Back a couple of weeks to a time when we thought summer had arrived. Looking out a dull skies and forecasts of heavy rain for the next few days I need to remind myself what it looked like.
Another forecast of early morning sunshine had us out early for breakfast in the hills.
Our chosen spot this time was Castell Dinas at the bottom of the Y Grib, Dragons Back ridge in the Black Mountains. Its only a short walk from the car and its been difficult to get up here recently as the main road has been closed for a couple of years after a landslide.
We found an elevated perch on one of the old earth wall remains and enjoyed our feast in the warm sunshine. Idyllic.
Breakfast with a view like this can’t be beaten.
Cooking up the feast for me! (TBF prefers a banana and, well, that’s about it)
While we sat there we had one of those rare odd moments of unfriendliness you get in the hills. A guy walked past and decided, for whatever reason, that he absolutely needed to walk along the same narrow little perch we were sat on (his two companions walked a discrete distance away). Despite the fact he pretty much trod on our stuff and us, and came close to knocking the stove over, I still, as I always do, I said a cheery good morning. He didn’t acknowledge or reply. Obviously he had taken offence at where we were sat or possibly that we had quite a bit of stuff spread out, who knows! Of course we always clear up afterwards and leave no trace. Odd chap.
Can’t let an odd moment like that distract such a glorious morning and we lingered for ages as its such a grand spot with great views.
I’m not sure what these trees are (Hawthorn?) but they were in bloom all around the walk and were quite striking, visible as swathes of white across the hillsides.
Time to move on and climb some hills.
Looking back to our breakfast castle.
The Y Grib ridge is as fine as the Cats Back ridge on the other side, albeit without the rocky outcrops. Mynydd Troed’s shapely outline behind and a distant Pen-y-Fan behind that.
Its a nice easy way to gain height to the main ridge of the Black Mountains, especially on a morning as fine as this.
The broad valley that separates the main Black Mountains range from Mynydd Troed and Mynydd Llangorse.
TBF enjoying the ridge.
Approaching the top. I camped up here in the summer heatwave 3 years ago.
And finally onto the main ridge and the path to Waun Fach, highest point of the Black Mountains. The conservation teams have done a wonderful job with this path. What used to be a boggy muddy trudge is now a perfectly engineered gravel and stepped route that’s a joy to walk on.
We were joined by several gliders from the nearby air strip.
You may have noticed the bank of clouds out to the west in the previous sunny photos. Well, they were on their way (as forecast, hence the early start) and duly arrived as we headed down towards Mynydd Llysiau.
Whilst we lost the blue skies we had odd patches of sun and it was still warm and dry and perfect for walking.
Looking back to Pen Allt Mawr. The trees in the middle were awash with white flowers but its doesn’t really show in the photo.
It’s a long descent all the way to the bottom of the valley for the return via Mynydd Troed. The steep climb enlivened by more of the white flowered trees.
Looking back across the valley to Pen Allt Mawr.
The ridge of Mynydd Troed is fine and long climb and one that I’ve never seen anyone else on.
Sadly, three years ago it was badly damaged by fires and the recovery is slow progress. The grassy path recovered quickly but elsewhere the bilberry bushes and heather have not yet started to grow back and all that seemed to be growing is a reddish moss.
This is a photo from roughly the same spot a short while after the fires a few years back.
The reddish moss was abundant here.
And again this is what it looked like in the aftermath of the fire.
I can only hope that it recovers in due course and when it does it will be interesting to see what nature comes up with.
This is what the ground cover was like before the fire.
View out over Llangorse Lake to the Brecon Beacons and a distant Black Mountain.
Castell Dinas and the Dragons Back ridge.
We managed to find a sheltered spot for a final brew of the day before heading down.
Two photos looking out over our morning section of walk. This one taken with my DSLR.
And this one with my iPhone that picks out the white flowering trees to much better effect. Its a more dramatic photo but looks overly processed compared to the more natural look of the DSLR image.
A very short walk to the car from the summit but also very steep indeed! That black cloud actually dropped a little rain on us but not enough to dampen another superb day out.
