Llangors Community Council Area
The Llangors community encompasses several small villages: Llangors, Llanfihangel Talyllyn, Llanywern, Talyllyn, Pennorth, Llangasty Talyllyn and part of Cathedine.
The community is situated in the County of Powys and much of it lies in the Brecon Beacons National Park which is one of the great natural areas in the UK. The park’s 519 square miles of mountains and moorland, laced with rivers and lakes, is made up of three separate ranges each with its distinct character.
The old tramroad from Brecknock to Hay passes through a part of the community and the now disused railway line can still be clearly seen.
Llangors, Llanfihangel and Llangasty have thriving village halls where residents meet for lunch clubs, badminton, keep fit, cubs and many other groups for all ages.
Defibrillators are located throughout the community on the outside of public buildings at Llangors Youth & Community Centre, Llanfihangel & Llanywern Community Hall, Pennorth Chapel and Llangasty Parish Hall.
Brecon, the nearest town, is popular with tourists all year around but bursts raucously into life during the Jazz festival in August which attracts the best musicians from all over the world. A winter food festival in November is a showcase for local food.
Hay on Wye, just 15 miles away, is known as the Book Town with many second hand bookshops it is a haven for literature lovers. The town would be just another picturesque stop of Offa’s Dyke were it not for the extraordinary success of the Hay Festival of Literature which takes place annually in May. A winter food festival in November is a showcase for local food.
Our Villages
Llangors
Just a few miles south east of Brecon, with its pleasant jumble of Georgian buildings, and breath-taking views of the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains is the village of Llangors. It has a Church in Wales Primary School, two pubs, a community owned convenience store and coffee shop and a Post Office outreach service two mornings per week, hosted at Llangors Youth & Community Centre. The refurbished red telephone kiosk acts as an information centre and occasional plant swap site for local gardeners. The only bus service in the community is on a Thursday morning – Llangors to Abergavenny return. A timetable can be seen at Llangors bus shelter.
Llangors is also home to the largest natural lake in South Wales – Llangors Lake.
Llangors means literally “the church of the marsh, or bog” and appears to have been named that because of its situation on the low banks of an extensive pool or lake. It is also designated, in ancient charters, “Mara” and “St. Paulinus on the Mere”.
The local St. Paulinus Church situated in the centre of the village has a burial ground which is owned and operated by Llangors Community Council.
The Llangors area is a mecca for sports lovers. On the lake are all types of water sports, including sailing, boating, canoeing and water-skiing; the surrounding mountains are ideal for walking, house riding and trekking. A National Cycle route passes through the area. An activity centre in Llangors also has facilities for indoor climbing, bouldering and pot-holing and a nearby Gliding Club offers a chance to get a birds eye glimpse of a little piece of heaven. To find out more see our Useful Links page.
Llangors Lake
The lake, called Llyn Syfaddan, or more generally, Llangors Pool or Mere, is about two miles in length and one mile across in the broadest part which lies between the churches of Llangasty Talyllyn and Llangors. The lake was formed by glacial action and is naturally eutrophic.
The average depth is about nine to twelve feet, though that varies a great deal. The deepest part is near the junction of our parish and that of Cathedine, where the depth is from thirty-five to forty-five feet. The depth of the lake diminishes very gradually from the centre towards the banks so that flat-bottomed boats only can be used.
Water comes in from several streams, the chief of them being the ‘Cui’ which runs through the village of Llangors. The main river that flows out of the Lake is the Llynfi. Its source is at The Allt above Llangasty Talyllyn and it flows into the Lake past the sailing club then goes on another four miles to Talgarth, eventually ending up in Wye at Glasbury-on-Wye.
Migratory wild fowl live amongst the reedy shores of the lake which has much interesting flora and fauna. Many swans have made their home here too. There are a few varieties of fish: pike, perch, roach, bream and eels. The pike are sometimes caught weighing around thirty or forty pounds in weight and were, at one time, considered to be “of a superior flavour”. The lake used to be abundant with eels and in days gone by locals made a living from trapping them; some of these eel traps still exist along the Llynfi. All this is set in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Llanfihangel Talyllyn
The village of Llanfihangel Talyllyn lies 5 miles East of Brecon near Llangors Lake. The village has a pub, a village hall a community playing field and St. Michael and All Angels Church. The main Brecon to Hereford Railway used to run on the outskirts of the village.
Weekly Keep fit classes in the village hall and annual village events include the popular Llanfihangel & Llanywern Village Spring Fayre, Summer Fete and Harvest Supper.
Talyllyn
The nearby hamlet of Talyllyn hosts one of the longest Railway tunnels in the World at its time of construction and the entrance/exit can still be seen today. Talyllyn also hosts one of the smallest tourist information centres in a refurbished old telephone kiosk, which displays the history of the old railway and its bustling junction until its closure in the early 1960’s. Visit www.llangorsehistory.org for all the information on the Talyllyn Railway.
Pennorth
Pennorth is a rural hamlet sat on the southside of Llangors Lake about five miles from Brecon. Pennorth Chapel in the centre of the hamlet, next to the old railway line is the last remaining chapel in the Llangors area and is a reminder that chapel life has continued here for well over 180 years. The popular old school room at the back of the chapel serves as a local meeting room for hire and hosts fund raising events, such as coffee mornings. A refurbished old red telephone kiosk is nearby.
Llangasty Talyllyn
Llangasty Talyllyn, a small and scattered hamlet has a picturesque church, designed by J.L.Pearson who also designed Truro Cathedral, built on the site of a monk’s cell. It juts out on the small peninsular into the Lake. Llangasty still maintains its links with the church through the Llangasty Retreat where people come to experience the stillness and calm of the beautiful surrounding area.
Llangasty Village Hall is an ideal place to commence and enjoy a walk up The Allt yr Esgair with beautiful views over Llangors Lake and the Usk Valley or alternatively take a more leisurely walk to the Bird hide and around the Lake to Llangors.
Llan-Y-Wern
Llanywern is a scattered hamlet which lies six miles from Brecon. The centre point of the hamlet is the Church of St. Mary. The first church on this site, which was a bog, was built in the 6th century and was dedicated to St. Cynidr. The present church was built in the 14th century with certain alterations done 200 years ago. It is now much as it was then, totally unspoiled.