Brecon Beacons: Park to use Welsh name Bannau Brycheiniog

Brecon Beacons, Stella Owen, NFU Cymru’s county advisor, said that, while it was important the national park was put “on a pedestal”, local farmers had to have the ability “to run businesses, to be profitable, and to continue in these wonderful, vibrant communities – delivering on the Welsh language, the culture and the social aspect of what we have.”

Brecon Beacons National Park has announced that it will use its Welsh language name only in future. Its not without controversy as most visitors find it hard to pronounce the name and even harder to remember it.

Bannau Brycheiniog – meaning “the peaks of Brychan’s kingdom” – is derived from 5th Century King Brychan ruler of Brycheiniog, the land borders roughly match that of the National Park. Pronounced “ban-aye bruch-ay-nee-og”, the name follows a similar change with mount Snowdon, now being referred to it’s original Welsh name of Yr Wyddfa.

Cycling routes wouldn’t be what it is without the savagery and stunning beauty the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park offers and is why many riders return each year. We feel it important to honour the Welsh routes of this land and the decision of the National Park authority.

We understand that for 66 years the park has been referred to as the Brecon Beacons, so we will use both names initially as to avoid any confusion for the time being. However, as time goes on, we hope that the new name will become as famous and adored as the name that has been known all over the World for over half a century.