Pen-Y-Fan, Brecon Beacons, South Wales.
2nd February 2012.

Today my good friend and I went in search for some snow. It has been a while since we have seen each other and properly hung out so i thought id make a visit, spur of the moment, to say hello. It was quite funny to see her crawl into the car in a ball after her late night of heavy drinking. Snowy mountain top was probably the best cure i could think of.

We set off towards the Beacons, heading with Pen-Y-Fan in mind although coming from Carmarthen I had no real idea of how to get there. All in all through a series of guessing games, free quality road maps and help from a curled up ball of hangover we managed to find our way. 3 hours it took us. Im pretty sure it shouldn’t of taken that long but the sun was shining and we passed through some pretty little villages on the way with rows of small colourful houses and old brick bridges; one village in particular Llandeilo.

As we were coming to the foot of the Beacons it was amazing to see as far as you could gigantic mounds of rock covered by glistening snow. I thought how incredible the views must be from the top of these but maybe save that for another day when more prepared. The air was crisp and the sky was clear, you could probably see for miles.

Finding our bearings on a few narrow roads, we came out around the bottom of Fan-Y-Big (somewhere we had been before that I am very fond of) and began a slow drive up the winding icey road. Not ideal in a Ford KA…later on we find out its not ideal for these sort of adventures. Even one sheep in a field of hundreds seemed to mock me with a smile on his face as we drove past.

Eventually back on the main road from Merthyr we arrived at the foot of Pen-Y-Fan. The car park at the bottom was closed so we had to park in another a few minutes up the road. It was icey but there was one of those food caravans welcoming us with a warm cup of tea. As i parked up of course i got stuck immediately in it. With failed attempts at reversing slowly, reversing fast, going forward slow and fast, and covering my car in mud, i gave in. However we were helped by some cadets to push me out of this hole. One of them got soaked by my tires but i was incredibly grateful for there help. At this point my friend ran off to get the teas and hide from embarrassment. 

Wrapped up warm we walked to go play in the snow. The sky was absolutely beautiful at this point. It was late afternoon, the sun was low and made some incredible colours on the hills and tree’s around us. We came to the closed car park and read signs that the tree’s in this area had a fungal disease so all had to be chopped down. It was sad to see as, especially in the summer, they’re so nice to hide under for shelter and have a picnic.

We stayed around the bottom, exploring the stream that flowed from the top forming small waterfalls over ledges and meandering around the mountain. The snow made everything pretty but a little slippery at times. Probably playing around the stream wasn’t best either. The water had frozen on rocks and I felt like Bambi at times bounding about the place heavy footed. My friend, being how light she is, navigated her way around the worst parts pretty much bouncing as she went. Underneath the little waterfall were some amazing icicles of all sizes hidden in the shade of the rock and underneath the ledge.

It has once again been such an amazing day with wonderful company. I very much enjoy these little adventures. They put a smile on my face.

3 months ago 

Offa’s Dyke, Tintern, South Wales
7th January 2012.

First walk of the year and I thought we could try a different kind of walk to our usual mountain escapades. Ive lived nearby Tintern for just over 10 years now and always admired its peaceful and modest existence. Tucked away through winding roads and hillside edges, like a hidden secret lies this little village, most famous for its ancient Abbey of Cistercian decent. The majority of stone still intact, this beautiful building greets you as you enter. We stopped before our walk to admire it. The two friends i was with, who rarely visit this side of Cardiff seemed drawn to it discussing the masonry involved in its construction, how much it would’ve cost way back when and the amount of work it took to complete. I, of course, living so near had grown up with it from a young age and had not really taken much interest in it in my early years but now after seeing it a bit older, i really could appreciate how much went into it. I still stood in silence as i didn’t really know what to say. 

