Another weekend and another bit of time to myself with the Funsters off down for an open day at Winchester University.
The weather on the Saturday morning was grim, gloomy and wet, but the forecast promised a brighter afternoon with showers.
Bryn Arw is a favourite short walk for this sort of day although I realised I hadn’t been up for a while (the car park also serves as a jump off point for the Sugar Loaf and its become way more popular since COVID).
After such a gloomy start to the day the car park was empty. Most of the new converts to the outdoor world have yet to discover the delights of accurate weather forecasts so it seems.
Having said that, I struck way luckier than I ever thought with pretty much unbroken sunshine. Great view of Ysgyryd Fawr from the end of the ridge.
What the photos don’t show is just how ferociously windy it was. Hard to stand up and definitely not a day to stop for a brew.
Sugar Loaf and the skies beginning to darken again.
Looking south along the ridge towards Blorenge.
North west over Herefordshire.
North over the main Black Mountains.
The summit cairn and a more distant Ysgyryd Fawr.
Hatterrall Hill before I raced the rain back to the car. A brief outing, lucky to catch the only real spell of sunshine during the day. It was good to be back on this fine small hill.
Back to early March and after our adventures in Scotland and all that snow, we had a little more of the white stuff in our backyard.
We headed out to find some snow in the Black Mountains on a gloriously clear and blue sunny morning.
Its been a rare event over the past few months (longer in fact) to have such a glorious day.
Ysgyryd Fawr dominates the start of this walk.
Distant views of the Bristol Channel and the Mendips on the skyline.
We were heading up to the hill fort at Twyn y Gaer. The Black Mountains looking quite white.
TBF enjoying the snowy walking.
The summit view from Twyn y Gaer.
Across to Hatterrall Hill at the southern end of Black Mountains – the ridge we can just about see from home.
Highest peaks of the Black Mountains.
The Sugar Loaf.
In truth, the snow cover was pretty thin and melting quickly. It was mostly all gone by the end of the day.
Still, it was nice to hear the crunch of crisp (and slop of wet) snow underfoot.
The village of Cwnyoy and its wonky church.
The green fields were lush (and wet) after a winter of ceaseless rain.
We scrambled up onto the small peak above Cwmyoy, created from an ancient landslip.
Its a favourite spot of ours for a lunch break when we are in the vicinity.
Our plan was to walk the usual circuit around Hatterrall Hill but TBF was out of sorts with a cold and I was suffering with a bad back so we decided this was more than enough for the day.
We took a leisurely stroll down through Cwmyoy on our way to the car.
Stopping to admire this fine and ostentatious feathered specimen.
Sunshine has been in very short supply of late and it seems a while back in November when the sun came out to any meaningful degree.
A frosty day back in early November and me and TBF were out and about to make the most of a glorious morning.
A circuit of the Grwyne Fawr valley in the Black Mountains. The autumn colours on the trees as we set off was magnificent.
I think this is the first time I’ve walked this route at this time of year so it was a delight to see it in full technicolor glory.
My O/S mapping wasn’t working properly so I crossed the river a bridge too soon and the boggy walk through the forest was not ideal. With views like this it didn’t matter too much.
Onwards and out onto the open fell and the only real ascent of the day onto Pen y Gadair Fawr.
Fabulous, crystal clear views all around.
TBF joins me on the summit.
A view south over towards the Sugar Loaf, Bristol Channel glinting in the distance
Summit panorama looking westwards towards the Brecon Beacons.
Waun Fach, the highest if not the most impressive of the Black Mountains summits. Pen y Gadair Fawr is by far the more impressive peak and looks higher from everywhere else than Waun Fach itself.
Zoom shot over to the Brecon Beacons.
And another panorama, this time looking east.
They’ve done some superb work up here on the summit plateau. What was once peat hags, black soil and soggy bog is now wavy grass with an excellent path. Easy going over what was once a really wet and tiresome stretch. Always good to seen the ponies as well.
Looking back to Pen y Gadair Fawr and its more distinctive summit.
We didn’t linger on Waun Fach and instead pressed on looking for a decent lunch stop.
I think you can agree this one was a bit of a cracker.
The clarity of the air was amazing and we could see for miles. The clouds hanging over the mountains making fro some dramatic effects.
Always pleases me to take a stop in this area with a view to my very first mountain, Mynydd Troed.
Suitably refreshed and relaxed we moved on. Fine views along the Dragons Back ridge of Y Grib, a route I’ve not done for quite a while.
The clouds that had created such fine views earlier raced across and obscured the blue skies from earlier, heralding the next spell of wet weather that arrived the following day.
