The Skirrid 2010
A distinctive hill at the edge of the Black Mountains.
Located close to Abergavenny, The Skirrid is the outlier of the Black Mountains. It is well known locally due to its distinctive features and prominence, despite being a relatively small hill.
The view from the north (at Llanvihangel Crucorney) clearly shows the landslide that gives The Skirrid its second summit. Incidentally, the official name is Ysgyryd Fawr, but in this almost exclusively English speaking area, the Welsh name is virtually never used, except by those who only see it on the map.
The Sugar Loaf (596 metres), the most distinctive mountain in the area, visible from virtually anywhere else in the Brecon Beacons. However, given the ridiculous heat haze today, it was already becoming difficult to see it from just 5 km away.
Wood Anemone.
Long shadows at the Caer Wood gateway.
Moss taking over the remains of a tree.
View towards Skenfrith and the English border. The hill is Edmund's Tump (423 metres), at the end of the Graig Syfryddin ridge.
What should be a superb panorama of the Black Mountains. On the left is Ysgyryd Fach (270 metres), followed by the southeast branch of the Brecon Beacons disappearing into the haze; The Blorenge (561 metres), Gilwern Hill (441 metres), Mynydd Llangatwg (529 and 530 metres). Then the main expanse of the Black Mountains; Sugar Loaf and Bryn Arw (384 metres) in front, Crug Mawr (550 metres), Pen Twyn Mawr (658 metres), Pen y Gadair Fawr (800 metres), Waun Fach (811 metres), Chwarel y Fan (679 metres) and Hatterrall Hill (531 metres) in the row behind, and finally Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres) and Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres) in the distance. On the right is a false top of The Skirrid.
The real summit (486 metres) and landslide summit (just over 380 metres) of The Skirrid. There are, of course, many legends as to how it was made, including the Devil's footprint made while slipping when throwing stones, a giant's (Jack o'Kent) footprint made while competing with the Devil to measure the heights of mountains, the rock being ripped apart by Jesus' crucifixion, or the result of a lightning strike. (The association with the crucifixion gave this mountain holy status, and the remains of a chapel can be seen at the summit.) It was in fact a landslide produced by the retreat of the last ice age, around 10'000 years ago.
Beaten to the summit.
Down the landslide. The first 50 metres is vertical, followed by about 65 metres of loose or covered scree. The landslide summit rises only about 15 metres above the pass.
Pinnacle on the cliff (with a wonky camera angle).
Standing on the pinnacle.
The steeply sloping path down the northern rim of the landslide.
Support crew demonstrating the steepness of the slope.- View animation.
The landslide face of The Skirrid.
The Devil's Table. He sat here drinking tea, you know.
Top of the landslide summit. Really not that impressive from up here.
Angles.
Mouth of the Honddu, or at least the point where it exits the Black Mountains.
Moss-covered rocks.
Daffodils.
Daffodils.
The view from the north (at Llanvihangel Crucorney) clearly shows the landslide that gives The Skirrid its second summit. Incidentally, the official name is Ysgyryd Fawr, but in this almost exclusively English speaking area, the Welsh name is virtually never used, except by those who only see it on the map.
The Sugar Loaf (596 metres), the most distinctive mountain in the area, visible from virtually anywhere else in the Brecon Beacons. However, given the ridiculous heat haze today, it was already becoming difficult to see it from just 5 km away.
Wood Anemone.
Long shadows at the Caer Wood gateway.
Moss taking over the remains of a tree.
View towards Skenfrith and the English border. The hill is Edmund's Tump (423 metres), at the end of the Graig Syfryddin ridge.
What should be a superb panorama of the Black Mountains. On the left is Ysgyryd Fach (270 metres), followed by the southeast branch of the Brecon Beacons disappearing into the haze; The Blorenge (561 metres), Gilwern Hill (441 metres), Mynydd Llangatwg (529 and 530 metres). Then the main expanse of the Black Mountains; Sugar Loaf and Bryn Arw (384 metres) in front, Crug Mawr (550 metres), Pen Twyn Mawr (658 metres), Pen y Gadair Fawr (800 metres), Waun Fach (811 metres), Chwarel y Fan (679 metres) and Hatterrall Hill (531 metres) in the row behind, and finally Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres) and Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres) in the distance. On the right is a false top of The Skirrid.
The real summit (486 metres) and landslide summit (just over 380 metres) of The Skirrid. There are, of course, many legends as to how it was made, including the Devil's footprint made while slipping when throwing stones, a giant's (Jack o'Kent) footprint made while competing with the Devil to measure the heights of mountains, the rock being ripped apart by Jesus' crucifixion, or the result of a lightning strike. (The association with the crucifixion gave this mountain holy status, and the remains of a chapel can be seen at the summit.) It was in fact a landslide produced by the retreat of the last ice age, around 10'000 years ago.
Beaten to the summit.
Down the landslide. The first 50 metres is vertical, followed by about 65 metres of loose or covered scree. The landslide summit rises only about 15 metres above the pass.
Pinnacle on the cliff (with a wonky camera angle).
Standing on the pinnacle.
The steeply sloping path down the northern rim of the landslide.
Support crew demonstrating the steepness of the slope.
The landslide face of The Skirrid.
The Devil's Table. He sat here drinking tea, you know.
Top of the landslide summit. Really not that impressive from up here.
Angles.
Mouth of the Honddu, or at least the point where it exits the Black Mountains.
Moss-covered rocks.
Daffodils.
Daffodils.