Still back in early October on the blog. We were away for a couple of days in the van on the basis of a very promising forecast for some warm sunny weather to finish off the last of summer/autumn.
We were away early with a plan for an al fresco breakfast before heading off for our classic Black Mountain walk. What wasn’t forecast was a roaring gale of a wind blowing up the valley that made it feel decidedly wintry rather than summery. Breakfast inside the van then.
When we set off the signs were promising. Blue sky above and the prospect of the summits clearing from the cloud.
By the time we reached Llyn y Fan Fawr we were immersed in cloud and stayed there all the way to the top of Fan Brycheiniog. There didn’t seem to be any prospect of the cloud clearing but we pressed on.
The wind on the tops was ferocious and we were struggling to stand up, a far cry from what the forecast had said. Then suddenly the clouds parted and the sun started to break through. It revealed Bannau Sir Gaer with a stream of cloud pouring over the edges. It was amazing. I don’t recall ever seeing anything quite like it
Photos don’t really do justice so here is a short video to get the mesmerising effect. You can hear just how windy it was.
Most of mid-Wales appeared to still be covered in a blanket of cloud.
We continued to the summit of Bannau Sir Gaer with the clouds still rolling over our heads and pouring down to the slopes below.
One of the best experiences I have had on a mountain summit for many a while.
Another video of the clouds pouring down to Llyn y Fan Fach.
As we carried on round the edges, the cloud effects began to lessen but as always its a fabulous walk.
Llyn y Fan Fach.
TBF strides out.
There was someone swimming in the lake. It was a very cold day and they weren’t in for long!
The last of the flowing clouds.
We found a sheltered spot above the lake for a long lunch.
As we walked back under the edges, the wind dropped and it was reasonably warm, much more like what the forecast had said.
I really like the grassy paths that traverse back around to Llyn y Fan. Fawr. Another part of what makes, probably, my favourite south Wales walk.
Back to Llyn y Fan Fawr.
We had our swimming stuff with us (based on that forecast) but while it warmed up considerably from the morning, it was still far too chilly for a dip.
We settled for a stroll around the shores of my favourite south Wales lake.
A rather dark and moody shot.
After a very uncertain start it had turned into a memorable day.
I returned from our trip to north Wales with a very small new companion, namely the COVID virus. I managed to avoid it for over 2 years, taking holidays, eating in restaurants, visits to the Cinema, a music festival etc. I still don’t know where I picked it up as I’d been primarily home based for the previous week. Possibly a trip to the shop in Wales. Most importantly symptoms were mild, just some violent sneezing and a bit of cold for 2-3 days. I managed to fit in a couple of short walks during my recovery and was keen for a proper day once I was clear and fit.
I’d not been out to the Black Mountain for a while and with a sunny forecast and weather warming up its a great trip to combine a walk and a swim.
The walk to Llyn y Fan Fawr along the waterfalls of the infant Afon Tawe are always a pleasure.
Equally pleasurable is an al fresco breakfast by the lake.
Todays menu was Scrambled Eggs, Mexican style. It may look a mess but its very tasty.
I was sat on the small mound that sticks out into the lake in the photo above.
Appetite satisfied, time for the real work.
The steep climb is rewarded with fine views from the edge of Fan Brycheiniog.
Reaching Fan Foel you get a fantastic view of Bannau Sir Gaer, crowing summit of the range.
It still amazes me how relatively quiet this route is away from the masses who climb Pen y Fan (although its quite a bit further to drive along narrow lanes to get close).
More steep, hard work brings you to the summit of Bannau Sir Gaer and its equally magnificent view over Llyn y Fan Fach.
And the view back along the edges.
Llyn y Fan Fach looking very drained of water, as dry as I’ve ever seen it.
I like the dark shadows in this image.
Leaving the hustle/bustle of the lake behind, I followed one of my favourite paths that traverses right under the same edges I’d walked above earlier.
Until eventually Llyn y Fan Fawr comes into view. No sign of any water shortage here, there was even water flowing out of the far end which is unusual in summer.
Time for another extended stop for a swim and a cuppa.
