
Guided Walk with Alan Bowring
1.30PM, 27 September 2025
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Visitor Centre
Join experienced local geologist Alan Bowring for a northerly circuit across Mynydd Illtud from the National Park Visitor Centre to Twyn y Gaer Iron Age Hillfort. Explore the legacies of the last glacial period and those of people of this landscape over the last 2,500 years, as well as the sweeping views of the surrounding mountains.
A Brief History of Fforest Fawr Geopark (Part II: The Icing on Top)
Expert Talk with Alan Bowring
12.30PM, 28 September 2025
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Visitor Centre
Geopark Officer, Alan Bowring will explore how our ‘layer-cake’ landscape has fared during the last few hundred thousand years, as glaciers and landslips put the finishing touches to this place.
Bogs, Romans and more
Guided Walk with Alan Bowring
1.30PM, 28 September 2025
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Visitor Centre
Join Alan Bowring, an experienced local geologist, for this walk on the southerly circuit around Mynydd Illtud from the National Park Visitor Centre to Traeth Mawr, visiting standing stones and a mysterious leat, Sarn Helen and a saint’s grave.
Brecon Beacons Park Society – Upper Hepste Walk
Friday 3 October 2025
Heneb Heritage & Archaeology Day – Bannau Brycheiniog National Park
Saturday 4 October 2025
Talybont-on-Usk
Explore the fascinating archaeological heritage of mid and south-east Wales with out experts. Event hosted by Heneb and the Brecon Beacons Park Society.
Brecon Beacons Tramroads Project
Expert talk with Roy Manning
10.30AM, 11 October 2025
Craig-y-nos Country Park
Join us for an Expert Talk with Roy Manning, Brecon Beacons Park Society, who will share his knowledge and passion for these key transport systems, and how recent partnership work is allowing us to survey and record this part of our history.
Cribarth & Craig-y-nos in Deep Time
Expert Talk with Alan Bowring and special guest Jeff Alexander
11.15AM, 11 October 2025
Craig-y-nos Country Park
Discover the evolutions of our landscape with Geopark Officer, Alan Bowring. Travelling back in time, we will explore the lasting impact of the industrial exploitation of Cribarth’s mineral riches.
Alan will be joined afterwards by Jeff Alexander, author of the recently published ” Cribarth: The Giant Awakes ” for a Q&A session. Please see the walk in the afternoon as a follow on from this event.
A Cribarth Circuit
Guided Walk with Alan Bowring and Jeff Alexander
1PM, 11 October 2025
Craig-y-nos Country Park
Alan Bowring, experienced local geologist, will be joined by guest expert Jeff Alexander, for this exploration of the extraordinary hill which rears above Craig-y-Nos; the rockiest ridge in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. Faults and folds, ice and industry have all played their part in shaping it.
Witness miles of old tramroads as they thread through a unique landscape pitted with shakeholes and old quarries – this walk is not to be missed!
Karst, Caves, Crags and Kilns
Expert Talk with Alan Bowring
11.30AM, 12 October 2025
Craig-y-nos Country Park
Uncover the limestone landscapes of Fforest Fawr Geopark in this Expert Talk with Geopark Officer, Alan Bowring. Some of the UK’s longest and deepest caves lie beneath our hills whilst thousands of holes adorn their surface. Most are natural, some are man-made; all have a story.
Wealth of Water
Guided Walk with Alan Bowring
2PM, 12 October 2025
Craig-y-nos Country Park
Join experienced local geologist, Alan Bowring, for an introduction to a part of Cwm Tawe (Swansea Valley) very much shaped by rivers of water and of ice. There is a story behind every hump and every hollow in the landscape – we’ll explore quite a few on this gentle circular walk!