Llangatwg 2009
A short walk around the Mynydd Llangatwg Escarpment ... or the Mynydd Llangattock Escarpment, for those who can pronounce y, dd and Ll, but not wg.
This flat-topped moorland is well known by cavers, as it contains many of the longest cave systems in Wales. During the industrial revolution, the natural glacial escarpment was quarried for its limestone, and the remaining decaying tram roads provide a nice gentle walk, beside steep slopes, and under the towering cliffs. There is a public car park near Ogof Daren Cilau at the Darren cliffs, but parking there is risky, as your car may well be broken into. We started from the tram road at the caving club building nearby at Pant-y-rhiw, but note that a minority of other residents at the start of the tram road do not welcome visitors to the area. Only cavers and affiliate members have permission to park at the caving club building.
Rainbow with the Sugar Loaf (596 metres) in the Black Mountains.
Huge panorama of the southern Black Mountains. On the left are the edges of Mynydd Llangatwg (530 metres and 529 metres), Mynydd Llangynidr (557 metres) and Tor y Foel (551 metres) in the Brecon Beacons. Then the hills of Mynydd Llangorse (515 metres) and Mynydd Troed (609 metres), the mountains of Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres) and Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres), with the characteristic pimple of Table Mountain (451) on its right shoulder. Then in the stormy background are Crug Mawr (550 metres) and Hatterall Hill (531 metres), followed by the obvious peak of the Sugar Loaf, with The Skirrid (486 metres) peering over its right side.
The tram road remains level, reaching the tall escarpment, and eventually, a path up to the left leading between quarries to Eglwys Faen's Waterfall Entrance. And guess what...
Yep, it may be dribbly, but it is a waterfall, and it has the cave entrance behind it. Not as romantic as you might hope for with a cave behind a waterfall, but it doesn't actually happen very often, so enjoy it as it is. For cavers, there is nearly 1.5 km of cave network behind here, with a large number of alternative entrances.
Taken from the cave behind the waterfall. Photographer's note; This is quite hard to photograph, as even after the torrential rain, there is not much flow, and the water almost disappears into the background. The picture was made from three separate layered photographs (extra layers set to 'darken' blending so that only the drops would show through to the base layer), with modified contrast to see the larger water droplets from each of them and the detail in the cave, while retaining the original menacing sky. This also avoids the hideous halo/aura and comic-like colours that HDR-lovers often produce. Note to purists; you already looked at a panorama stitched from 8 photographs. Get over it.
Cwm Onneu Fach, the valley draining the area in front of the escarpment.
The tallest part of the Llangatwg Escarpment, rising 140 metres above the tram road, and about 215 metres above the valley bottom. The crags at the bottom have been relatively lightly quarried, while all upper crags are natural. Though normally something that would destroy caves, the quarries here are reponsible for exposing the entrace passages into these caves. Agen Allwedd, for example, was uncovered by the quarry in the middle of this picture.
Tumbling stream falling from the tallest part, barely a trickle in low flow.
Wet common haws. Seriously, that's their name.
Inverted tree in drip.
Lichen on a hawthorn.
Drowning in a sea of lichens.
Clouds clawing at the Sugar Loaf.
Orange mushrooms.
Not far past Eglwys Faen, we take a path down to the right, then left at a split, into the eerie trees of the Craig y Cilau Nature Reserve. The black and white picture captures the atmosphere perfectly.
Life among the scree.
As we reach the last clear patch before the path descends to the boggy start of the stream at Waun Ddu, we double back to the right, picking up a path running along the edge of a fence.
Forest below the cliffs.
Black fungus.
Below the escarpment. When the path splits, with a route to the left crossing the stream, we continued ahead, remaining on the right bank.
Eastern part of the escarpment, where the quarrying is more obvious.
A gap in the wall.
The stream then picks up a rapid pace, rushing down a constant series of torrents as it drops around 100 metres.
Torrents. When it charges into a narrower section, there is apparently a shortcut branching off to the right, but we didn't see it.
We continued down beside the stream until it stopped its steep descent, from where the path continued fairly level, moving away from the stream.
Trees in Cwm Onneu Fach.
At a junction with a very steep tram road, we turned right, and began the steep climb back up.
