Pen y Fan same noun "ban", in its plural form "bannau", is found in the Welsh name for the Brecon Beacons: "Bannau Brycheiniog". There is no one standard translation of "Pen y Fan", but 'the mountain's peak' or 'the beacon's summit' are both possible translations. Pen y Fan is formed from various units of the Old Red Sandstone which were laid down during the Devonian period. The lower slopes of the mountain are formed from the sandstones and mudstones of the Senni Formation whilst the upper slopes are formed from those of the Brownstones Formation. The very summit, like that of neighbouring Corn
Pen-y-Gwryd Plas y Brenin. The Old Miners' Track from the Snowdon copper mines are now part of the modern A4086 road between Pen-y-Gwryd and Pen-y-Pass. It continues northwards beyond Pen-y-Gwryd skirting Glyder Fach to Bwlch Tryfan and Dyffryn Ogwen. From Pen-y-Pass is the "PYG track", one of the many routes leading to the summit of Snowdon, its name is believed be derived from the initials ("P-y-G"). However, older maps show it as the "Pig track", a name derived from "Bwlch y Moch" (the Pigs' Gap). During Roman Britain, the Roman Army built a marching camp at the head of Dyffryn Mymbyr