Travelling again today and this time to the Brecon Beacons, somewhere I haven’t been for a while. Last time I went up Pen y Fan it was with two friends / colleagues from school and we also camped for two nights near Brecon. We did use the rather basic route up from the Storey Arms!
There is a group of us today – two men plus Boo, who has walked a lot in the past but not for a while, Betty who hasn’t ever walked up a mountain, Steve leading and myself. Having driven through Brecon itself we enter a maze of small roads and eventually come to an idyllic spot with some flat parking space next to a small river, north of the mountain range. Some people have started arriving and pitching tents for the bank holiday weekend.
To begin with it is quite a grassy track next to a pleasant stream but very soon our destination is apparent Corn Du and then further to the left Pen y Fan, two very distinct shaped mountains.
Once again we are really lucky with the weather and although I have put on my gillet, I don’t think I will need it for long. We come to a small gathering of buildings -Cwm -llwch and the path moves slightly up the hill on our right hand side. This is a superb example of a glacial valley and one which has many small streams starting on the hillside and leading down to the small river. Our destination has become even clearer and it does seem quite a long way off.
This is the first actual mountain I’ve climbed in the UK for several years and I do feel a sense of anticipation and excitement. Getting a little closer we veer off to our right to visit some World War 2 targets – planes would have swooped up the valley, taken aim and then gained height as they disappeared over the mountain range.
Our first stopping point was the lake Llyn Cwm Llwch, a great place for a quick snack and to view our future climb!
Huge numbers of tadpoles, clumps of black squirming bodies! Steve had already said he’d never swim in the lake because of leeches. As we arrived somebody was drying themselves off having been in and then whilst looking at tadpoles I spotted a leech – great excitement. A bit of a discussion about how or why they were / are used for medical reasons and it’s time for the next chunk of walking.
There are various ways up to the main path above our heads – it was a bit of a diversion to the lake but surely most would visit it! Steve decided he will lead Betty up first and asks me to lead the others up in five minutes. To my surprise he takes her up an exposed grassy slope, quite steep and I can see that she is very reluctant – she doesn’t like edges or heights very much- brave to climb a mountain for the first time at 73!
I decide on a route which is in slightly more of a shallow gully and has a bit of a dog leg in it which doesn’t create such a feeling of exposure. I haven’t used my skills of leading in mountains for many years but even when buried deep it is amazing that those things once learnt don’t actually go away. We meet the other two just as the path begins to curve round as it follows the ever steepening contours of the mountainside. Steve helps Betty up some steep rock steps and I’m pleased that my old agility in such situations is beginning to return.
Betty is not totally feeling it and as I’m walking beside her we set goals for the next short sections and before too long we are at the obelisk which marks the sad death of a little boy Tom Jones who went out looking for his dad and was lost for several days.
It’s quite a long haul up to the top of Corn Du which has a very flat top and although it is a wide path there is a very steep drop on our left which descends into the rounded head of the valley which we have ascended through. No pictures of this section must be something to do with the effort needed to actually climb the hill ! We have been out for over three hours at this point, although we did stop at the lake – I really would like my lunch but know I should do most of the climb first!
A good view back as we tackle the last stretch to our destination. Some wild horses to cheer us on our way.
The two men have reached the craggy outcrop below the summit and are waiting. I put in a plea to eat!!! And we all stop for lunch, we can see several other paths leading up to this ridge and there are several people ascending and a few going back to their cars parked below.
Standing on the top, which is remarkably warm the next peak in the range reveals itself – Cribyn.
I reflected on the only time I have had to make the decision to turn back due to the weather. Leading a group of 14-17 year olds We had come up the valley passed Cribyn and were due to do that first before the other main peaks and go back down the other side and swop minibuses, with a second group. There was some snow on the ground and it was beginning to snow more, we from our direction had the steepest and most difficult ascent to do first. I had to decide that it wasn’t possible and explain to my group why, and then descend and find a way round the bottom of the mountain to the bus. It’s such a pity the mobile phone hadn’t been invented – absolutely no way of letting the other group know what we had done!!
So refreshed, from our sandwiches, at last we take a few photos on the top and then set of along the ridge on the northern side of the peak. This is quite steep and rocky and whilst I didn’t need my poles on the way up I have decided that slipping on the way down is not a luxury I can afford myself. Pleased I made the choice. But before leaving just a little proof that I was there!
The ridge called Cefn Cwm Llwch is long and forms the side of this glacial scoop. I mistakenly think that we are are going to walk along it until we reach a slight dip and change of gradient but no !
Almost as soon as we have negotiated the rocky section and can start to stride out and relax we are taken straight off the side and down a very steep grassy slope. Well grass littered with a few rocks. Daunting not just because of it’s steepness but because we go down nearly 400 metres without any features. We just have a chance to look back and see what we have just come down before we set off.
I had been looking forward to striding out a bit! The two men set off and Boo was okay – reliving some of her youthful adventures. In my estimation this was a tough task for Betty so I indicated to Steve that I’d stay with her. Not a place to be left behind at the back the first time you’d climbed a mountain. Steve would have stayed but I could see he also wanted to make sure the two in front were okay.
Well Betty only slipped and rolled a couple of turns down the hill once. Nothing apparently hurt – she did have a very big jacket on which she had refused to take off – overheating can cause difficulties as well as being too cold! After a pause for breath and a couple of small stream crossings we reached the valley bottom.
I quite enjoyed the descent but personally would have gone a little further along the ridge even if it meant doubling back a bit.
After a short climb up the other side of this valley we meet the main path at the point we diverted to see the targets and all that is left for us to do is to head along this valley bottom and return to the van.
More campers settling in since this morning, some interesting designs of sleeping accommodation – a van with what looked like a tent on it’s roof?
Two young children come down a slope from there tent above and go towards the stream which is quite wide at this point. The little girl about six, turns back but her toddler brother continues and gets closer and closer to the water and tangled tree roots. I can’t help myself, I have to turn back a bit and call out to ask him if his mummy or daddy know he is here. No he says! I call up the hill and shout, the ‘dad’ says thank you and the ‘big sister’ is quickly dispatch to continue her supervision, which they clearly thought she was doing all along. I couldn’t just ignore the situation. And then we were back at the van!
A great days walking – pleased I coped with the up hill as well as I did – getting fitter. Reconfirmed I really do like being out on mountains. Not a huge distance 8. 69 km and we were out for 5 hours and 50 minutes which did include three breaks.
Marion's 50 Walk Challenge 