Brecon Beacons Snow Tour 2009
A circuit covering most of the national park.
With the heavy snowfall (upto 30 cm - is that heavy?) still lasting on the higher ground, the Brecon Beacons were just as I remember from my childhood. Another chance to visit ... well ... all of it, and get the pictures I never found the need to take when I lived there. A great way to see out the end of the decade. Pictures are shown out of sequence, in order to give a logical progression through the mountain ranges.
Mynydd Twyn-glas (472 metres) above Cwmbran.
The Folly Tower, around 250 years old, at the bottom end of the national park, above Trevethin.
Beautiful snow cap and light on the Sugar Loaf (596 metres), at the southern end of the Black Mountains.
The Blorenge (561 metres), at the edge of the southeastern branch of the Brecon Beacons, with its distinctive face.
The way I remember the Brecon Beacons in winter, and a view very similar to that from my bedroom, but seen here from The Blorenge, at a similar altitude to my old house, just under 350 metres. From left to right are; Gilwern Hill (441 metres) and Mynydd Llangatwg (529 metres and 530 metres) in the southeast Brecon Beacons, then the Black Mountains of Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres), Waun Fach (811 metres), Pen y Gadair Fawr (800 metres), Pen Twyn Mawr (658 metres) and the Sugar Loaf. The valley that is (as usual) free from snow is the Usk Valley, separating the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains ranges, and containing most of the towns in the national park.
Dodge this! As often happens here, the higher roads are not cleared of the snow. This is the B4246, and has been partly cleared, but the smaller roads have not. The smaller roads are under 30 cm of snow, and since nobody here has snow tyres or chains, many residents cannot drive. We often had to call in to the school to say we were snowed in, and they would argue that there was no snow ... down in the valleys. More than once we had to abandon the car when exceptionally heavy snow fell within the space of a few minutes. Once we were snowed out and had to walk over the mountain in a near-blizzard to get back to habitation. And live in a shoe box, eat freezing cold gravel for nutrition, and lick the road clean with our tongues.
The Skirrid (486 metres) and its characteristic landslide secondary peak.
Patterns on the Keeper's Pond, near the top of the Blorenge. The Blorenge summit is on the right, and the brightly lit mountain on the left is the Sugar Loaf again.
Mynydd Llangatwg Escarpment, seen from near Crickhowell.
Tor y Foel (551 metres), at the boundary between the main Brecon Beacons, and the southeast Brecon Beacons.
Crickhowell, site of my old school (well below the snow line). The mountain is Pen Cerrig-calch, a good place to take a bottle of wine for those few free hours during the school day.
The tiny and steeply sloping Table Mountain (about 450 metres), on the side of Pen Cerrig-calch.
The ridges of Y Grîb and Pen Trimau, leading up to Waun Fach in the Black Mountains.
Panorama of the western ridge of the Black Mountains; Pen Trumau ridge and Waun Fach, Mynydd Llysiau (663 metres), Pen Twyn Glas (646 metres), Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres) and its obviously pointed Pen Gloch-y-pibwr ridge, and Pen Cerrig-calch.
Pen Allt-mawr.
Mynydd Llysiau.
Y Dâs, the first of the big northern buttresses of the Black Mountains.
Mynydd Troed (609 metres), an outlier of the main Black Mountains.
Northern buttresses of the Black Mountains; Hay Bluff (677 metres), Lord Hereford's Knob (690 metres), Rhos Dirion (713 metres) and Y Dâs. Behind them are Waun Fach and its Y Grîb and Pen Trumau ridges, Mynydd Llysiau and Pen Allt-mawr. Finally, on the right, is Mynydd Troed.
Tor y Foel, Allt Lwyd (654 metres) and Waun Rydd (769 metres), finally at the edge of the main Brecon Beacons.
Allt Lwyd.
Panorama of the main Brecon Beacons, with their snow covered tops almost fading into the clouds in the evening light. Left to right; Waun Rydd, Gwaun Cerrig Llwydion (754 metres), Fan y Bîg (719 metres), Cribyn (795 metres) and Pen y Fan (886 metres).
Sennybridge, in front of the last ridge of Fforest Fawr.
Fan Bwlch Chwyth (603 metres), the edge of the last Fforest Fawr ridge.
The superb scarp of Fan Gyhirych (725 metres), second largest mountain in Fforest Fawr.
Cwm Crai and the Cray Reservoir.
The Black Mountain in white on white with white; Cefn Cil (562 metres - actually part of Fforest Fawr), Fan Hir (761 metres), Fan Brycheiniog (802 metres) and Moel Feity (591 metres).
