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Re-awakening the legs and mind on the Camarthenshire Fans

Re-awakening the legs and mind on the Camarthenshire Fans


Postby martinmcc » Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:26 pm

Hewitts included on this walk: Bannau Sir Gaer - Picws Du, Fan Brycheiniog, Fan Hir

Date walked: 29/03/2021

Time taken: 3

Distance: 14.7 km

Ascent: 740m

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After a career move resulted in a relocation from NE Scotland (almost 2 years ago), I found myself underwhelmed by the local offerings in my new home region. I was already familiar with many of the local hills in the Brecon Beacons national park. Subsequently my hillwalking energies deviated to road running, with the occasional forays to some upland routes!

However, with 2020 transpiring as it did and a nasty lower body injury hitting in autumn - the product of overtraining and underdeveloped hips/glutes - the prospect of hitting the hills was once again became an ember waiting to be stoked. As the last weekend of March approached and a change to BST imminent, the Welsh Government finally lifted local restrictions - a little earlier than our easterly neighbours - thus allowing us city-dwellers out to once again explore the green green grasses of the hills, valleys and coastline.

And so with the weather looking favourable for the Saturday and the best of it early on, I decided to hit the hills again after an all too long hiatus. I wanted to reach a route early, still doing my bit for social distancing and all :wave:
Knowing that the highly accessible central Brecon Beacons would be truly overwhelmed by a combination of hill walkers, tourists and police (to deter the temporarily unwelcome disobedients from the east), I decided to explore an unfamiliar area to the West of the national park. With a few pointers from some previous posts on Walk Highlands, I opted to set out to the Camarthenshire Fans, which offered a still modest challenge for my dormant hillwalking legs and some potentially spectacular scenery, as the Welsh tourist board likes to emphasise all too often!


BannaiSirGaerfyrddin_210327.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts


I initially considered a route including the outlier Garreg Las. However, with aforementioned injury niggling, the best of the weather/views around the main ridge and not having a Hewitt-bagging aim, I chose to omit it entirely. It's eminently reachable from the main route but would involve a very intentional out-and-back diversion, adding an additional 5-6km.
track_start.jpg
Gravel Track (left) following the river for 2km

Setting out from home with signs of early dawn emerging, I arrived at the Llyn Fan Fach just after 7am (last day of GMT) with the car reading a perfectly crisp 2.5C and just one overnight VW transporter already in situ in the car park. The occupant sheepishly avoided my gaze, suggesting that they were perhaps somewhere they shouldn't have been! His number plate suggested as much but so did my Scottish plates! How ridiculous we have all become?!

NB. The northern approach and car park (still free at the time of writing) are reached from pretty remote B roads, then a series of severe and tight access roads with a very "bumpy" approach at the end. This end section comprises a series relatively new but extreme road humps (perhaps a farmers doing more than the council), followed by a stretch of rough bumpy track in the immediate approach to to the Llyn Fan Fach car park. This is nothing unusual for those used to the remote Highland and Lakeland access routes but is a vastly different prospect to anyone expecting the Storey Arms and A470 for the tourist-oriented Pen-y-Fan route! :wink:

So, after re-introducing my walking boots to my feet after their long separation, I was finally on foot just after 7.15 with fresh air in the lungs, gentle sounds of nature breaking the crisp silence and some outdoor solitude feeding the soul once again.

The route begins immediately at the back of the Llyn Fan Fach ("hleen van vach" - lake of the small peak) car park on a heavy gravel track following a consistently steady gradient for 2km to the llyn (lake). There is a brief but mandatory deviation from the gravel path to a hill path for 150m or so, designed to take you around a gate and water treatment facility (private land apparently) but immediately the route re-joins the main track thereafter.

