Hafren Forest

The forest, planted in 1937, is continually changing with felling and planting of trees. The forest is also home to Bronze Age copper and lead mines, most notably "Nant yr Eira" and possibly "Nant yr Rickett". The creation of the forest in 1937 involved the purchase of twelve upland sheep farms, including "Rhyd y Benwch" which is now the location of a car park and picnic area. Although the farms were not left derelict, they could not provide enough accommodation for forest workers in this sparsely populated area. At first, with the initial small size of the forest, enough workers could be found locally. Later, workers were transported from Llanidloes. This was unsustainable, and in 1948,…

Although the forest still produces timber for Natural Resources Wales, it has also developed as a wildlife habitat and as a tourist attraction. The red kite is seen in the area, along with many other birds, plants and animals. There are numerous footpaths, and many bridleways that are popular for mountain biking and horse riding. Published walks include "The Source of The Severn", "Severn Breaks its Neck" and "The Blaenhafren Falls". The Wye Valley Walk finishes at Rhyd y Benwch in the forest. A quarry in the forest is used for "explosion studies" by Aberystwyth University's Combustion Physics Group. This quarry had previously been used by British Aerospace.