Top of the Tywynni Valley, looking into the Tawe Valley. The valley had somehow managed to completely escape the snow, despite everywhere else around it being completely blanketed. It was left bizzarely plain and undecorated, feeling quite out of place.
Tower and near-sunset at Bwlch Bryn-rhudd.
Dying light.
Mynydd Twyn-glas (472 metres) above Cwmbran.
The Folly Tower, around 250 years old, at the bottom end of the national park, above Trevethin.
Beautiful snow cap and light on the Sugar Loaf (596 metres), at the southern end of the Black Mountains.
The Blorenge (561 metres), at the edge of the southeastern branch of the Brecon Beacons, with its distinctive face.
The way I remember the Brecon Beacons in winter, and a view very similar to that from my bedroom, but seen here from The Blorenge, at a similar altitude to my old house, just under 350 metres. From left to right are; Gilwern Hill (441 metres) and Mynydd Llangatwg (529 metres and 530 metres) in the southeast Brecon Beacons, then the Black Mountains of Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres), Waun Fach (811 metres), Pen y Gadair Fawr (800 metres), Pen Twyn Mawr (658 metres) and the Sugar Loaf. The valley that is (as usual) free from snow is the Usk Valley, separating the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains ranges, and containing most of the towns in the national park.
Dodge this! As often happens here, the higher roads are not cleared of the snow. This is the B4246, and has been partly cleared, but the smaller roads have not. The smaller roads are under 30 cm of snow, and since nobody here has snow tyres or chains, many residents cannot drive. We often had to call in to the school to say we were snowed in, and they would argue that there was no snow ... down in the valleys. More than once we had to abandon the car when exceptionally heavy snow fell within the space of a few minutes. Once we were snowed out and had to walk over the mountain in a near-blizzard to get back to habitation. And live in a shoe box, eat freezing cold gravel for nutrition, and lick the road clean with our tongues.
The Skirrid (486 metres) and its characteristic landslide secondary peak.
Patterns on the Keeper's Pond, near the top of the Blorenge. The Blorenge summit is on the right, and the brightly lit mountain on the left is the Sugar Loaf again.
Mynydd Llangatwg Escarpment, seen from near Crickhowell.
Tor y Foel (551 metres), at the boundary between the main Brecon Beacons, and the southeast Brecon Beacons.
Crickhowell, site of my old school (well below the snow line). The mountain is Pen Cerrig-calch, a good place to take a bottle of wine for those few free hours during the school day.
The tiny and steeply sloping Table Mountain (about 450 metres), on the side of Pen Cerrig-calch.
The ridges of Y Grîb and Pen Trimau, leading up to Waun Fach in the Black Mountains.
Panorama of the western ridge of the Black Mountains; Pen Trumau ridge and Waun Fach, Mynydd Llysiau (663 metres), Pen Twyn Glas (646 metres), Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres) and its obviously pointed Pen Gloch-y-pibwr ridge, and Pen Cerrig-calch.
Pen Allt-mawr.
Mynydd Llysiau.
Y Dâs, the first of the big northern buttresses of the Black Mountains.
Mynydd Troed (609 metres), an outlier of the main Black Mountains.
Northern buttresses of the Black Mountains; Hay Bluff (677 metres), Lord Hereford's Knob (690 metres), Rhos Dirion (713 metres) and Y Dâs. Behind them are Waun Fach and its Y Grîb and Pen Trumau ridges, Mynydd Llysiau and Pen Allt-mawr. Finally, on the right, is Mynydd Troed.
Tor y Foel, Allt Lwyd (654 metres) and Waun Rydd (769 metres), finally at the edge of the main Brecon Beacons.
Allt Lwyd.
Panorama of the main Brecon Beacons, with their snow covered tops almost fading into the clouds in the evening light. Left to right; Waun Rydd, Gwaun Cerrig Llwydion (754 metres), Fan y Bîg (719 metres), Cribyn (795 metres) and Pen y Fan (886 metres).
Sennybridge, in front of the last ridge of Fforest Fawr.
Fan Bwlch Chwyth (603 metres), the edge of the last Fforest Fawr ridge.
The superb scarp of Fan Gyhirych (725 metres), second largest mountain in Fforest Fawr.
Cwm Crai and the Cray Reservoir.
The Black Mountain in white on white with white; Cefn Cil (562 metres - actually part of Fforest Fawr), Fan Hir (761 metres), Fan Brycheiniog (802 metres) and Moel Feity (591 metres).
Top of the Tywynni Valley, looking into the Tawe Valley. The valley had somehow managed to completely escape the snow, despite everywhere else around it being completely blanketed. It was left bizzarely plain and undecorated, feeling quite out of place.
Tower and near-sunset at Bwlch Bryn-rhudd.
Dying light.