A good workout as well, 12 miles and 3,500 feet of ascent.
Back a couple of weeks to a time of cold weather, frosts and snow. Time to pack away the summer rucksack, bring out the winter version and fill it with winter mitts, bothy bag and down jacket. Slight overkill for the Black Mountains but you can’t be too careful.
Started off beautiful clear and frosty with a strong wind and a deep chill in the air.
The walk along the ridge beyond Castell Dinas is excellent and referred to as the Dragons Back locally. Whilst that’s overstating things a bit, it is a very nice way to reach the main Black Mountains summit of Waun Fach.
The views back to Mynydd Troed, our target for the second half of the day were superb.
Looking along the ridge to Waun Fach.
And down the valley towards Crickhowell.
See, I told you we needed winter gear!
Just after we left the summit of Waun Fach we were hit by a serious snow shower. Proper winter conditions in the air if not on the ground (the snow was wet and thin)
There was a Mountain Marathon in progress with lots of people wandering about in shorts and Lycra in what was a blizzard and temperatures well below freezing with wind-chill. Definitely not the weather to be spending a night in a bivvy bag (or dressed in lycra for that matter).
The snow melted pretty much immediately, the skies cleared and we found a nice spot behind a wall for lunch.
I’ve walked this route many times as a shortish half-day but this time wanted to make a longer circuit.
We picked a route off the hills and along the lanes down to the village of Waun Fach (not the mountain) and up towards Mynydd Troed (my first ever mountain ascent when I was ten for those that don’t know that story).
There was a major fire on the mountain in the dry summer and you can see traces of it in the left of the shot below.
And as we climbed up onto the ridge.
But the scale of the damage wasn’t apparent until we were near the top.
What used to be a dense covering of knee-deep moss and heather had been stripped bare by the fire. All that remained was the grass on the path which I assumed was fresh re-growth.
In places there wasn’t even that and it looked desolate and bare. The plants up here are pretty resilient so I hope that in time it will recover.
The weather had closed in a bit and there wasn’t much in the way of sunshine. We did get some nice sunlight streaming through the clouds over Llangorse Lake and the Brecon Beacons
We didn’t linger on the top as it was ferociously windy and bitingly cold. We took our leave plunged down the steep NE ridge down to the car
A good 12 mile stretch of wild winter walking
I like winter walking and I enjoyed this very early blast of cold and snow. Pity the weekend just gone was back to typical November, all gloom and mild wet drizzle
Back a couple of weeks before the weather turned too hot to venture into the outdoors with a heavy pack, I took another Friday night out in the mountains. I wished for a bit of breeze to keep temperatures and insects at bay and certainly got my wish.
A glorious evening of clear skies and warm sunshine. I chatted to a lady van-camping in the car park with her very friendly Jack Russell pup chewing my laces. No sign of the promised breeze as I set off.
It was a hot climb through the fly infested bracken as I headed for a summit pitch on Pen y Gadair Fawr. Still no breeze and I felt that the midges were eying me up for a buffet supper
As I crested the top, the breeze finally kicked in. Less a breeze than a very significant and very chilly wind that I was struggling to stand up in
It would have made a superb summit camp, lots of flat thick grass but it was just too cold to enjoy the surroundings. I’d also hoped to pick up some water, figuring that at least one of the numerous springs that rise on the summit would be running. No such luck. I decided press on in the hope of finding a sheltered spot
Trouble its a pretty exposed spot up here and the wind was roaring and grass is in short supply. The compensation was that it was cool and walking along a high level ridge in the late evening is a simple joy
The bog cotton was giving everything an almost frost-like feeling. The photos can’t do justice to how beguiling it was
They have massively improved the paths up here so I made swift progress over Waun Fach without ever finding a respite from the wind. I tried a few grassy groughs, but none were suitable
Eventually I had to plunge a hundred metres or so down the Y Grib Ridge and found a sort of level pitch on a terrace of deep lush grass. What it lacked in comfort it more than made up for with a superb sunset vista
There was just enough wind to keep the insects at bay without it being too cold and I sat outside, read and drank many brews of tea before turning in well past 11pm
Tough to tear yourself away from views like this
I expected a blazing sun to cook the tent and have me outside early. I awoke at 8am with no sign of the sun. I was in the cloud again. Looking up was clear blue though and the sky was surely to clear and on queue as the water boiled for my last cuppa before I ran out of water, it did
It was an amazing morning. The east wind had cleared any haze from the air and the sky between the wispy clouds was a deep azure blue. Pen y Fan and Beacons poked above the cloud and I thought of TBF on her 25 mile sponsored walk around the range. She was on Pen y Fan summit round about the time I too this photo
I decided to walk all around the escarpment to Lord Hereford’s Knob and on a day like this it was amazing. It really puts a spring in the step to have views like this to accompany you and I covered the ground swiftly
There were several D of E groups out most of whom seemed cheerfully incompetent, walking in various directions none which seemed to be the right one!