It stayed dry for us though. We took in a stop just by the reservoir dam for second lunch. A great little spot overlooking the Grwyne Fawr valley.
A fine stroll along the easy path above the valley and back to the car to finish the day.
After all that hot sunshine, water based fun and sightseeing, it was back to the UK.
Our return in September coincided with a fine and hot spell of weather, a late replacement for what had been a pretty miserable July and August.
For TBF’s birthday we had a breakfast at the local farm shop followed by a trip to our local swimming spot on the Wye at Bredwardine Bridge.
Unlike the height of summer when there are dozens of people on the beach it was pretty well deserted.
We enjoyed a swim in the now much cooler waters.
And a relax with a beer (for me anyway) to celebrate, before a meal out later that evening.
The following day we headed out to the Black Mountains for a stroll. We were late setting off so took one of the shorter walks to take in Crug Mawr.
The summit – again – was swarming with flying ants (why do they love mountain summits) and yet a few yards away there were none. We ate lunch with a cuppa in relative calm and comfort.
When we set off earlier the weather was sunny but cool. As we continued the walk the temperatures began to rise.
I always like this small pond on the way down towards Patrishow.
After dropping into the valley we had to climb back up onto the ridge.
By this time the temperatures had soared and it was a hot and sweaty climb. This was heralding the heatwave that would stick around for the following week.
Numerous times when we’ve come back from a hot and sunny summer trip the UK has welcomed us back to reality with cold slanting rain. Males a change to feel a continuation of summer.
Taking you back to the cold snap in the UK just before Xmas. This was the only walk we managed in the clear frosty weather that lasted a couple of weeks.
We parked up on the road to the interestingly named Forest Coal Pit. I’d seen a stile and information board near the lay-by and hoped it was a different way up onto the hill fort. After almost slipping off a very frosty stile, turns out its just an interesting old farm building they are restoring.
No matter as there was a path onto the hill from just up the road.
Ysgyryd Fawr looking impressive with its cap of early morning cloud.
The route up through the woods and fields was excellent and far better than the long plod up the road we’d done before (as our last walk before the first Covid lockdown kicked in). When we emerged from the trees the sun was out and the paths frozen and crunchy with frost.
Nothing finer than a winters day walk with the crispness of a frosty morning.
A walk superbly placed for grandstand views of both Ysgyryd Fawr.
And the Sugar Loaf.
The top of the Twyn y Gaer Hill Fort was surprisingly deserted on such a superb day. In fact we only saw a couple of people all day.
Magnificent views across to the highest Black Mountains summits.
The moody clouds adding to the atmosphere.
Across to the other side of the range to Hatterrall Hill
Our plan was drop down into the Vale of Ewyas and then back up onto Hatterrall Hill. I chose paths that seemed to be marked on the map but the final few metres disappeared into a morass of bog and mud before I slipped – literally – onto the main path again.
After a bit of road yomping we were on our way to the top of the small “hill’ created from an old landslip.
I don’t think it has a name but its always worth the extra couple of minutes to climb to the the top.
More grand views of Ysgyryd Fawr.
What better place for lunch.
Todays menu, homemade roast root vegetable soup.
Having a down duvet jacket helps to keep the cold at bay on a crisp winters day.
Refreshed and fed we started the steep climb top Hatterrall Hill. You can see our lunchtime hill catching the sun in the background.
Ysgyryd Fawr still the main attraction, standing out on its own as it does.
TBF catching up.
We picked up the Offas Dyke and Beacons way path to start our return to the car. Its lovely ridge and edge and a delight on a sunny day.
The last photo of the day before we headed down into the cold shade of the valley and the car.
After my long walk on the Sugar Loaf the previous day I wanted a shorter walk for the Sunday. Forecast wasn’t great, but we got lucky and found a blue hole amongst the grey skies for our little stroll.
We took in one of our standard short walks, Merbach Hill from Arthurs Stone.
No real connection to King Arthur. In fact its a neolithic chambered tomb.
It will become famous through the medium of TV (if not already) as a feature on the “Digging for Britain” show on the BBC. There was no evidence that we could see, that anyone had been digging at this point.
Just realised I haven’t posted anything since early November. Been busy with other stuff, major purchases, trips abroad etc. Now I have my blog mojo back its time to catch up.
So back we go to mid November and the first decent sunny day of the winter. TBF was working so it was a solo outing to the Sugar Loaf and then see how long until the forecast grey clouds rolled in.
A stunning clear morning. Bracken is hateful stuff but it does lend a rather gorgeous deep brown glow at the start and finish of a winter day
Despite the sunshine there was hardly anyone about even though it wasn’t especially early.
