This week (in September) we were fortunate to have flexible working hours, so we could make the most of a good weather forecast, and head to the hills. Our intention was to climb Waun Fach, the highest peak in the Black Mountains at 811 m / 2661 ft, which also makes it the second highest mountain in southern Britain, south of Snowdonia. (The highest being Pen y Fan). This was also the first outing of our new Deuter rucksacks!!! After leaving the pub car park in Pengenffordd (there is an 'honesty box' provided by pub - donations to charity) we made the quickly steep ascent to Castell Dinas, the ruins of an old Norman castle, then descended to a col with a small stream at the foot of Y Grib - known by some as the 'Dragon's Back'. When you see it, it is immediately apparent why the ridge bears this name. Glorious sunshine and short dry grass made the climb of the spine very enjoyable. As we made our way up each incline and plateau, the view grew ever more panoramic. By the time we reached a tall conical cairn, we could see the Camarthan Fans, the peaks of Fforest Fawr and summits and ridges of the Central Beacons. As we continued our way to the summit, we a paused to enjoy the antics of some Welsh hill ponies, who also seemed to be making the most of the summer sunshine. When we reached the cairn at Pen y Manllwyn, we had a great view of Hay Bluff and Twmpa (Lord Hereford's Knob) and also the Malvern Hills in the distance. It was so clear that we could also see Brown Clee and the Wrekin in Shropshire. As we had been warned, the summit view itself is slightly disappointing. However, there was much evidence of land conservation work taking place - presumably to stop peat erosion. At the sad remains of a trig point we made the decision to deviate from the recommended route and head along the well-maintained path to the summit of Pen y Gadair Fawr. The extra mile was definitely worth the effort. Great views of the Sugar Loaf, Skirrid, the Blorenge and Abergavenny. We made the return journey to Waun Fach, as the sinking sun created dramatic shadows on the eastern faces of the mountains. The descent was well-marked with awesome views of Crug Mawr, Pen Allt-mawr and Pen Cerrig-calch to the south. On reaching the final cairn at Y Trumau, the sun sank behind Mynydd Troed and cast the valley in shadow. We followed the route back to the car park, knowing that we would return to climb some of the peaks we had view but not yet walked. Working on the weekend was definitely a small price to pay for such a beautiful day! Learned and Affirmed
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AuthorWe are Lynne and Andrew from Single Steps Learning. Our love of learning and exploring has inspired us to take up 'hill-walking'. We hope to progress from novice to expert! This is our journey. Archives
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