Molly came with us this time. Molly is one of my dogs, the healthier of the two and still like a puppy in many respect even though she is pushing 15. I don’t get to see her often enough and we’ve always had a close bond. I was also with my friends Chris and David. Chris a regular walking friend and one of my closest friends. David a great friend, very intelligent and fellow band member. The last time we went on a walk was in Bude during the summer, although getting slightly lost we still had a great time. We arrived at around 1 o’clock to the car park just next to the Abbey. Although coming to this place a number of times before and knowing of various walking routes I hadnt really explored these. To the side was an illustrated route map that showed routes of different lengths and views. 

The first section took us from the car park, running behind the modest homes on the river edge. As we walked by I could only really be in awe of the view they get to wake up to and see from their back gardens. I felt a little intrusive walking past them, a garden being a quiet personal space to relax but i thought if i was lucky enough to live somewhere like this I really wouldn’t mind the odd group of people walking by.
Soon we came to an old railway bridge boarded over with planks of wood. Not the safest looking thing at all but appeared sturdy enough as we crossed. The cloudy river Wye below was running fast. Faster than i remember but im sure it has always been known for its current. The bridge came onto a muddy trail, clearly worn by 4x4’s and ramblers and narrowed into a strictly no vehicle path. We followed this route for around 10 minutes before we came to a cross roads. Of course being young, relatively healthy young lads we clambered straight up the middle to some old brick remains. This of course was not part of the path but who doesn’t like a bit of adventure. Molly struggled a little at first but nothing a little push couldn’t fix. We seemed to climb for quite a while and expected a beautiful view at the top but unfortunately we were surrounded by tree’s so we pressed on to find the actual path. Walking through felt a little like the band of brothers episode where they are traipsing through the forest in Bastogne. Of course, nothing of the horror but it kind of reminded me of the excitement i got when i was younger running around Wentwood forest pretending to be in the army. Eventually we came across the path again and this took us up towards another little crossroads and small cut out of the hillside. I did not really know the history at all and was soon informed that this was in fact Offa’s dyke. A ditch built into the hillside by the Anglian Kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh Kingdom of Powys to create the border between England and Wales. 

This cross roads at 3 paths. One back down to the first bridge we came over, one to the Devil’s pulpit and the other continuing the circular route. We thought we would first see the Devil’s pulpit, come back and continue the circular. All winter the weather had been pretty poor with rain and cloud. Today was the first in a while to be clear and bright and i am so glad it was. The view from the pulpit was incredible; seeing the whole of Tintern so far down below being framed by tree’s either side. The first photo above is the view but really does not do it justice. I am definitely upgrading my camera this year. 

Heading back the first section of the circular route was a long straight with a roof of twigs forming a cover like weaving thin finger tips, a bed of golden and brown leaves and the sun sneaking through the tree’s to the left. The walk from now on was straight forward for a while but soon took us along the edge of a field that suddenly became a careful tread along the edge of a steep drop. It felt as though the route had kind of given up on itself as we could clearly see a path below, what path we are still unsure of but we clambered down to it. Chris nearly slipped and Molly nearly jumped but all was good. The path below was wet and muddy. I completely covered my foot in the gunk and soaked my left foot. Not happy. Finally we seemed to be coming to the next village along. After deciding to take a route off the track slightly we came to a collection of fields connected by stiles that we proceeded to walk through to a small farm at the bottom. 

Although living nearby for so many years I still had no idea where we were but the sun was disappearing, our legs were aching and of course a pub was in site so we could worry about our location later. What the most delightful pint it was too and with warm, friendly welcoming from the locals. They were shocked when i told them where i was from and they just laughed at my lack of local knowledge. One woman took a big shine to Molly and kept giving her cuddles and the odd crisp. We asked how far it was back to Tintern and a mere 20 minute walk back along the main road. We stayed in the pub for a couple before leaving. Strongly recommend the Wye Valley Ale, absolutely wonderful, mild, and refreshing stuff. 

All in all a fantastic day with great company and a nice change to nearly being blown off the edge of a mountain. As i write this my dog is passed out on my bed barely able to move so it was clearly a good time for her as well.

4 months ago  13 notes

Pen-Y-Fan, Brecon Beacons, South Wales.
14th November 2011. 

