Bannau Brycheiniog. Yes or no.?

If the new name isn't a direct translation of the old, what does it mean?

No reason why both names can't be used as with most other place names.

Mind you, there is a movement to eradicate English place names which will be confusing for any visitors to Wales.
And many locals too.

I agree it should be known by it's Welsh name. As someone learning Welsh I think it's great - hard to pronounce perhaps but great

My Welsh DH always referred to Pen-y-Fan as the Sugar Loaf. I spent 56 years trying to get my head round Welsh place names and became quite good at it, but Snowden will always be Snowdon and the Brecon Beacons ditto, as they no doubt will for DH’s family as only a handful of them speak any Welsh at all. I’m all for using the Welsh place names, but I agree that the “carbon neutral” thing hasn’t been thought through. It’s ridiculous.

Callistemon21

^The reason it was a fire long ago was, guess what, because they hadn’t invented LED bulbs^
Beacons were lit on the highest point in a chain across the country to warn of enemy invasions,

Used before warning signals on mobile phones became the norm. 😀

Exactly

Mr C is Welsh. His view is it takes time to change a habit and he’s unlikely to call the area anything other than The Beacons for many months if not years.

Callistemon21

Yes, we always call it Pen y Fan but the Sugar Loaf is always the Sugar Loaf! 🤔
Must get a grip of the Welsh language.

Our house has a Welsh name, I remember a neighbour years ago asking if we were Cornish as she thought it was Cornish.

Callistermon my husband was born in a house which looked across at Pen y Fan.

I'm another who thinks the Welsh should pertain in Wales.

There are already quite a few places in North Wales that were known by English names when I was younger and are known by the Welsh name again now. I think it really only takes a generation to return to Welsh.

Casdon

Poppyred

It was always Bannau Brycheiniog when I was in school. Brecon Beacons in English. Did we just forget the Welsh name??

Well, we didn’t forget if we live here, it’s already on the signs etc. it’s just not what it’s commonly called by the locals, or by anybody else who isn’t a Welsh speaker. I think it will be harder to change than Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa because the majority of the locals speak English so are less invested. We’ll see.

People will just say "I'm going walking in The Bannau".

The park's CEO, Catherine Mealing-Jones, said of the change: "We'd always had the name Bannau Brycheiniog as the Welsh translation

It's not the Welsh translation, it's a completely different name.

Casdon

Grandma70s

I’ve known a number of people from North Wales who barely spoke English, but I suppose it was a while ago. I grew up in Wirral, so Wales was just across the river Dee. I once had a boyfriend who had spoken no English until he went to school. His family still spoke Welsh at home.

North Wales is still the bastion of Welsh speakers, with another stronghold in West Wales. Most of the Welsh speakers I know were either brought up there, or have parents who were, but it’s not been the first language in South Wales for centuries.

It was recorded on the 1911 census which language you spoke.

I have a couple of friends who didn't speak English until they went to school (Mid-Wales) nor did DIL's grandfather either (N Wales).

Everywhere has dual places names, I'm surprised the Brecon Beacons didn't have both.

I suppose that means everything will now have to change name, like as an example Brecon Beacons College.

M0nica

I see no reason why the Welsh should not use the Welsh name and the English the English.

Lots of countries have different versions of a name for places
London - Londres (France) - Londra (Italian) The French call England Angleterre, the Germans talk of Grossbritannien.

It seems perfectly reasonable for the Welsh and English to use different names in different languages.

My mother was Austrian. She called England "Ehnglant" in German. Grossbritannien means GB.

No problem with the Welsh preferring a Welsh name for a location in their own country, but to suggest that it's being done because "Beacon" is not eco-friendly as it's not carbon-neutral is just plain daft. I imagine that most for whom English is their first language will continue to refer to the Brecon Beacons anyway.

Poppyred

It was always Bannau Brycheiniog when I was in school. Brecon Beacons in English. Did we just forget the Welsh name??

Well, we didn’t forget if we live here, it’s already on the signs etc. it’s just not what it’s commonly called by the locals, or by anybody else who isn’t a Welsh speaker. I think it will be harder to change than Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa because the majority of the locals speak English so are less invested. We’ll see.

It was always Bannau Brycheiniog when I was in school. Brecon Beacons in English. Did we just forget the Welsh name??

Our old house was called after the Welsh village Acrefair, because MIL lived there. I gave up trying to persuade people not to call it Acre fair.
Calling places in Wales by Welsh names-I don’t see why not. But don’t expect everyone to pronounce them correctly, and don’t smirk if they don’t.

M0nica

I see no reason why the Welsh should not use the Welsh name and the English the English.

Lots of countries have different versions of a name for places
London - Londres (France) - Londra (Italian) The French call England Angleterre, the Germans talk of Grossbritannien.

It seems perfectly reasonable for the Welsh and English to use different names in different languages.

This sounds very sensible to me. Living in Wales I agree to the name change but I think most other nations will still use the old name and many Welsh people will too at least for a while.

Grandma70s

I’ve known a number of people from North Wales who barely spoke English, but I suppose it was a while ago. I grew up in Wirral, so Wales was just across the river Dee. I once had a boyfriend who had spoken no English until he went to school. His family still spoke Welsh at home.

North Wales is still the bastion of Welsh speakers, with another stronghold in West Wales. Most of the Welsh speakers I know were either brought up there, or have parents who were, but it’s not been the first language in South Wales for centuries.

I’ve known a number of people from North Wales who barely spoke English, but I suppose it was a while ago. I grew up in Wirral, so Wales was just across the river Dee. I once had a boyfriend who had spoken no English until he went to school. His family still spoke Welsh at home.

The reason it was a fire long ago was, guess what, because they hadn’t invented LED bulbs
Beacons were lit on the highest point in a chain across the country to warn of enemy invasions,

Used before warning signals on mobile phones became the norm. 😀

Yes, we always call it Pen y Fan but the Sugar Loaf is always the Sugar Loaf! 🤔
Must get a grip of the Welsh language.

Our house has a Welsh name, I remember a neighbour years ago asking if we were Cornish as she thought it was Cornish.

Callistemon21

It's strange that posters think that everyone in Wales speaks Welsh and refers to the Welsh names for places.

Mostly, they don't. In some areas Welsh predominate.
The official languages are English and Welsh.

Less than 20% of people in Wales speak Welsh, that will probably increase in future as Welsh is compulsory up to GCSE level.

That’s very true, English is definitely the first language spoken in the national park, and some places are called by the Welsh name, eg Pen y Fan, others not, eg Brecon.

Foxygloves

No, no, no
The “connotations” of “beacon” seem to be entirely misrepresented. Nothing to do with carbon emissions!
I have no quarrel with using the Welsh version of the name as an option but do the environmentalists also wish to rename Beaconsfield, Minehead, Coalville.etc?
They do not see to understand the derivation of (Beacon” which comes from Old English bēacen, bēcen, bēcn “a sign, portent; a standard, banner; a signal, signal fire, signal hill or tower, watchtower; lighthouse.” )
The reason it was a fire long ago was, guess what, because they hadn’t invented LED bulbs
It gets sillier by the day!

Does anyone remember climbing up local hills or mountains to light beacons when it was The Queen's Silver Jubilee?

It was quite thrilling to see the next beacon along being lit but rather alarming climbing down a Dartmoor Tor in the dark!

It's strange that posters think that everyone in Wales speaks Welsh and refers to the Welsh names for places.

Mostly, they don't. In some areas Welsh predominate.
The official languages are English and Welsh.

Less than 20% of people in Wales speak Welsh, that will probably increase in future as Welsh is compulsory up to GCSE level.