I’ve swum here before but found it a bit of stony walk to find deeper water. This time I walked along the western shore and found a rock where I could slide into deeper water immediately. It was a superb swim in refreshingly cold water. Despite the warm sunny day and quite a few people about I was the only person swimming.
Looking out over the water to the distant Brecon Beacons summits.
Its one of my favourite lakes in the UK and it was an effort to tear myself away.
A walk around its shores is always a pleasure.
Fforest Fawr and the Brecon Beacons.
More fun following the Tawe down and admiring the waterfalls. There are a few pools deep enough for a dip but they are quite small and I preferred the chance of a proper swim at the lake.
A grand day out to get back into the walking world. I now have much blogging work to do to tell you about our fantastic summer holiday. Coming soon….
It had been quite a challenge looking out from my bedroom to the Black Mountains and Wales and realising they were out of bounds. Necessary of course but we were pleased that the reopening of the National Park coincided with a decent weekend of weather. Keen to avoid the busy spots we headed to the Black Mountain for one of our favourite walks.
Parking up in the east, following the infant river Tawe up towards Lyn y Fan Fawr/Fach and a circuit of the high peaks and edges
Intermittently cloudy and cool punctuating the sunny spells we walked on briskly looking for a spot for breakfast.
We eventually found a grassy shelf with a tremendous view over most of mid-Wales.
With a backdrop of the impressive edges of the Black Mountain.
I’ve really taken to the idea of breakfast in the hills. Makes the effort of carrying all the stuff around worth it when you have a view like this.
The shores of Llyn y Fan Fach were busy (only relatively) so we pressed on to the top. The view along the edges over the lake is truly magnificent.
Followed by what looks like a long walk along the edges but in fact the walking is so grand and easy its over all too quickly.
The sunny spells had increased and the air was amazingly clear. We could see a whole range of Welsh hills as far as southern Snowdonia. Looking the other way the view across the Gower towards Devon was equally fine. Looking closely I saw land out in the horizon – I could see the Lundy island out to the west of Devon. Must be close to 70 miles away – amazing.
We decided another long stop for a cuppa was in order on the highest point.
More sensational views, this time across Llyn y Fan Fawr, my favourite mountain lake.
On the way down you pass an impressive gully and narrow earthy arête that makes for a great photo foreground.
We had a brief stop by the shore for a paddle – well I did anyway. A truly superb spot.
The weather was just getting better and better and the Afon Tawe has some wonderful, if rather small pools that looked inviting for a dip.
We saw no point in turning down that invitation. It was brief and very cold but nothing beats a wild swim in the mountains.
It hasn’t been much of summer so far has it? Seemingly endless days of rain and sunshine a distant memory. Fleeting appearances between showers. Time to call on the isolated good memories from weeks gone by, this one from the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May. Another weekend that started of grey and wet but a promise of clearing skies on the Sunday prompted us to head our for a quick overnight wild camp. Parking up at the Dan yr Ogof show caves we headed into the limestone hills to the south of the main Black Mountain range.
It was still raining when we left home but once we set out on foot the skies had cleared to a breezy and sunny late afternoon. Its a quiet part of south Wales at the best of times but this late in the day we had path to ourselves.
It’s a fine green path across the white stone slopes, easy going is always a bonus when carrying an overnight pack.
Fine, expansive views across this wild and austere corner of the mountains.
TBF striding out and enjoying the scenery if not the heavy pack.
There a numerous sink holes in the area and several are filled with water. One gave us a somewhat harrowing experience of rescue. I paused to wait for TBF to catch up and noticed a sheep near one of these pools. Something about it looked forlorn so I went to have a look and found that it was stuck in the pool, unable to get out. The banks were boggy and the poor thing was shivering and completely out of energy. Between us, me and TBF managed to drag it out of the pool until it sat on the banks. There was little more we could do but leave it alone and hope that it had sufficient reserves of core body heat and energy to recover and survive. Sheep are pretty hardy so we hoped that it would survive. I hope that we at least gave it a fighting chance as it would surely have died in the pool had we not seen it.
We were headed back to a spot wed camped in a few years back. The Afon Gledd flows into a limestone valley and then disappears. Our spot was just upstream in a fine grassy shelf by the stream.