I have been visiting this place for years now with family and in recent times with friends. Although i have been there a number of times i still very much enjoy it. Simple to get to on the by-pass through Merthyr and not really that far from where i live.

These are just a couple of photos i took as i was walking up on a cold November morning. I hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before so decided at 6am to get up, shower and just go for a walk. Pen-Y-Fan is the highest peak i believe in the south UK, below Snowdonia. When reaching the top, the scenery is just beautiful and you can see for miles on a clear day. Unfortunately on this occassion there was just fog surrounding me. Although i didn’t really mind that as it felt as though i was in a secret room above the clouds. At the very top lay a pile of stones that the army have placed on there many training sessions. I use this to crouch behind while pouring my cup of tea and sneaking in a cheeky cigarette. 

On my way back round i bumped into a couple of 75 years olds dressed head to toe in the warmest of clothing, comfy fleeces, matching waterproofs, walking sticks and big puffy gloves. They told me that they frequently go walking in mountains most weeks and had recently walked Snowdonia. I just hope i still have that much energy at their age.

6 months ago 

Fan-Y-Big, Brecon Beacons, South Wales.
13th August 2011.

This is one of my favourite days out this year. A good friend and I decided to go for a walk in the Brecon Beacons on one of our rare mid week days off. She had decided on this particular walk as it is one her family used to do when she was young and had not been in several years. One of my first little expeditions that really drew me to the beauty of the outdoors. I say expedition because i have fond memories of this particular day and it just sums up how wrong the plan went.

We set off around midday with a bag filled of food, drink and coats. It starts near a modest little waterfall with some little steps falling the waterfall edge. This soon becomes a relatively steep walk to the first peak that caught us off guard slightly meaning we had to stop just to catch a breath. This also brought home the reality of how unhealthy we were. At this point we took a bite of mint cake and assessed the old OS map to plan our route. It seemed straightforward enough, just like a big circle really so we continued our route. On the way we saw some lovely little sights that maybe i got a little too excited about. A ford we had to leap over, a muddy bog we had to scale around and the tiniest of waterfalls are a few things that spring to mind.

We stopped at an opening where a few peaks come together to see our progress and of course to have a lovely chicken and stuffing sandwich. Stupidly we had not packed a flask of hot tea because that would’ve been a dream at the time. Even early August it was a little bit colder than i had expected. All the had to do was follow the curve and continue down to the path that ran along side a couple of small reservoirs.

Finally reaching Fan-Y-Big, we were greeted by the most beautiful of views. Like three stems that poked out from the main body of the park, they were all joined by a slight curve resembling half a bowl or the webbed feet of a duck. All i could think at the time would be how good that would be to sled down if it was thick with snow. What caught our attention most however was this rock sticking out from the side of the mountain like a finger just poking towards the scenery so of course we decided to investigate. We stood on this rock and looked around to take in everything around us. The looks on the faces of the sheep staring at us from below will always stick with me.

We carried on down the gradual slope of Fan-Y-Big that took about half an hour to get to the bottom where we reached a rocky bridle way enclosed by trees. It was at this point we were a little concerned that we hadn’t been following the map as precisely as we thought. We had hope still that we would stumble across the car park. Unfortunately this was not the case… We came across a few interesting barns and fields inhabited by cows and more sheep, checking the map for obvious points. Still no luck. Eventually a couple we had briefly met but not spoken to at the crossing walked by. Reluctantly we asked them where we were and it turns out we had come right off track. For the next couple of hours we struggled back up the ankle breaking bridle way, the clumpy gradual slope towards the finger rock. It was tiring, cold and getting dark but we laughed it off. Soon we were back on our way towards the car.

The ending to such a fun and exciting day was probably one of my favourite moments. Clambering down this muddy little track from the car park were a selection of waterfalls all shapes and sizes leading to this hidden opening that was home to the biggest waterfall in the area. We sat, with few words shared, on a rock directly in front of it, the sides of the opening curving around us, enclosing us in this beautiful and peaceful little area.

