Radnor Forest ( cy, Fforest Clud) in the county of Radnorshire,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

is a rock dome composed of Silurian shales, mudstones and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

in Mid Wales. It is a

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

in the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

sense of the word (an area of land set aside for

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

). It lies within the Welsh Marches region since

Offa's Dyke Offa's Dyke ( cy, Clawdd Offa) is a large linear earthwork that roughly follows the border between England and Wales. The structure is named after Offa, the Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from AD 757 until 796, who is traditionally believed to ha ...

lies nearby to the east. Great Rhos

The area lies to the north of the Black Mountains and to the east of the Cambrian Mountains.

Hergest Ridge Hergest Ridge is a large elongated hill which traverses the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom, between the town of Kington in Herefordshire and the village of Gladestry in Powys. Its highest point, which is in England, ...

is immediately to the south-east of the area (just across the English border into

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

), near the small town of Kington. The highest point in the area is Rhos Fawr a broad

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

which reaches , and is equipped with a

trig point A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The nomenclature varies regionally: they a ...

to mark the summit. A similar plateau adjoining to the east, Black Mixen is the only Nuttall to have a communications mast (a

radio transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...

) on its summit.

Geology

The massif is formed from argillaceous rocks of Ludlow age, i.e. late Silurian around 425 million years ago. The strata are exposed around Harley Dingle and Whinyard Rocks. In 2020 the area was in course of being geologically mapped for the publication of the 'Knighton' 1:50,000 scale geological map by the British Geological Survey, no such work having been undertaken in this area since the middle of the nineteenth century.

Site of Special Scientific interest

Part of the area is a designated and protected SSSI, with rare

saxifrage ''Saxifraga'' is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 465 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils. The Latin word ''saxifraga'' means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin ' ("rock" or " ...

and other plants. It covers the highest peaks and a rocky gorge near the centre. The vegetation of the summit ridges is fairly uniform, and is dominated by a mixture of dwarf shrubs, heather,

crowberry ''Empetrum nigrum'', crowberry, black crowberry, or, in western Alaska, blackberry, is a flowering plant species in the heather family Ericaceae with a near circumboreal distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. It is usually dioecious, but there ...

, and

bilberry Bilberries (), or sometimes European blueberries, are a primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus ''Vaccinium'' (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, dark blue berries. The species most often referred to is '' Vaccinium myrtill ...

. Mixed with these dwarf shrubs are hare's-tail

cottongrass ''Eriophorum'' (cottongrass, cotton-grass or cottonsedge) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cyperaceae, the sedge family. They are found throughout the arctic, subarctic, and temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere in acid bo ...

, purple moor-grass,

sedges The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

such as Carex binervis and a number of mosses and

lichens A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Purple moor-grass is but thinly scattered and does not form the extensive stands so familiar only a few miles west.

Peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...

pools support common

Eriophorum angustifolium. The steep-sided dingles and rock outcrops of the Forest's edge support rich plant communities, since these eastern Silurian shales are slightly calcareous. Mossy

and rock stonecrop are common on some cliff faces, with

marjoram Marjoram (; ''Origanum majorana'') is a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted marj ...

and a number of interesting mosses and

liverwort The Marchantiophyta () are a division of non-vascular land plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of ...

s. A variety of typical upland breeding birds are present, including

raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on ...

s such as the

red kite The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds in the Western Palearctic region o ...

and common buzzard, as well as red grouse,

whinchat The whinchat (''Saxicola rubetra'') is a small migratory passerine bird breeding in Europe and western Asia and wintering in central Africa. At one time considered to be in the thrush family, Turdidae, it is now placed in the Old World flycat ...

European stonechat The European stonechat (''Saxicola rubicola'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a subspecies of the common stonechat. Long considered a member of the thrush family, Turdidae, genetic evidence has placed it and its relat ...

northern wheatear The northern wheatear or wheatear (''Oenanthe oenanthe'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It is th ...

and the

white-throated dipper The white-throated dipper (''Cinclus cinclus''), also known as the European dipper or just dipper, is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The species is divided into several subspec ...

at or near the many streams in the forest. Radnorshire Wildlife Trust maintain the 33 hectare Mynydd Ffoesidoes Nature Reserve on the summit plateau.

