Black Mountains, Wales – Mini-METHS July 8-12, 2008
Participants: Michael and Bridie Macklin, Brian (Air Malawi's Last
Hope) and Jane Sayers, David (Harriruo) and Judy Harrison, Steven (Ballcrusher)
and Pauline Ward, David (Shooting Stick) Leishman, Ian (Mad Axeman) Mason, Peter Up the Down) and Antonia
Tolhurst (12)
Based
at Llangattock, near Crickhowell on the River Usk. Leaders: Peter and Antonia Tolhurst.
Day One: The wet weather front crossing the UK that day certainly did its worst
in Wales: we climbed the first peak,
Sugar Loaf (596 m) in the rain and cloud, got to the summit in the rain and
cloud and descended accompanied by rain and cloud. Views minimal. Over lunch at the Sugar Loaf winery, happily
placed at the base of the mountain, we sampled Welsh wine and warm drinks, then
the leader asked everyone else who wanted to do the second half of the day's
programme, the ascent of the Skirrid.
There were no takers ..... so instead we had an afternoon of 'freetime'
- some went here, some went there, a larger group going to visit Tretower
Court, a fine fortified Manor house of the late Middle Ages - it did provide
shelter from the rain!!
Day Two: A somewhat drier day, but still wild and windy. The two peaks for this day were Pen
Cerrig-Calch (701 m) and Alt-Mawr (719 m).
The first of these was to be seen from our front door at Llangattock and
rose up alongside Crug Howell or 'Table Mountain', from which the little town
Crickhowell gets its name. This was
another fierce wind day with occasional glimpses down through the cloud to
patches of sunlit fields and hedgerows.
Some views finally but against the wind which luckily blew uphill and
therefore did not attempt to blow us off the peaks. Peaks is a bit of a misnomer in some cases
since the massif simply swelled up to its highest point. We came down into warm friendly Welsh
sunshine below a few hundred metres.
Day Three: The finale - up to the highest point in the Black Mountains - Waun Fach
(811 m) - a grotesque summit in being a lump of rock in an enclosed sea of
black mud. This was the day that proved
the benefit of having done a recce in May.
Surrounded in cloud in a featureless landscape we were able to follow
the line of black mud and open pools to get where we wanted to - with the
necessity of pool hopping and tracing a way through the mires. We finally ate our late lunch on the side of
Pen y Gadair-Fawr (800 m), which does present a peak-like summit. Here one is at the heart of the Black
Mountains - not so popular as the more accessible Brecon Beacons nearby and
therefore less visited. By day 3 we were
down to 5 walkers but a merry bunch to boot.
In conclusion this was a cheerful
meet with a new face (David Leishman) and many old ones, ourselves included,
involved. We hope to meet again next
year when we attempt the northern escarpments of the Black Mountains: we will be based at Hay on Wye. All details for that when we have done the
recce sometime next April/May.
©
WDYFO, 2008