I topped out on the Knob and where the panorama across the Wye valley is breathtaking
Despite the glorious day I had this very popular and easily accessible summit to myself but it was still very windy and bit chilly. Added to the fact I’d not had breakfast and had no water pushed me onwards to resupply and take on calories
I had to walk much further down the Nant Bwch stream before the water was flowing sufficiently well to be drinkable. I found a fine spot and set about making my bacon sandwiches and several cups of tea to re-hydrate
I had thought about dropping down to Capel y Ffin and walking back over the ridge to the car. The fact that out of the wind it was still really hot had me thinking of a better plan. I retraced my steps back toward the edge and the curved off towards the summit of Twyn Talycefn.
The strong breeze was keeping the skies clear and the temperatures perfect for walking. Much better to be up high in weather like this
Looking back to the ridge I’d walked the previous evening
I dropped down to the Grwyne Fawr Reservoir with an idea of a sneaky swim.
I don’t normally like swimming in reservoirs as they do have their dangers but I found a stunning little spot on the banks and took a short dip without straying too far into the water.
Another cup of tea seemed in order as I felt like I had the whole place to myself.
Then it was a simple matter of the long walk back down past the dam to the car
A nice easy angled path to finish the day with grand views back to the dam and the deep greens of the valley under the still totally clear sky
Another superb one-nighter although I would have enjoyed a bit of company as I’ve done most of this years trips solo. 15-16 miles over the two days with the aimless wandering I did looking for a pitch and just enjoying being out.
May be the last such trip for a while. The last couple of weeks have been just too hot and sultry for walking so I’ve been getting my exercise in the water with some wild swimming, more of which in future posts. Then its holiday time for me and the family as we head to Wales and France for some sociable fun with friends
It caught me off guard did this day. Forecast was for sunshine and showers but I hadn’t checked the temperatures. As we drove out towards the Black Mountains all was white on the tops. I thought we’d seen the end of the snow but no – there was more.
This is another of my favourite routes, one I’ve done many times before, the most recent here. However TJS has never done this route and he was up for it. For a cold wintery day it’s ideal, high enough to get up into the snow, short enough that it’s not too far if you get a soaking.
Which is exactly what happened to my DSLR camera when it fell out of the boot of the car into a puddle when I opened it. Luckily it was in it’s case so it’s just fine although the case still has the mud marks
Narrow-ish ridges are a rarity in South Wales. Y Grib is one to be treasured. We were soon on it’s crest and heading up into the snow. It was a bitingly cold day but with that clarity of air that comes with a showery winter day.
Everything looked white up high. There was only a couple of inches of snow but it covered everything.
The cloud came down and swamped us while we were on the summit but no matter. The edges are much better viewpoints in the Black Mountains than the summits.
It was too cold linger so we rushed on heading down and looking for somewhere for lunch. We found one at the col before Mynydd Llysiau although it was a little bleak and draughty especially for TJS as I’d forgotten his hot chocolate. He took it well, probably better than I would have done had the roles been reversed
By the time we set off my fingers were numb, took me a good half hour to get the feeling back. Sometimes my quest for a brew on a winters walk should really be curtailed
The weather was really indecisive, flirting between blue skies and deep black clouds and heavy snow showers.