We set about making camp in a spell of rather glorious blue sky and sunshine.
Tea was drunk and evening meal cooked and consumed. No finer way to spend an evening back in the real world – TV and Netflix would be nice though! 🙂
We had some wonderful late evening sunset views after a short walk to a nearby outcrop to help with digesting the meal.
It was pretty chilly but we managed to sit outside until darkness crept in before retiring for the night.
Showers were more frequent in the morning so it was breakfast cooked inside.
As the morning developed so did the sunshine as we packed up for a walk back to the car via the maze of small limestone outcrops that litter the area to the south.
There are no paths marked and I had thought it might be hard going. In fact there were numerous sheep tracks and flat rock outcrops and apart from one short stretch of tussocks the going was easy.
In fact the walking was superb, the bright grey rock contrasting with the green grass and the moody clouds and blue sky.
It would make fine wild camping country if there was some running water. There are a few small tarns but you’d likely need to filter the water carefully as there are no outflows.
Our target was the unusual hill of Cribarth. Unusual in that its been very heavily quarried, carving some weird outcrops and shapes.
It was really cold and chilly up here and the only time since we packed up that it rained, albeit just for a few minutes.
We dropped down to the fields and found a sheltered spot for a picnic lunch and a brew.
The sun came out to glorious effect while we sat and created some stunning views to the Forest Fawr range and along the Tawe valley.
A short walk back down to the river and back to the car to complete a superb little outing in this remarkable and unusual corner of the Brecon Beacons.
I’ve been trying to get out more to wild camp this year and TJS was keen for a last trip before heading off to university. Forecast wasn’t too bad so we gave it a go on a Friday after work.
It was past 7 when we set off from the car, windy and cold. We had less than an hour of light left. We returned to the same point by Llyn y Fan Fawr where we camped earlier in the summer. The wind made it difficult to put both tents up at the same time so it took a while to get set up. Pitch dark by the time we’d done so a lazy evening drinking tea and chatting.
Next morning was much better. Brighter with wisps of blue sky
Breakfast in the tent (too windy and cold for an al fresco affair)
Its a cracking spot though
TBF readies herself for a day in the mountains
We left the tents pitched and went for the classic circuit of the Black Mountain range. Same circuit as in the summer but in reverse. I figured as the wind was so strong we’d want it behind us on the higher section
A view down over Llyn y Fan Fawr
TJS on the high level traverse under the cliffs
The old water leat that supplies Llyn y Fan Fach
One of my favourite south Wales views over Llyn y Fan Fach and Bannau Sir Gaer
As we walked along the edge we were engulfed in a heavy shower of rain. Luckily it didn’t last long and we had some nice wispy cloud effects
View from the highest point over Llyn Fan Fawr. Our campsite is in the top left hand corner of the lake
A view down the prominent gully that splits the crags above the lake
Time for lunch at the tent. We had to hide behind the tent for shelter such was the force of the wind
Forecast for the afternoon and next day was very poor so time to get the hell out of there. We packed up and headed down
The views across to Fforest Fawr were excellent
Fan Gyhirych looking dark and moody
There was a lot more water flowing than earlier in the summer
The sunshine on the small waterfalls was very fetching but the water looked cold. Those hot summer days of wild swimming seem a long time ago
Chances to sneak away for a wild camp will be limited as winter closes in although it is my intention to get out and do some winter summit overnights if we get some cold frosty weather.
Having been reading and enjoying Ken Browns new music inspired blog I thought I might add some tunes to my post to broaden the scope a little. I used to create a music tracked slideshow but I’ve lost interest in that of late so I’ll just add a tune that I like to each post. I just happened to be listening to this while I finished this post and as its a sublime and chilled track, one of my favourites I’ve discovered in the past 12 months I thought I’d share it. I like the lyric “Didn’t I take you to, higher places you can’t reach without me”
My good friend the Hard Man and his two kids came to pay us a visit over the recent BH weekend. They were spending the week in South Wales doing touristy stuff and seeing relatives and took a chance to come see us and try to convince me to go walking in the rain. The Hard Man seems to have taken over the mantle of blind weather optimism from my friend EWO and always sees good weather prospects in the worst of forecasts. On this occasion we were faced with a forecast of heavy thundery showers, not exactly ideal weather to be sitting in a small tent. He even tried to convince that the tent poles would act as some sort of Faraday Cage if we got struck. Deluded!
