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Fforest Fawr is bounded in the W by the Crai and Tawe valleys and by Bwlch Bryn-rhudd. The E limit is marked by the A470 as it follows the beds of first the Tarell and then the Taf. To the N the hills gently succumb to the pastoral charms of the Usk while S, sad to say, it is the harsh realities of the S Wales industrial belt that supplant them.

Two valleys encroach upon the hills: the Senni from the N, the Mellte from the S. Both are beautiful. The Mellte is generously endowed with waterfalls, potholes and wooded canyons while the Senni retains a simpler, more rustic loveliness. A narrow mountain road links them, thereby splitting the area in half.

Of the six heathery, grassy hills that top 2000ft, four are in the E half and two in the W. The E sector is dominated by Fan Fawr, doyene of the range, whose flat decapitated top is a familiar landmark. Unlike Fan Fawr, Fan Lila is the culmination of a long whale-backed ridge and has little immediate appeal. These two peaks are perfectly balanced in the W: Fan Nedd (the custodian of another long ridge) which parallels Fan Llia, while Fan Gihirych is another headless giant.