Wales
Fan Frynych
628M
2061FT
About Fan Frynych
Rising above the glacial amphitheatre of Craig Cerrig-gleisiad, this sprawling Old Red Sandstone plateau offers a quieter alternative to the central peaks. Reaching 628 metres, its grassy summit is a Hewitt and Nuttall that provides a front-row seat to the western faces of Pen y Fan and Corn Du across the valley.
Key Statistics
Rank
37th Highest in Wales
Parent Range
Brecon Beacons
Prominence
?
46.1m
Nearest Town
Glyn Tarell
Geology
The ground beneath you consists of layered sandstone and fine mudstone. These alternating rocks form the solid foundation of the Senni and Freshwater West formations.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SN957227
Latitude
51.8931°N
Longitude
3.5171°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is widely translated from Welsh as ‘Frenchman’s Peak’, likely a reference to the Norman lords of Brecon. The hill was part of the Fforest Fawr, a royal hunting ground established after the Norman conquest.
- •While the central peaks are often crowded, Fan Frynych offers a superior view of the 'Big Two'—Pen y Fan and Corn Du—showing off their dramatic, scooped-out northern cwms from a perspective few tourists see.
- •The hill is part of a National Nature Reserve protecting the crags of Craig Cerrig-gleisiad; these cliffs host rare arctic-alpine flora such as purple saxifrage, surviving here in a microclimate far south of their usual range.
- •Many walkers pair this summit with the nearby Fan Llia, following a route that touches upon the Sarn Helen, an ancient Roman road that once connected the forts of Neath and Brecon Gaer.
- •The summit plateau is so impressively level that the trig pillar often looks less like a mountain peak and more like a misplaced gatepost in a very large, very high meadow.