A small bank of cloud rolled over the sun but soon drifted away to return me to more blue sky and sunshine.
Sugar Loaf showing its more pointy facade.
I spiralled in to the base of the the southern ridge, taking me through this marvellous spooky wood.
When I emerged the sun was back out and the Sugar Loaf looked great if a long way off. I was hungry and was planning breakfast on the top.
I like the way the green grassy path is picked out in this image.
Looking across to Hatterrall Hill.
And Ysgyryd Fawr.
I was expecting the summit to be crowded on such a fine day but it was largely deserted.
This lady gave me a nice mid-ground for my shadow summit photo.
Summit Trig Pillar looking across to the Beacons.
I had my pick of spots for breakfast (Mexican Beef Stew seeing as you asked) so I perched on the small rocky ridge at the northern end. Lesson Learned, my lightweight chair while comfy, gives you a cold bum so back to sit mats in winter.
I love this short rocky “arete”, especially on a winter day when it catches the low light so well.
Looking back across the rocks to the summit.
Time to move on as the Saturday crowds were beginning to arrive. Weather still looked well set so I decided to take in Crug Mawr as well. Looking back to the Sugar Loaf from my route down.
Bracken rolls catching the sun. Not sure if they are used for fuel or animal feed (or whatever).
Its quite a long way down as you have to descend and cross both the Grwyne Fawr and Grwyne Fechan rivers which separate both mountains.
Consolation was some gorgeous views of the mountains and late autumn colours in the trees.
Looking up to Table Mountain and Pen Cerrig Calch.
The fields down by the river were idyllic, still catching the sun and again, pretty well deserted.
I had to leave this all behind as its a long steady climb back up to Crug Mawr.
The forecast cloud starting to feed in as I climbed.
Still gloriously sunny on the Sugar Loaf.
By the time I’d reached the summit ridge the cloud had mostly obscured the sun where I was.
I stopped for a quick cuppa in the last of the sunshine before heading to the Trig Point on the top and headed back down to the car.
Long day this one with two summits and a big drop between but great to finally do a decent walk on a decent day after a few weeks of ordinary weather.
Couple of weekends back we had a forecast that gave a possibility of a cloud inversion so we headed out early to see if we could get up high and above the cloud.
It wasn’t a nailed on forecast and it certainly didn’t look like that sort of day when we set off from home, just a normal grey November day.
When we parked up there was abundant blue sky and sunshine over the Wye Valley.
But all the summits were cloaked in what looked like dense cloud cover.
There was also a very strong wind, not normally something you get with inversions and it was bitingly cold. TBF doing a great job of looking cold!
As we headed up the Offas Dyke path we gradually became enveloped in cloud. It was damp and not exactly great walking but we were enjoying just being out and about.
We did get one very brief window in the cloud from the summit of Hay Bluff and it was worth the trip out just for that.
However our hopes for more of the same were not to be satisfied as we were in thick, cold cloud all the way down to the Gospel Pass.
We had thought about walking up to Lord Hereford’s Knob but it was also shrouded in cloud and we headed back to the car along the road.
It was still sunny, albeit cold and windy back at the car.
An atmospheric walk if not a sunny and above the cloud one.
Bonus Content! A few pictures from a walk through Lugg Meadows near Hereford. This is regular walk for me while TJF has her Driving lesson. I took the pictures mainly to show how high the river was compared to my walks in the summer. I thought I had some photos that would give a good frame of reference for the change in the water level, but sadly I don’t see to have. You’ll just have to take my word for it that it was 5-6 feet higher, quite a lot for a small local river like the Lugg.
Mistletoe in the trees. It grows everywhere in Herefordshire.
Its one of my favourite local walks although I had to cut it short on this occasion as the river had flooded part of the path and meadow and I only had trainers on.
It all seems a far cry from just a few months back when I walked along here and thought about a swim to cool off!
After all that French and Italian fun in the sun. It was back to the normality of the UK.
Our first weekend back home and we took a long bike ride around our local lanes.
Even though it was overcast it was still warm enough for a quick swim in the Wye at Bredwardine.
Following weekend we took a short stroll from Longtown.
A route we discovered while sneaking out during Lockdowns.
It can be a muddy trudge in winter but at this time of year its easy going.
However this time of year is also peak bracken growth. We decided we couldn’t be bothered to thrash through to the ridge of the Black Mountains and settled for the path that runs the line between the farmland and the open fell.
This gives time for an extended lunch stop and brew which is always a much better use of time.
The skies even cleared a little to reveal some blue skies and watery sunshine.
A simple day to ease ourselves back into the UK scene.
Passing Clodock Church on our way back to the car.
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.
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