Anyway as the weekend progressed the forecast improved and seemed to indicate we might get a dry evening on the Sunday and a dry albeit cloudy Monday. Against my better judgement we decided go for it. Packing up on Sunday morning it seemed like a very bad idea. We had the lot. Torrential rain, thunder, lightning, hail. We set off in an almighty downpour that had us dodging several pretty serious floods. Most of us looked out of the window with severe trepidation. The Hard Man simply looked happy that he’d at least got us in the car. We shopped like aristocrats in Waitrose and it had stopped raining by the time we were done. Shortly afterwards the sun came out. It didn’t rain again for the rest of the weekend.
Before the backpacking festivities we took a short stroll to Henrhyd Falls. I’ve never been to these (this corner of South Wales has loads of waterfalls) and very fine they were too.
Like all the very best waterfalls you can walk behind them
It’s a popular spot and there were plenty of people about so we didn’t linger
There were mountains to be climbed and wild campsites to be occupied
Our route was a local classic. A camp by the wonderful Llyn y Fan Fawr and a walk along the edges the next day. The summits looked dark and gloomy as we set off (after a monumental faff by the family Hard Man).
It’s a relatively easy walk up to the tarn now I’ve finally discovered a way through the boggiest bits
As we climbed up the clouds parted and there was sunshine aplenty. It’s a really fine spot for a night in the hills
After a little deliberation we found a great spot by a small beach on the Lake. We set up camp and basked in sunshine. The pointing is showing TJS that the sun was shining as he’d mocked us when we left about how wet we were going to get. I even managed a very quick and very cold swim to wash away the grime of the walk in
The Hard Man returns from a water gathering exercise
The wind had dropped and the water was stunningly calm and mirror-like
The downside of warm weather, no wind and clouds is obvious. Midges! That’s the reason TBF has her hood up by way of protection. They were not even close to the scale and numbers of a Scottish midge attack but there was enough to be irritating while trying to cook
As evening drew in and the temperature dropped they went back to their evil lair for the night and we enjoyed a pleasant late evening stroll to collect some fresh running water to save having to filter the lake water
The moon was dazzlingly bright. Not a bad picture with a handheld zoom
The next morning we were shrouded in cloud when we woke. It was a still a nice peaceful spot so I still got up and cooked my breakfast early and alone before the midges came out. As everyone else stirred and came to life the cloud began to break and we saw the first tentative rays of sunshine (and the first of the midges)
It soon turned into a quite amazing morning with expansive and clear blue skies interspersed with mist. Stunning. Way better than anything forecast had us believing.
Nice that the Hard Man purchased a tent that blends so well into the landscape you can barely see it!
We set off for a walk and the views were amazing. It’s rare to walk in the UK without so much as a breath of wind and see such a mirror like calm on a lake surface
It was quite mesmerizing. Our pitch is at the far end of the lake towards the right
As we crested the top there was a welcome puff of breeze – it was exceptionally hot for May. The fickleness of British weather never fails to amaze me. We camped by the lake a few years back in July and it was too cold to eat outside the tent!
Whilst we weren’t above the cloud there was a bank of it seemingly all around that gave a similar vibe
The highest point of the Black Mountain, Fan Brycheiniog
It’s a classic walk and the first time for the Hard Man for many a year (he spent a good part of his youth in these parts)
Heading off for Bannau Sir Gaer
We hoped to have a first lunch somewhere on the summit but as always seems to be the case it was overrun with flies despite the wind which seemed to be blowing them in. The walk along the edges, normally so wonderful was an unpleasant affair as we picked flies from every facial orifice. We did manage to find a windy spot to keep them at bay for a while until it dropped, the midges came out in force and we ran for cover
The walk back to the tents along the base of the cliffs is one of my favourites and in baking sunshine it was a joy
We returned to base camp for more food and to think about packing up. It had been a hot walk and all that I’d been thinking about was a swim.