9 months ago 

Pen-Y-Fan, Brecon Beacons, South Wales.
2nd February 2012.

Today my good friend and I went in search for some snow. It has been a while since we have seen each other and properly hung out so i thought id make a visit, spur of the moment, to say hello. It was quite funny to see her crawl into the car in a ball after her late night of heavy drinking. Snowy mountain top was probably the best cure i could think of.

We set off towards the Beacons, heading with Pen-Y-Fan in mind although coming from Carmarthen I had no real idea of how to get there. All in all through a series of guessing games, free quality road maps and help from a curled up ball of hangover we managed to find our way. 3 hours it took us. Im pretty sure it shouldn’t of taken that long but the sun was shining and we passed through some pretty little villages on the way with rows of small colourful houses and old brick bridges; one village in particular Llandeilo.

As we were coming to the foot of the Beacons it was amazing to see as far as you could gigantic mounds of rock covered by glistening snow. I thought how incredible the views must be from the top of these but maybe save that for another day when more prepared. The air was crisp and the sky was clear, you could probably see for miles.

Finding our bearings on a few narrow roads, we came out around the bottom of Fan-Y-Big (somewhere we had been before that I am very fond of) and began a slow drive up the winding icey road. Not ideal in a Ford KA…later on we find out its not ideal for these sort of adventures. Even one sheep in a field of hundreds seemed to mock me with a smile on his face as we drove past.

Eventually back on the main road from Merthyr we arrived at the foot of Pen-Y-Fan. The car park at the bottom was closed so we had to park in another a few minutes up the road. It was icey but there was one of those food caravans welcoming us with a warm cup of tea. As i parked up of course i got stuck immediately in it. With failed attempts at reversing slowly, reversing fast, going forward slow and fast, and covering my car in mud, i gave in. However we were helped by some cadets to push me out of this hole. One of them got soaked by my tires but i was incredibly grateful for there help. At this point my friend ran off to get the teas and hide from embarrassment. 

Wrapped up warm we walked to go play in the snow. The sky was absolutely beautiful at this point. It was late afternoon, the sun was low and made some incredible colours on the hills and tree’s around us. We came to the closed car park and read signs that the tree’s in this area had a fungal disease so all had to be chopped down. It was sad to see as, especially in the summer, they’re so nice to hide under for shelter and have a picnic.

We stayed around the bottom, exploring the stream that flowed from the top forming small waterfalls over ledges and meandering around the mountain. The snow made everything pretty but a little slippery at times. Probably playing around the stream wasn’t best either. The water had frozen on rocks and I felt like Bambi at times bounding about the place heavy footed. My friend, being how light she is, navigated her way around the worst parts pretty much bouncing as she went. Underneath the little waterfall were some amazing icicles of all sizes hidden in the shade of the rock and underneath the ledge.

It has once again been such an amazing day with wonderful company. I very much enjoy these little adventures. They put a smile on my face.

Offa’s Dyke, Tintern, South Wales
7th January 2012.

First walk of the year and I thought we could try a different kind of walk to our usual mountain escapades. Ive lived nearby Tintern for just over 10 years now and always admired its peaceful and modest existence. Tucked away through winding roads and hillside edges, like a hidden secret lies this little village, most famous for its ancient Abbey of Cistercian decent. The majority of stone still intact, this beautiful building greets you as you enter. We stopped before our walk to admire it. The two friends i was with, who rarely visit this side of Cardiff seemed drawn to it discussing the masonry involved in its construction, how much it would’ve cost way back when and the amount of work it took to complete. I, of course, living so near had grown up with it from a young age and had not really taken much interest in it in my early years but now after seeing it a bit older, i really could appreciate how much went into it. I still stood in silence as i didn’t really know what to say. 

