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| A bit of water never hurt anybody. |
Well, I certainly had a good time on my last hiking trip to South Wales, weather notwithstanding. So when my sometime walking companions Stuart and Sarah suggest a weekend in the Beacons, how can I refuse? For some reason they don't seem entirely convinced by my plan of a four day hike from Newport to Swansea via Pen y Fan however, so we go for hiring a cottage in the rather charming village of Llangors, not far from Brecon itself and within the National Park. The presence of a micro-brewery in the village may influence our decision slightly... Arriving in the village around lunchtime, we have time for a little wander in the afternoon, so head out around the local lake. Well - as it turns out the flooding from earlier in the year hasn't quite subsided in this part of the world, so some of our walk is more in the lake than around it. Pleasant spot though, and after a while we climb a little and get out of the water. Then back to the village where we find one of the pubs does rather excellent food (pheasant with black pudding and bacon!) and the other, with the micro-brewery, has live music. Fun is had.
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| Snow-capped Pen y Fan. |
Day two in Wales and we decide to go for it, Pen y Fan, the highest point in the park. We drive the short distance to the Storey Arms, which turns out to be just about on the snow line - nice to see some of the white stuff after a mild winter with no snowfall in London. Lots of people up here, some more appropriately dressed than others for the conditions, biting wind often with sharp ice crystals in it. It is certainly bracing when we reach the summit, though at least the snow is preferable to rain, and there is something of a view, certainly better than my last trip here. From the top we leave the throng and head North, down into the rather scenic Cwm Llwch and then to the Tai'r Bull Inn, still much as I remember it from all of two years before. From here it is a few miles of gentle uphill to reach the car, and then back to Llangors for dinner.
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| Trig point on the Offa's Dyke Path. |
Sunday, and Sarah has expressed an interest in Lord Hereford's Knob, a six hundred and ninety metre high peak at the far east of the National Park, also known as Twmpa. Apparently back in the day the Lord Hereford of the time would travel up here to take his lunch with a commanding view over his county, as you do. Not sure he'd fancy it now though, after a long and somewhat scary drive up steep single track roads to reach a car park, we exit the car into driving wind with fat flakes of snow in it. Less than a mile to the summit, but it is challenging to say the least - it's a considerable relief to reach the top and then turn ninety degrees so that the wind is behind us. Thankfully the weather improves as we walk a fair distance along a ridge, with the sun shining as we clamber down towards Llanthony Priory. The pub in the crypt is still there and provides a tasty lunch, whereafter we climb steeply up the other side of the valley to meet the Offa's Dyke Path. Of course this is along a ridge, one marking the border with England in fact, and fine views together with a well maintained path make for a good afternoon's hike - I must come back and do the whole thing some time. It is a bit of a shame that when we reach the village after another long drive, anticipating pigeon sausage and the like, we are told that there is no food 'cos it is Sunday. Ho hum, we end up with delivery pizza and David Attenborough back at the cottage, could be a lot worse.
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| Stuart, Sarah and me on Pen Cerrig-Calch. |
Last day, and after exiting the cottage we drive back towards Newport and the train, still, time for some more hill before returning to London. Today we eschew taking a route planned by me in favour of a rather good book of walks in the region, picking a seven mile or so climb out of Crickhowell, up Pen Cerrig-Calch and then down over Table Mountain. Makes for a good little hike, from above you can see why Table Mountain is so named, and the views are good too. Then back into Crickhowell for some dragon sausages (made with real dragon I am sure) before getting the train. Well, this was a nice little trip I must say... certainly good to get to the top of Pen y Fan and have enough visibility to know I'm there. Maybe it wasn't the most adventurous thing I've done - roll on next month.
Photos to go with this post can be found here.
