Discover: Iron Age forts of Garn Goch
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Date posted: 27/01/2022
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Time to read: 10 minutes
Jodie Bond
Jodie Bond is the Public Affairs Manager for the Brecon Beacons National Park. She took on the role six months ago and is passionate about connecting people with the landscape and driving nature recovery. She lives in the Black Mountains, where she spends her time writing, stalking the hills and tending her small flock of sheep.
The western reaches of the Brecon Beacons National Park are a wild expanse. The rugged hills arch their backs cat-like into the sky and provide shelter for remote farmhouses which have stood watch over the landscape for centuries. The area is within a UNESCO Global Geopark, recognised for promoting the understanding of local heritage and sustainable tourism in one of Wales’s most inspiring locations.
Two wardens lead me and a colleague up a gentle slope, a grass path fording through tangles of bracken. It is late in the day, the reddening sun casting long shadows ahead of us as we walk. Both me and the Chief Executive are new in our roles at the Park; today is an opportunity for the wardens to show us the landscape through their eyes. They know this land like a family member. It is more than an office to them, it is a sanctuary for wildlife, a vital breathing space and a place they call home. It has been a long day, but we are eager to explore this last stop before dusk.
As we crest the hill, it comes into sight. Y Garn Goch, an Iron Age fort. The top of the hill is a flattened oval and around its edges hunker vast piles of stone, the fallen remnants of a once-mighty settlement. 2,500 years ago this hillfort would have been a thriving centre surrounded by stone-faced ramparts that were up to ten metres tall and five metres wide. It would have been a bold feature in the landscape, a skyscraper of its day.
As we make our way into this vast site I watch butterflies perch on the sun-warmed stones and try to imagine how imposing this place must have been before the fort fell into ruin. These walls would have held out invaders, but also the dangers posed by wildlife. I try to picture what these hills might have looked like with packs of wolves running along their flanks.
The remains of two hillforts sit on this site; a smaller fort of Y Gaer Fach rests in the shadow of its much larger neighbour, Y Gaer Fawr. The smaller fort survives in a ruinous state and appears to be incomplete, perhaps abandoned part way through a programme of rebuilding that was never completed. This fort is dwarfed in comparison with the nearby Gaer Fawr, with its enormous stone ramparts and at least six separate entrances. We step through one of these, its outline still evident, and it feels like stepping back in time.
At over 11 hectares this is one of the largest hillforts in Wales. Although there are many interpretations of the evidence Iron Age people left behind at this spectacular site, nobody is sure of the exact the purpose of these defended settlements. As we walk through the settlement, now alive with plant life and dotted with anthills, I wonder how our ancestors lived, worked and worshiped here. The mystery of the fort somehow brings even more life to the place.
At the far side of the hillfort, we look out over the remains of the old walls to admire the view. The landscape is a patchwork of farms glowing gold in the evening sun. A nimble-footed runner and her dog pass us and I think about the transition this hill has made from a place of defence or residence, to a place of recreation. It feels still here, a sanctuary that breeds tranquillity. How different it must have once been. I imagine people through history gazing out at the same landscape. This fort, though ancient to me, is but a blink in the eye of time to the eternal landscape that it looks out on. It reminds me that the human imprint on the National Park is ever transient, ever changing. The majesty of the hills will always endure.
What if Middle-earth’s Rangers had more in common with National Park Rangers than we might think?
Of course, our National Park Rangers have a little less to worry about than Aragorn and his fellow Rangers.
But they do both know their landscapes well, protect the places they love and guide others to find their way.
Across the UK’s 15 National Parks, our Rangers are taking action every day. They may not be defending the Shire from the forces of darkness, but they certainly do an incredibly important job. 💚
#MiddleEarth #Rangers #NationalParksUK
15 National Parks. One shared challenge. Our climate is changing, and with it comes an increased risk of wildfire across our landscapes.
That’s why we’ve committed to taking action through our new Wildfire Management Position Statement. Together, the National Parks will work to support nature recovery to help manage wildfire risk, plan for and strengthen wildfire response and coordination, improve risk management and preparedness, and share clear, consistent public messaging.
But we can’t do it alone.
Communities, organisations, land managers and visitors all have a role to play in reducing wildfire risk. By working together, we can help protect our National Parks and prepare for a future where hotter, drier weather may increase the risk of wildfire.