The walk finishes with a climb up Castell Dinas – a brutually steep one at that but a very fine viewpoint to finish off a day in the Black and White Mountains
A very fine walk this one, good to see it under some snow this time
One thing I’ve been trying hard to do over the last few months is to make sure I get out for a day in the hills at least once a week. This was going well in the early summer and I was also able to get out after work as well so I was really covering the miles. Since I came back from France I’ve let things slide a bit so I’m now trying to get moving again. A few walking posts behind so here is the next one of my days out, another trip into my local hills, The Black Mountains.
Castell Dinas from Y Grib
I’s chosen to repeat one of my favourite routes, a circuit taking in the highest point in the range, Waun Fach via one of the best ridges, Y Grib. The forecast was excellent so having got up at 7am I was a trifle vexed that when I parked up it was completely cloudless about 2 miles to the north but the Black Mountains was blanketed by cold grey cloud.
Wye Valley in Sun (outraged)
Despite my best efforts at mind over matter and the best efforts of the sun, it stayed that way until the last hour of the walk when the cloud finally pushed far enough south for the sun to come out.
As you may know if you’ve read my Black Mountains posts most of the ridges are broad and flat. This ridge is one of the few narrower ones and is a quality way to reach the summit of Waun Fach. I’ve actually skied up and down this ridge on New Years Day a couple of years ago.
Y Grib ridge
As usual for an early Saturday morning the area seemed deserted and I didn’t see anyone until on my down from the summit. The views across the Wye Valley bathed in sunshine and with a blanket of low-lying mist were enchanting and it kind of made up for the feeling it was sunny everywhere but where I was (I even had shorts on!).
Y Grib, Mynydd Troed and Wye Valley
Still it’s a fine walk up the ridge and I made swift progress, waiting for a pause when I thought the sun might come out so I could stop for lunch. It didn’t so I kept going.
Once up on the main ridge to the summit the going gets a little boggier and the summit of Waun Fach is particularly oozy mess.
Waun Fach summit
Having been to the top numerous times I declined the usual coating of black goo on my boots and pressed on down towards Pen Trumau. It remained frustratingly cloudy but it was peaceful and I enjoyed the easy stroll. I gave up waiting for the sun to come out just above the col as I was starving and had a long leisurely brunch with a large caterpillar for company.
Mynydd Troed
My lunchtime companion
I had half an idea to try to cross the valley and take in Mynydd Troed but I wasn’t sure if there was a route through the farmland to the open country. I thought I’d save that for another day. Mynydd Troed was my first proper hill when I was 10. We were on a school camping trip (my first time in a tent come to think of it) at Talgarth and we climbed it on a truly awful day but I guess that’s when the bug must have first bit me as I loved every minute. Our teacher even convinced us it was volcano and the small depression where trig point sat was the crater. Adults can be cruel.
I watched a huge group of walkers approach me on the path to the col and then strike off abruptly to climb Pen Trumau directly. The slopes round here are heavily vegetated and they made extremely slow progress. Perhaps I needed a shower.
As I headed down into the valley and started back towards the car the sun eventually came out and the day was transformed.
Y Grib, Mynydd Troed and Castell Dinas
Just above where I parked the car is Castell Dinas so I decided it was worth a climb now. It’s a punishing steep grassy climb to the top but the views made it well worthwhile.
Mynydd Troed from Castell Dinas
The Y Grib ridge I climbed earlier was obviously now bathed in sunshine so I parked myself on the top and did what I do best on walks, I sat down, soaked up the views and ate.
Y Grib ridge
I don’t fare all that well in the more competitive elements of outdoor activities, but when it comes to sitting around and eating copious amounts of food, I’m up there with the best of them.
Farmland merges to hillside
A great route this one (8 miles and 2,300 feet of ascent) and I return to it often. Combination of narrow (by Black Mountains standard) ridge and the wild moorland is hard to beat. As always seems to be the case, barely a soul around. Enjoy the full slide show and tune
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