Day 17 - Bwlch to Llwyn-y-Celyn
Today was the big ‘un! As we have discovered the Beacons Way is an odd experience. It gives you several days either side of walking the gentle hills elsewhere in the Brecon Beacons National Park but the Beacons themselves, the real stars of the show, get crammed into one day with 8 miles of extra walking just to get to the start of them which makes for a gruelling 18 mile walk with 4000 ft / 1200 metres of climbing. And this was that day.
After breakfast, where we met Ben again, who’d been waiting outside the only cafe in Llangynidr since 7am for it to open, Rory and I bought lunch (not eating chicken I never did find out what “Chicken Llangynidr” consists of). We set off along an overgrown path by the river Usk to a picture perfect old mill that Rory thought would make the perfect little community.
We crossed the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal and climbed a farm road with beautiful views until we came to a farm that appeared to be the place where old Land Rovers came to die. Evidently the farmer buys Land Rovers, runs then into the ground then abandons them all over his farm. We counted 12 wrecked old Landos.
The top of this farm opened up onto a ridge overlooking Talybont Reservoir, with the Beacons in the distance. All of a sudden it changed from being dry to sheet rain, so quickly that even though when I felt the first drop land on me, I took my jacket that was tied around my waist and put it on, by the time the jacket was on I was already soaked. Never seen the rain go from zero to 100 that fast! It was the worse place for it too, as there was no shelter for that whole ridge, and we both got absolutely soaked through! The views were nice though.
From the ridge, the path leads through woodland to a forestry road though a large conifer plantation.
After a long walk through the plantation we reached the far side of the valley, and rising up in front of us was Craig-y-Fan-Ddu, first of the Brecon Beacons we were to climb.
We met Ben again by the waterfall next to one of the Beacons’ car parks. He left to climb the hill and we stopped for lunch by the waterfall. For a brief moment the rain held back and the sun came out and we went to splash in the waterfall. Or rather Rory did and I almost did but then I slipped and twisted my hip and ended up writhing about in pain next to a waterfall.
The ascent of the first Beacon of the day, the entry-level Craig-y-Fan Ddu at 2240 feet, was the toughest climb, a real calf-buster, but from them on you’re atop a high ridge with only shorter climbs to each individual peak. The views were good but betrayed nothing of what was to come. We proceeded along a flat hilltop ridge with steep cliffs on either side, with high winds threatening to blow you over the edge, not that out seemed to bother the sheep.
From the end of the first ridge we could see the main 4 peaks ahead that we were going to climb. The largest, Pen-y-Fan can be seen furthest away to the back-right.
Before we could tackle any of them however we ended up missing the path turning off and ended up following the ridge around to another peak, Bwlch y Ddwyallt (pass of the two wooded hillsides). It added about an hour onto the way but it was wild up there!
Back on the path and we were shortly up the third peak of the day, the wonderfully named Fan-y-Big (beacon of the mountain).
Down from Fan-y-Big can be seen the next peak, Cribyn (little ridge) that is in fact quite a severe looking ridge with a sharp climb either side. It’s the most distinctive looking of the peaks.
And more for the big ‘un, Pen-y-Fan (top of the peak), the tallest peak in South Wales. It was a fair climb to the top but the views took me away - easily some it the finest mountain top views I’ve ever seen, and that was on a grey, rainy day. We met Ben again at the top and after much ado managed to take this selfie in which I’m just about in.
I would like to say here that the views were WAY better and more breathtaking then these photos show. You will have to find out for yourself. Today’s views f were on another level to everything in this trip so far. Much wilder, more ferocious and imposing. I cannot recommend this walk enough!
It want quite over yet though. We had one final peak to climb, Corn Du (the black horn), the second highest of the peaks, just below Pen-y-Fan. The short descent down the ridge then back up to it was easy after what we’d already tackled today. On top is an ancient burial cairn. You can see Pen-y-Fan in the background.
This was the view from the summit looking South-West towards where our path is heading down. We took a right turn at the crossroads down the mountain.
At the bottom we arrived at Storey Arms, a visitor centre named after an old drover’s pub that once stood there. At the car park there a kind lady saw us looking exhausted and offered us a lift a mile or so up the road to the Beacons YHA hostel, situated at Llwyn-y-Celyn. She was a very warm and friendly lady called Angela who lived locally and had the lovliest sing-song Welsh accent I’d yet heard. I'm glad she have us the lift because the last bit was a boring slog up the main road and we just managed to make it in time for dinner at the hostel. In fact it had officially ended but the manager kindly hested us up some leftover veggie stew which was delicious and much needed. We sat in the common room which was very noisy due to a large school group from Surrey who were very well behaved but nonetheless very loud en masse. After a couple of beers in the hostel we went to bed in the 2-bed glamping pod we were occupying in the garden.