It was fabulous if very cold but so refreshing after a hot and sweaty hike. Yours truly enjoying the cold clear water
TBF joined in as well
As we packed up the clouds started to bubble and we heard a few rumbles of thunder. Time to get the hell out of there
As we followed the stream back to the car we turned and saw that the clouds had completely enveloped the summits again and all looked very threatening. It appeared we caught the weather window perfectly. The sun shines on the righteous and all that
Luckily the mindless and delusional optimism of the Hard Man had worked wonders and we had a cracking little trip out. Another weekend out planned in a couple of weeks time so more of the same will be in order
I have a handful of walks that I would say are classics of South Wales and this is one of them. The Black Mountain has all the grandeur of the Beacons yet sees almost none of its busy summits. On this day we saw probably no more than 10 people for the whole walk on a wild, windy and spectacular day. I’m claiming this walk as my own as I’ve never seen this walk in a guide-book or anyone even mention the path under the edges. I found it, therefore its my walk! 🙂
I devised this walk by accident (albeit in the other direction) not long after I moved down here. I was on a supposedly short walk to one of the lakes looking for a wild camp and I just carried on across the tops, discovering the paths below the cliffs on my way back
As with the previous walk it was a laze in bed late start and as before a gloomy start developed into a cracker of day.
I think my iPhone camera had moved itself into some kind of vivid mode for these first couple of shots as we headed up to Llyn y Fan Fawr
As we climbed the dark clouds started to dissipate and the views to the east opened out to the sky
The clouds were still shrouding the summits but I was confident it would clear. Thinking it might take an hour or so I decided to follow the lower route under the edges first to give it some time. Not a day for dallying. It was bitterly cold and there had been some light snow cover the past couple of days
It’s a beautiful lake and one of my favourites
There were dark clouds and storms all around but we seemed to miss them all
The walk under the cliffs is always a delight but on a winter’s day under brooding clouds its pretty dark for decent photos
We found a sheltered spot behind a wall by Llyn y Fan Fach for some lunch before pushing on.
It’s quite a long walk for a short winter day with a late start but the going is so easy and the views so superb that you cover the ground swiftly
Once up on the edges the wind was ferocious but the sky and the air stunningly clear. Pin sharp clarity
I was in my element, an even better day than the last outing. Much colder and windier but that’s no bad thing
The sun was perfect for catching the edges
Looking east
And West
The sun was already low and we still had a way to go but at least the wind was behind us, another good reason to walk this way around
On top of Bannau sir Gaer we decided not to risk coming down the last boggy slopes to the car in the dark and cut the corner off direct to Fan Brycheiniog. It misses a couple of airy summits but saves a couple of miles
Time to head down and another of those afternoons where its hard to drag yourself away. The views were immense and once you drop down you know that’s the end of the sunshine for the day
We lingered as long as we dared and could stand the cold before leaving this lonely wonderland behind
The skies then took over as the centre of attention.
Pale blues and sheets and streaks of pink as the sun receded and night drew in
After the last outing and its dark end this one was perfectly planned and we finished in the last of the afternoon light
8 miles and 2,400 feet of ascent and pure wind-blown, sun-soaked joy
August Bank Holiday and sunshine forecast, who’d have thought! Me and TJS took off for the hills and my classic Black Mountain circuit. I’ve posted this walk many times so I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking
Rather than waste time at home we had breakfast a short walk from the car. Bacon sandwiches in the open air is taste much better than in the kitchen
The larger of the two jewelled lakes of this walk, Llyn y Fan Fawr
The high point at Bannau Sir Gaer
And the second lake of Llyn y Fan Fach
We stopped for a second lunch by the tarn. Despite this being a sunny Bank Holiday these hills are always relatively quiet. Dread to think how many people would have been on Pen y Fan
As I was saying in my last post, the weather since November has been universally appalling. Well apart from one weekend anyway. At some indeterminate point in those dark days the weather chilled, deposited a little snow on to the mountains and the sky cleared just long enough to enjoy it.
I did this walk with TJS earlier in the year and, keen to introduce TBF to the charms of Fforest Fawr we headed there again.
The route is described in detail in the other post so I’ll let the photos do the talking – mostly.