Archaeology

The topmost parts of the forest exhibit several

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

round barrows, and there are also several

ring cairn A ring cairn (also correctly termed a ring bank enclosure, but sometimes wrongly described as a ring barrow) is a circular or slightly oval, ring-shaped, low (maximum 0.5 metres high) embankment, several metres wide and from 8 to 20 metres in ...

s in the area. Most occur on or near the peaks, such as Black Mixen and Bache Hill. Prehistoric settlement is shown by

hut circle In archaeology, a hut circle is a circular or oval depression in the ground which may or may not have a low stone wall around it that used to be the foundation of a round house. The superstructure of such a house would have been made of timber an ...

s often present as distinctive platforms. On the west side of Harley Dingle is a distinctive landscape feature known as "The Three Wriggles", a set of three gulleys running down the mountain slope on the western side of the Harley valley. There is also some evidence for mining activity. The town of

New Radnor New Radnor ( cy, Maesyfed) is a village in Powys, Wales, to the south of Radnor Forest, and was the county town of Radnorshire. In the 2001 census, the community's population of 410 was split evenly between male and female, in 192 household ...

was a planned

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

settlement, and there is a large mound just to the north of the town marking the site of a

motte and bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

Radnor Range

The forest was exploited as a military training area during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and has remnants of such activity such as bomb craters and slit trenches. The Harley Dingle site was used by Imperial Chemical Industries' defence arm during the 1920s. It was subsequently used in connection with the development of rocket motors and other weapons systems. Now operated by Radnor Range Ltd, it is still used for testing ammunition and ordnance. A public exclusion zone exists around the facility with multiple warning flags and signs at the boundaries of the range. The zone was extended during 2017. Beyond the exclusion zone, further land to the west of Black Brook is subject to restricted access due to the presence of unexploded ordnance.

Waterfall

The area is home to a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

or cascade which is known as "Water Break-its-neck". The Waterfall has been popular with tourists for over 200 years and was an especially popular destination for Victorian tourists. It can be reached via a short rough track or forestry road from the A44 main road from Kington to Aberystwyth, shortly after

, and there is a small car park for visitors to the Warren Wood reserve maintained by

Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Coun ...

. The cascade can be reached via a short walkway beside the river in the

hanging valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

. There are two other small car parks around the edge of the forest to the north and the east which allow public access to the moorland and woods.

Legends

According to a legend, the local people built four churches in a circle around the Radnor Forest in order to contain the last dragon in

, who lay sleeping in the area. The churches, at Llanfihangel Cefnllys,

Llanfihangel Rhydithon Llanfihangel Rhydithon is a community in the county of Powys, (Radnorshire) Wales, and is 56.1 miles (90.3 km) from Cardiff and 143.5 miles (231.0 km) from London. In 2011 the population of Llanfihangel Rhydithon was 228 with 6.7% of the ...

(

Dolau Dolau is a small village in Powys, Mid Wales. It is situated in the community of Llanfihangel Rhydithon on the edge of Radnor Forest, in the historic county of Radnorshire. In the 2011 Census the population Llanfihangel Rhydithon totalled 228 re ...

), Llanfihangel Nant Melan and Llanfihangel Cascob, were all dedicated to

St Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

(Welsh: Mihangel) victor over the dragon. Some people believed that the dragon would awaken if any of the four churches were destroyed.

Nearby towns

There are several small market towns at the feet of the hills, including Llandrindod Wells, Kington, Knighton, and Presteigne,. The latter town was formerly the county town of Radnorshire. The village of New Radnor sits at the southern base of the hills, and there are several other villages nearby, such as Old Radnor, Gladestry and Cascob.

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Great Rhos and surrounding areaArchaeological surveySSSI Radnor ForestMap of SSSI Radnor ForestManagement Plan of SSSI
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