Read the full statement by clicking on the link in our bio 🔗
Photos:
Slide 1 - Fighting the Glenmore wildfire, © Ed Smith. Slide 2 - Fighting the Glenmore wildfire, © Malcolm Smith. Slide 3 - View across Loch Morlich during Glenmore wildfire, July 2026, © Brenna Jessie. Slide 4 - Fighting the Glenmore wildfire, © Malcolm Smith. Slide 5 - View from the cab of a tractor aiding in fighting the wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park, CPNA. Slide 5 - Firefighting vehicles at the Glenmore wildfire, © Malcolm Smith.
#Wildfires #NationalParksUK
It’s not every day you get to see one of our National Parks in biscuit form on @britishbakeoff!
Last night, The Great British Bake Off contestant @itsdoctoryan created a beautiful biscuit mosaic inspired by the Broads National Park, perfectly capturing the view at St Benet’s Mill, Thurne.
And it wasn’t just a feast for the eyes as the mosaic was made using treacle and ginger, honey and lemon, cocoa and malted milk, and pistachio biscuits.
Two great things combined: a beautiful National Park view and delicious biscuits. What could be better than that? 💚
Photo: Channel 4
#GBBO #BakeOff #NorfolkBroads @broadsnationalpark
You’ve likely heard of one - but what does it actually do?
Our 15 Parks wouldn’t be able to function without the authorities working behind the scenes to keep them running.
And each authority relies on people. People within the community, volunteers, staff and members. People that run businesses, or partner as organisations. People that are skilled and knowledgeable in a variety of areas from wildlife to accessibility.
Our National Parks are full of people and action, and it’s the Authorities that bring them all together.
💚
#NationalParksUK #NationalParkAuthorities
The Yorkshire Dales has one of the highest concentrations of caves and caverns of any of our 15 National Parks - a whole landscape hiding beneath the ground.
Our National Parks don’t just protect and preserve the landscapes we see every day. They also help care for historic and unique places discovered by our ancestors, like Ingleborough Cave and Gaping Gill, both of which were shrouded in myth and legend until they were explored by Victorians in the 1800s.
There’s so much more to our National Parks than meets the eye and sometimes, quite literally beneath the surface 👀
#YorkshireDales #GapingGill #Ingleborough
A week on from National Parks UK’s Big Volunteer Weekend, we’re still celebrating the people who make a difference across our National Parks.
Last weekend, hundreds of people came together across all 15 National Parks to give their time, share their skills and support our landscapes.
But volunteering in our National Parks doesn’t happen just one weekend a year. All year round, volunteers play an incredible variety of roles – from leading guided walks and supporting education, to conservation, planting and caring for our landscapes.
Every volunteer makes a valuable contribution to protecting our natural and cultural heritage. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you. 💚
So, to all our volunteers: thank you for your time, energy, enthusiasm and everything you bring to our National Parks.
If you know someone who volunteers in a National Park, help us spread the thanks by sharing this post. 🌿
#Volunteers #NationalParks #NationalParksUK
Mae’r Bele yn un o famaliaid prinnaf Cymru, ond mae eu niferoedd yn tyfu yn raddol. Mae hynny’n newyddion da i’n coetiroedd ac i’r Parciau Cenedlaethol, sy’n darparu rhai o’r cynefinoedd pwysicaf ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt ledled Cymru a Phrydain.
Ym Mannau Brycheiniog, mae’r prosiect adfer wedi gosod blychau nythu yn y coed, ac mae gwaith monitro wedi nodi presenoldeb y Bele, gan gynnwys grwpiau teuluol. Mae’r ffilm arbennig hon yn dangos un ohonynt ar waith. 🐾
Mae’n atgof hyfryd o’r hyn sy’n bosibl pan ddaw coetiroedd iach a gwaith cadwraeth arbenigol at ei gilydd i roi’r gofod sydd ei angen ar rywogaethau prin i wella.
Pine Martens are one of Wales’ rarest mammals, but they’re slowly making a comeback. That’s good news for our woodlands, and for National Parks, which provide some of the most important habitats for wildlife across Wales and Britain.
In Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), the recovery project has installed treetop den boxes, with monitoring identifying pine martens, including family groups. This special footage shows one in action. 🐾
It’s a lovely reminder of what can happen when healthy woodlands and specialist conservation work come together to give rare species the space they need to recover.
#BreconBeacons #BannauBrycheiniog #PineMartins #Wales
It’s the Autumn Equinox 🍂
Our National Parks are always changing in time with the rhythm of nature, but this becomes particularly noticeable when autumn arrives.
Deer begin to rut, spiders’ cobwebs glisten in the fresh light, fungi become more prominent, and leaves begin to change colour.
What changes have you noticed so far? 🧡
#Autumn #AutumnEquinox #NationalParks