Molly came with us this time. Molly is one of my dogs, the healthier of the two and still like a puppy in many respect even though she is pushing 15. I don’t get to see her often enough and we’ve always had a close bond. I was also with my friends Chris and David. Chris a regular walking friend and one of my closest friends. David a great friend, very intelligent and fellow band member. The last time we went on a walk was in Bude during the summer, although getting slightly lost we still had a great time. We arrived at around 1 o’clock to the car park just next to the Abbey. Although coming to this place a number of times before and knowing of various walking routes I hadnt really explored these. To the side was an illustrated route map that showed routes of different lengths and views. 

The first section took us from the car park, running behind the modest homes on the river edge. As we walked by I could only really be in awe of the view they get to wake up to and see from their back gardens. I felt a little intrusive walking past them, a garden being a quiet personal space to relax but i thought if i was lucky enough to live somewhere like this I really wouldn’t mind the odd group of people walking by.
Soon we came to an old railway bridge boarded over with planks of wood. Not the safest looking thing at all but appeared sturdy enough as we crossed. The cloudy river Wye below was running fast. Faster than i remember but im sure it has always been known for its current. The bridge came onto a muddy trail, clearly worn by 4x4’s and ramblers and narrowed into a strictly no vehicle path. We followed this route for around 10 minutes before we came to a cross roads. Of course being young, relatively healthy young lads we clambered straight up the middle to some old brick remains. This of course was not part of the path but who doesn’t like a bit of adventure. Molly struggled a little at first but nothing a little push couldn’t fix. We seemed to climb for quite a while and expected a beautiful view at the top but unfortunately we were surrounded by tree’s so we pressed on to find the actual path. Walking through felt a little like the band of brothers episode where they are traipsing through the forest in Bastogne. Of course, nothing of the horror but it kind of reminded me of the excitement i got when i was younger running around Wentwood forest pretending to be in the army. Eventually we came across the path again and this took us up towards another little crossroads and small cut out of the hillside. I did not really know the history at all and was soon informed that this was in fact Offa’s dyke. A ditch built into the hillside by the Anglian Kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh Kingdom of Powys to create the border between England and Wales. 

This cross roads at 3 paths. One back down to the first bridge we came over, one to the Devil’s pulpit and the other continuing the circular route. We thought we would first see the Devil’s pulpit, come back and continue the circular. All winter the weather had been pretty poor with rain and cloud. Today was the first in a while to be clear and bright and i am so glad it was. The view from the pulpit was incredible; seeing the whole of Tintern so far down below being framed by tree’s either side. The first photo above is the view but really does not do it justice. I am definitely upgrading my camera this year. 

Heading back the first section of the circular route was a long straight with a roof of twigs forming a cover like weaving thin finger tips, a bed of golden and brown leaves and the sun sneaking through the tree’s to the left. The walk from now on was straight forward for a while but soon took us along the edge of a field that suddenly became a careful tread along the edge of a steep drop. It felt as though the route had kind of given up on itself as we could clearly see a path below, what path we are still unsure of but we clambered down to it. Chris nearly slipped and Molly nearly jumped but all was good. The path below was wet and muddy. I completely covered my foot in the gunk and soaked my left foot. Not happy. Finally we seemed to be coming to the next village along. After deciding to take a route off the track slightly we came to a collection of fields connected by stiles that we proceeded to walk through to a small farm at the bottom. 

Although living nearby for so many years I still had no idea where we were but the sun was disappearing, our legs were aching and of course a pub was in site so we could worry about our location later. What the most delightful pint it was too and with warm, friendly welcoming from the locals. They were shocked when i told them where i was from and they just laughed at my lack of local knowledge. One woman took a big shine to Molly and kept giving her cuddles and the odd crisp. We asked how far it was back to Tintern and a mere 20 minute walk back along the main road. We stayed in the pub for a couple before leaving. Strongly recommend the Wye Valley Ale, absolutely wonderful, mild, and refreshing stuff. 

All in all a fantastic day with great company and a nice change to nearly being blown off the edge of a mountain. As i write this my dog is passed out on my bed barely able to move so it was clearly a good time for her as well.

Pen-Y-Fan, Brecon Beacons, South Wales.
14th November 2011. 

