Walking in a Winter Wonderland – Brecon Beacons Neuadd Reservoirs Horseshoe

Couple of weekends back me and D decided on an early start to make the most of what promised to be a cold clear frosty day with a day in the high peaks of the Brecon Beacons.

Pen-y-Fan & Cribyn across the Neuadd Reservoirs,

Over the past couple of years I’ve approached along the splendid northern ridges that radiate out from Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn. For a change and to keep as much in the sunshine as possible we headed round to the southern side for the horseshoe around the Neuadd reservoirs. I’ve not been up this route since the 90’s so a good time revisit the route.

8.5 Miles, 2,500 feet of ascent

We were parked up and underway by 9am and the weather was stunning. Crisp, clear and cold and not a cloud in the sky, one of those days that you can reach out and “ping” like cut glass crystal. The road was covered in black ice and unfeasibly slippery so care was taken on the approach to the dam at the small lower reservoir.

Slippery roads

Looking south

The highest tops were white with snow so D was looking forward to a proper winter day. From the dam it’s a very steep 800 foot climb onto the edge of Graig Fan Ddu. This section is normally as wet as fishs’ wet bits but today it was mostly frozen solid making for an easier albeit very slippery climb. We were sheltered from the wind so it felt reasonably warm on the climb. As we hit the edge we also hit the wind and it was suddenly bitterly cold. D reached for his gloves to find TBF had kindly given him two left gloves instead of a matching pair.

Graig Fan Ddu

The path was covered in snow that had melted and frozen solid making for very awkward walking – oh for a pair of micro-spikes – might be a bit late to write to Santa. It could have been tiresome but the sky was so clear, the views so good and the cold air so invigorating that it was a pleasure.

Graig Fan Ddu

D enjoys the winter conditions

Like much of the southern Beacons the edge was sharp and the valley deep giving an amazing sense of space and open-ness. Expansive is my word of the moment for this and the Brecon Beacons does it better than anywhere I know.

Pen-y-Fan, Corn Du & Cribyn

Rhiw Yr Ysgyfannog, Craig Gwaun Taf, Pen-y-Fan & Corn Du,

After a while the edge suddenly narrows to a ridge of Rhiw Yr Ysgyfannog and Craig Gwaun Taf. Corn Du and Pen-y-Fan suddenly loomed much closer and after a quiet morning we started to get a sense of the massed hordes who climb these two peaks from the Storey Arms.

D on Rhiw Yr Ysgyfannog and Craig Gwaun Taf

D on the edge

Quite why they choose this route is beyond me, it’s drab, dull and tedious and bettered by at least half a dozen superior ways to the top. I have a fear that it’s just convenience hiking where reaching the summit as quickly and directly as possible takes precedence over the judicious choice of a route with varied and sustained interest.

Corn Du & Pen-y-Fan

As we approached Corn Du a cap of cloud started to form on the highest summits, taking away some of the sun but creating some dramatic light for ample compensation.

Craig Gwaun Taf from Corn Du

As is my way I managed to find a very precarious perch under the cliffs of Corn Du to watch the clouds swirl under the still deep blue sky and have some lunch. I’ve probably given D the idea that all rest stops need to be somewhere where a casual approach could result in lost sandwiches and water bottles. It was I have to say though, a fine and sheltered spot to watch the show.

D lunches on Corn Du

We did try to climb up Corn Du after lunch but it was cold, windy, in the cloud and unpleasantly icy so decided it wasn’t worth it. There is a perfectly good path traversing the southern face that was sheltered and sunny. As Pen-y-Fan was still deep in cloud and likely to be crowded we just carried across its southern flank saving ourselves a couple of hundred feet of slippery descent. We plunged on down towards the col between Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn using deep drifted runs of snow rather than the icy path. In the winter light Cribyn looked magnificent, much higher than it’s 2,500 feet and we avoided the crowds ascending by following the extreme edge of the cliffs.

Cwm Nant Sere

Cribyn

Cribyn summit is a wonderful airy place but we timed it badly and there were at least 30 people on the top, a couple of University walking groups it looked like. They all stopped for lunch on the top so we left them to it and carried on along the edge of Craig Cwm Cynwyn, a magnificent high level stroll above the valley of Cwm Cynwyn, one of my favourite valleys with its broad perfectly formed glacial “U”.

D on Cribyn Summit

Cwm Cynwyn

D on Craig Cwm Cynwyn

Craig Cwm Cynwyn

We dropped down to the next col. I tried to convince D to climb the next peak, Fan-y-Big and then go off piste across the grass back to the car. This was partly as it’s a fine peak with a higher level finish and partly because it’s the second funniest mountain name I know (the winners are the Lochnagar peaks of Big and Little Sh1t Cairn).

Fan-y-Big

However this is quite a long walk over tough icy terrain and he was looking a little jaded so declined this most tempting of offers. Instead we took the easy and long amble down the old roman road back to the car. The clear winter light and towering fast-moving clouds made for some awesome views as we made our way down.

Billowing clouds over Pen-y-Fan & Cribyn

Contrasts

D was quiet most of this stretch but happily told me he was just “thinking”. I was proud that like me he uses a day’s walking to clear his mind and put everyday problems into perspective. I did warn him that it’s a short step from there to talking to yourself out loud which I find myself doing quite often on the hills these days. I’ve sometimes used the phrase “talking with mountains”, a little cheesy but I think it has a truth to it. A long hard day on the hills is more relaxing and detoxing than anything I can imagine. The mountains are my private therapist, listening to my prattling and helping me make sense of life. And all that by just listening.

Weary but fulfilled

And so we ended the day, invigorated and tired in equal measure. Blue sky and the crunch of snow underfoot is a sensation I never tire of. Enjoy the slide show, 2 tunes for the price of 1 today