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Pen-y-Fan
Image by: Heinz-Josef Lucking
Its been a long time
since I set foot on Pen y Fan. I can remember the
last occasion and several before that but none so clearly as the time
in 1999 when I arrived early on a glorious summer's day and had the
place, almost, all to myself. If you live in Cardiff or the South Wales
Valleys, the Brecon Beacons are likely to be the place you
will go in
search of solitude or to recharge your spiritual batteries.
Unfortunately solitude is in short supply; the path to the summit of
Pen y Fan is so eroded that it is visible from space in satellite
../images and even in the depths of winter you are likely to run into
military units training in the snow.
So you can imagine my delight on arriving at the summit around 11 a.m one July morning to discover that my only company were a few grazing sheep. Of course their presence was not welcome. They are known amongst hill-walkers and conservationists as "woolly maggots" or "white mountain rats" because of their ability to downgrade and destroy the natural habitat in which they live. But it was a clear day, the weather was fine and the only sign of human activity was a few brightly coloured specks toiling up the path to the summit of Cribyn in the distance.
How to describe the view? In the distance the Carmarthen Fan, Fforest Fawr and the Black Mountains all clearly visible on a fine day, define the Parks' mighty north-facing scarp. To the south, giant whaleback idges recede into the distance, interspersed by valleys dotted with reservoirs. Here and there is a patch of forestry commission..."the serried ranks and regimented rows where nothing grows and nobody goes". As you stand on the plateau of Pen y Fan, to your right and left, are Cribyn and Corn Ddu respectively, a triptych of "mock lunar volcanoes" astride a mighty green wave that threatens to break and drown all mid-wales in a tsunami of sheepdroppings.
I spent several hours alone on the ridge and still recall with fond affection the day when Pen y Fan was all mine. My July morning visit was truly a revelation but to see the Beacons like this , alone and on a fine day, is a rare privilege. Normally if you wish to escape the crowds you need to stray into one of the parks lonelier areas, perhaps Fforrest Fawr or the back of the Carmarthen Fan. But no visit to South Wales is complete without paying ones respects to its highest peak.
Indeed the effort required to do so is not so very great. Starting from the Storey Arms on the A470, a direct assault on the summit should take no more than 3 or 4 hours and will entail a walk of about 4 or 5 miles and 2000 ft of ascent.
Should you require a more strenuous outing, approach the mountain from the south. The route is described in the Anne & John Nuttall guide and involves an 8 and a half mile circuit with 2550 ft of ascent . If we apply the Naismith rule ( 1 hour for every 3 miles and half an hour for every 1000 ft of ascent ) the circuit should take no more than about five hours. Of course you will want to allow time to rest and admire the view.
BACK to "Hiking In Wales"
So you can imagine my delight on arriving at the summit around 11 a.m one July morning to discover that my only company were a few grazing sheep. Of course their presence was not welcome. They are known amongst hill-walkers and conservationists as "woolly maggots" or "white mountain rats" because of their ability to downgrade and destroy the natural habitat in which they live. But it was a clear day, the weather was fine and the only sign of human activity was a few brightly coloured specks toiling up the path to the summit of Cribyn in the distance.
How to describe the view? In the distance the Carmarthen Fan, Fforest Fawr and the Black Mountains all clearly visible on a fine day, define the Parks' mighty north-facing scarp. To the south, giant whaleback idges recede into the distance, interspersed by valleys dotted with reservoirs. Here and there is a patch of forestry commission..."the serried ranks and regimented rows where nothing grows and nobody goes". As you stand on the plateau of Pen y Fan, to your right and left, are Cribyn and Corn Ddu respectively, a triptych of "mock lunar volcanoes" astride a mighty green wave that threatens to break and drown all mid-wales in a tsunami of sheepdroppings.
I spent several hours alone on the ridge and still recall with fond affection the day when Pen y Fan was all mine. My July morning visit was truly a revelation but to see the Beacons like this , alone and on a fine day, is a rare privilege. Normally if you wish to escape the crowds you need to stray into one of the parks lonelier areas, perhaps Fforrest Fawr or the back of the Carmarthen Fan. But no visit to South Wales is complete without paying ones respects to its highest peak.
Indeed the effort required to do so is not so very great. Starting from the Storey Arms on the A470, a direct assault on the summit should take no more than 3 or 4 hours and will entail a walk of about 4 or 5 miles and 2000 ft of ascent.
Should you require a more strenuous outing, approach the mountain from the south. The route is described in the Anne & John Nuttall guide and involves an 8 and a half mile circuit with 2550 ft of ascent . If we apply the Naismith rule ( 1 hour for every 3 miles and half an hour for every 1000 ft of ascent ) the circuit should take no more than about five hours. Of course you will want to allow time to rest and admire the view.
BACK to "Hiking In Wales"
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Wooded hills around Devils Bridge in Mid-Wales
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View
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Another vew of Tryfan
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