I have been visiting this place for years now with family and in recent times with friends. Although i have been there a number of times i still very much enjoy it. Simple to get to on the by-pass through Merthyr and not really that far from where i live.

These are just a couple of photos i took as i was walking up on a cold November morning. I hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before so decided at 6am to get up, shower and just go for a walk. Pen-Y-Fan is the highest peak i believe in the south UK, below Snowdonia. When reaching the top, the scenery is just beautiful and you can see for miles on a clear day. Unfortunately on this occassion there was just fog surrounding me. Although i didn’t really mind that as it felt as though i was in a secret room above the clouds. At the very top lay a pile of stones that the army have placed on there many training sessions. I use this to crouch behind while pouring my cup of tea and sneaking in a cheeky cigarette. 

On my way back round i bumped into a couple of 75 years olds dressed head to toe in the warmest of clothing, comfy fleeces, matching waterproofs, walking sticks and big puffy gloves. They told me that they frequently go walking in mountains most weeks and had recently walked Snowdonia. I just hope i still have that much energy at their age.

Fan-Y-Big, Brecon Beacons, South Wales.
13th August 2011.

This is one of my favourite days out this year. A good friend and I decided to go for a walk in the Brecon Beacons on one of our rare mid week days off. She had decided on this particular walk as it is one her family used to do when she was young and had not been in several years. One of my first little expeditions that really drew me to the beauty of the outdoors. I say expedition because i have fond memories of this particular day and it just sums up how wrong the plan went.

We set off around midday with a bag filled of food, drink and coats. It starts near a modest little waterfall with some little steps falling the waterfall edge. This soon becomes a relatively steep walk to the first peak that caught us off guard slightly meaning we had to stop just to catch a breath. This also brought home the reality of how unhealthy we were. At this point we took a bite of mint cake and assessed the old OS map to plan our route. It seemed straightforward enough, just like a big circle really so we continued our route. On the way we saw some lovely little sights that maybe i got a little too excited about. A ford we had to leap over, a muddy bog we had to scale around and the tiniest of waterfalls are a few things that spring to mind.

We stopped at an opening where a few peaks come together to see our progress and of course to have a lovely chicken and stuffing sandwich. Stupidly we had not packed a flask of hot tea because that would’ve been a dream at the time. Even early August it was a little bit colder than i had expected. All the had to do was follow the curve and continue down to the path that ran along side a couple of small reservoirs.

Finally reaching Fan-Y-Big, we were greeted by the most beautiful of views. Like three stems that poked out from the main body of the park, they were all joined by a slight curve resembling half a bowl or the webbed feet of a duck. All i could think at the time would be how good that would be to sled down if it was thick with snow. What caught our attention most however was this rock sticking out from the side of the mountain like a finger just poking towards the scenery so of course we decided to investigate. We stood on this rock and looked around to take in everything around us. The looks on the faces of the sheep staring at us from below will always stick with me.

We carried on down the gradual slope of Fan-Y-Big that took about half an hour to get to the bottom where we reached a rocky bridle way enclosed by trees. It was at this point we were a little concerned that we hadn’t been following the map as precisely as we thought. We had hope still that we would stumble across the car park. Unfortunately this was not the case… We came across a few interesting barns and fields inhabited by cows and more sheep, checking the map for obvious points. Still no luck. Eventually a couple we had briefly met but not spoken to at the crossing walked by. Reluctantly we asked them where we were and it turns out we had come right off track. For the next couple of hours we struggled back up the ankle breaking bridle way, the clumpy gradual slope towards the finger rock. It was tiring, cold and getting dark but we laughed it off. Soon we were back on our way towards the car.

The ending to such a fun and exciting day was probably one of my favourite moments. Clambering down this muddy little track from the car park were a selection of waterfalls all shapes and sizes leading to this hidden opening that was home to the biggest waterfall in the area. We sat, with few words shared, on a rock directly in front of it, the sides of the opening curving around us, enclosing us in this beautiful and peaceful little area.

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A collection of stories from your favourite places to future destinations. Tell us why they are special to you or why you would like to visit them.

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