The mountains were shrouded in cloud for the first couple of hours and we wandered about in the gloom on Fan Gyhirych with some tantalising glimpses of the Black Mountain
As we descended the blue skies and sunshine the the forecast promised arrived and we were treated to some superb views. This was more than ample compensation for the incredibly soggy nature underfoot, 2-3 weeks of ceaseless rain, wet, thawing snow and summer boots (yes, I know, poor decision) makes for very wet feet.
Lunch in a slightly less boggy spot was followed by a climb to top of Fan Nedd where a spell of heavy rain that the forecast hadn’t promised hastened our descent and cut short the day
Short and sweet but a splendid day nonetheless. The appalling weather that followed made me rather glad I’d made the effort. In this most awful of winters, any day not characterised by ceaseless rain is a good one
Back into August again. With a day to myself I was off to try some new hills. Ive walked the Black Mountain extensively, its my favourite of my local hills but I’ve never been out to their extreme western fringes. It takes a bit of getting to but worth the effort as you can see. Unlike the dark stone of most of the South Wales mountains, the predominant rock is limestone (hence my attempt at humour in the title).
As they spread out east to west the summits are not easy to fashion into a circular day walk. Keen to avoid any ascent if I can. I parked up at the top of the mountain road from Brynamman to Llangadog and headed out east, eventually putting together a pretty fine ad hoc route that avoided any road walking
7.2 Miles
The limestone has been heavily quarried and the area near the road is a fascinating mix of old mine workings, quarries and levels. There is a historical trail around these features that would be a fine summer stroll. I pressed on past the Industrial Archeology theme park and out into the hills
I passed a few waterfalls and then it was into wild country along the Afon Clydach. A mix of tussocks, grass and bog but much easier to walk on than I thought. I spied a few potential wild camp sites but most of the area is a little soggy for such nonsense.
I’d brought supplies with me and managed to find a relatively sheltered spot to conjure up some bacon butties and cup of tea. The forecast had been good and up till I stopped reasonably sunny.
Of course as soon as I was set up the sun went in and wind picked up. For a few grumbling moments I thought it was going to rain such was the darkness of the clouds.
After some introspective moaning about fickle weather I ate heartily anyway and packed up. Within 10 minutes the sun was out again
I reached the top of Foel Fraith – well at least I think I did. Hard to tell on what was a very wide and featureless summit – and then followed the Beacons Way to Garreg Lwyd. It was marvellous, easy, high level strolling with these little known hills mostly all mine save for an old guy and his even older and blinder dog who took to following me instead of his owner for a while – bless him.
I wandered back to the road, crossed it and headed back up to the broad plateau to the west and the summits of Pen Rhiw Ddu and Pen y Clogau still following the Beacons Way.
Again the terrain was easy and untaxing allowing me clock up the distance pretty much without thinking. Views were expansive and a fine contrast between moorland and the green pastures of farming country to the north.
I passed through a lovely spread of heather in full purple bloom but I haven’t yet mastered the art of capturing such colours on camera.
To the west the magnificent castle of Carreg Cennen stood sentinel on its rocky outcrop. A castle well worth a visit when you are in the area.
I had thought that I’d have to walk back along the road to the car but I managed to string together a really rather fine selection of sheep tracks, traversing back to the top of the pass such that I didn’t walk on the road at all. Clearly the road is a playground for local boy racers who were busy trying to kill themselves and everyone else with some suicidal driving manoeuvres.
I was back at the car much earlier than I thought and the distance at just over 7 miles much shorter than I thought. A fine walk indeed at hills that reward a bit effort to reach them and explore
I spend alot of my time surfing the web looking for ideas on places to go, walking routes, travel ideas and tips to plan the perfect holiday or day out. (I'm a project manager I like to plan). I thought it was time to share my own experiences and contribute to the vast amounts in information that's already out there.
I'll also add in some gear and tech reviews and when something irks me I may even use this forum to have a rant - I do that pretty well I'm told.There are a few pages at the top that give a bit of background to what I like to get up to and what you can expect to see in my posts. I'm not exactly a creative writer but I hope some people will find my stuff useful or inpsiring or at least enjoy some of my photos.
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