Glowing clouds signalling the impending sunset. The escarpment is so high that the village of Llangattock rarely sees sunlight after 4:00 PM in summer, despite being nearly 3 km away.
Half way up the tram roads is a junction in the lines (where the shortcut returns), where there is this rewarding view of autumn.
Upper part of the tram road, leading back up to the upper level.
Red mushrooms at night.
Rainbow with the Sugar Loaf (596 metres) in the Black Mountains.
Huge panorama of the southern Black Mountains. On the left are the edges of Mynydd Llangatwg (530 metres and 529 metres), Mynydd Llangynidr (557 metres) and Tor y Foel (551 metres) in the Brecon Beacons. Then the hills of Mynydd Llangorse (515 metres) and Mynydd Troed (609 metres), the mountains of Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres) and Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres), with the characteristic pimple of Table Mountain (451) on its right shoulder. Then in the stormy background are Crug Mawr (550 metres) and Hatterall Hill (531 metres), followed by the obvious peak of the Sugar Loaf, with The Skirrid (486 metres) peering over its right side.
The tram road remains level, reaching the tall escarpment, and eventually, a path up to the left leading between quarries to Eglwys Faen's Waterfall Entrance. And guess what...
Yep, it may be dribbly, but it is a waterfall, and it has the cave entrance behind it. Not as romantic as you might hope for with a cave behind a waterfall, but it doesn't actually happen very often, so enjoy it as it is. For cavers, there is nearly 1.5 km of cave network behind here, with a large number of alternative entrances.
Taken from the cave behind the waterfall. Photographer's note; This is quite hard to photograph, as even after the torrential rain, there is not much flow, and the water almost disappears into the background. The picture was made from three separate layered photographs (extra layers set to 'darken' blending so that only the drops would show through to the base layer), with modified contrast to see the larger water droplets from each of them and the detail in the cave, while retaining the original menacing sky. This also avoids the hideous halo/aura and comic-like colours that HDR-lovers often produce. Note to purists; you already looked at a panorama stitched from 8 photographs. Get over it.
Cwm Onneu Fach, the valley draining the area in front of the escarpment.
The tallest part of the Llangatwg Escarpment, rising 140 metres above the tram road, and about 215 metres above the valley bottom. The crags at the bottom have been relatively lightly quarried, while all upper crags are natural. Though normally something that would destroy caves, the quarries here are reponsible for exposing the entrace passages into these caves. Agen Allwedd, for example, was uncovered by the quarry in the middle of this picture.
Tumbling stream falling from the tallest part, barely a trickle in low flow.
Wet common haws. Seriously, that's their name.
Inverted tree in drip.
Lichen on a hawthorn.
Drowning in a sea of lichens.
Clouds clawing at the Sugar Loaf.
Orange mushrooms.
Not far past Eglwys Faen, we take a path down to the right, then left at a split, into the eerie trees of the Craig y Cilau Nature Reserve. The black and white picture captures the atmosphere perfectly.
Life among the scree.
As we reach the last clear patch before the path descends to the boggy start of the stream at Waun Ddu, we double back to the right, picking up a path running along the edge of a fence.
Forest below the cliffs.
Black fungus.
Below the escarpment. When the path splits, with a route to the left crossing the stream, we continued ahead, remaining on the right bank.
Eastern part of the escarpment, where the quarrying is more obvious.
A gap in the wall.
The stream then picks up a rapid pace, rushing down a constant series of torrents as it drops around 100 metres.
Torrents. When it charges into a narrower section, there is apparently a shortcut branching off to the right, but we didn't see it.
We continued down beside the stream until it stopped its steep descent, from where the path continued fairly level, moving away from the stream.
Trees in Cwm Onneu Fach.
At a junction with a very steep tram road, we turned right, and began the steep climb back up.
Glowing clouds signalling the impending sunset. The escarpment is so high that the village of Llangattock rarely sees sunlight after 4:00 PM in summer, despite being nearly 3 km away.
Half way up the tram roads is a junction in the lines (where the shortcut returns), where there is this rewarding view of autumn.
Upper part of the tram road, leading back up to the upper level.
Red mushrooms at night.