The heaviness of the gravel track was unexpected and my legs felt the need to remind me that they weren't used to this :? Thankfully the same track delivers you quickly and directly to Llyn Fan Fach, a destination that would provide a more than adequate adventure for either the less fit (but still able-bodied), families or those simply looking for a high beauty:effort ratio! Once reached, the lake sits under the imposing shadow of the ridge faces above.
Llyn Fan Fach.jpg
Llyn Fan Fach sits in the shadow of the ridge face - Cwar-du-mawr (centre) and Cwar-du-bach (centre-right) are the central prominences, with Picws Du to the east (out of shot left)

For those still looking to ascend, a bifurcation in the path offers the immediate choice of a clockwise (east) or anti-clockwise (west) direction. I had chosen the latter, which gains the ridge line faster and promised the best views for the time of day.

anti-clockwise_llynFanFach.jpg
The anti-clockwise route follows west up a clearly marked path - etched on to the hill on the hill here


With the start of the ridge crested, the ground was pleasingly firm underfoot and part-frozen after an overnight chill with what looked like a dusting of light hail still lying. The views back to the lake offered a some early pleasures as the sun started to rear its head to the east.
Llyn Fan Fach2.jpg
Llyn Fan Fach

From here the going was easy on the firm ground of the ridgeline, still offering the best of the dawn and clear views of the morning ahead.
Bannau Sir Gaer ridge.jpg
The clear path leading to Picws Du / Bannau Sir Gaer (centre)

Rounding the ridge, Picws Du (pic-us dee) quickly comes in to view in all of it's majesty, watching over the rolling hills of mid Wales to the North. It is marked by a small and unassuming cairn set back from it's edge.
Picws Du - Bannau Sir Gaer (2).jpg
Picws Du (749m)

Approaching Picws Du, the wind had started to pick up and although an always-welcome tailwind, it had an unusual bite for these parts. Alas, on went the shell, hat and gloves to keep the wort of it off!

A partially stepped descent then follows to the east, to a bwlch / bealach between Picws Du and Fan Brycheiniog.
bealach.jpg
Bwlch/Bealach between Picws Du and Fan Brycheiniog. A path veering left is the head of the 'clockwise' route from Llyn Fan Fach (and my way down)

It was at this point that I met my first fellow walker of the morning, also wearing a cheery smile as he enjoyed the brisk morning or perhaps he was still revelling Wales clinching of the 6 Nations Rugby Championship the night before, with a little assistance from Scottish cousins of course! :clap:

The path ahead climbs a little more steeply but was a welcome exertion in the chilling wind and aided by the tailwind, the higher ridge of Fan Foel (van voi-el) and Fan Brycheiniog (van bruck-ain-iog) was quickly gained. A couple of lone "hurdles" mentioned in a previous poster's thread still remain. These simply redirect walkers from an eroded collateral path to a maintained one
Picws Du - eastside.jpg
Eastside of Picws Du / Bannau Sir Gaer - a couple of "hurdles" hiding on the left


Once the ridge is gained, the path splits briefly to to the two high points of Fan Foel (781m) [top] and Fan Brycheiniog (802m) [Hewitt]. I chose split right, to continue on to first Fan Brycheiniog (crossing counties from Carmarthenshire into historic Breconshire, now Powys) and the later Fan Hir (760m).

Fan Hir (van-heer) tops out indistinctly on the ridge line with small cairn marking it so is easily reached but very easily missed! Prior to this there is a short but steep descent off Fan Brycheiniog to a bwlch/bealach at Bwlch Giedd (bul-hch gee-eth). It has a steps but these are vertically stacked slabs at about 20 degrees angles - ideal for climbing up but would be more that a little tricky descended in icy or wet conditions. From Fan Hir, I headed back towards Fan Foel (cairn), first stopping at Fan Brycheiniog where there is a trig point, a stone shelter and currently some tonne bags full of shales waiting to be spread.
Fan Brycheiniog.jpg
The 3 S's of Fan Brycheiniog - Shelter, stones (tonne bags) and separatism (slogan painted on the trig point)

The weather was steadily easing and more and more folks were to be seen out on the hills, all wearing the gleeful expressions of children let out to play once again! I retraced my steps back to the bwlch / bealach before Picws Du, picking up the path cutting down hillside, steep for the first 400m with a few hairpin bends before levelling out and tracking gently against the slope of Picws Du.
home_route_pd.jpg

home_route_pd2.jpg.jpeg

From here it's a short and untaxing walk back in to Llyn Fan Fach. It's possible to follow the path directly back to the lake but I deviated right (north) on to a sheep path running back down to the gravel track and the car park, crossing a stream higher up (bridged over) and the main the river over a small ford at the bottom of this path.

Reaching the now full car park I separated my newly reacquainted feet and boots before heading back down the road for a hot bath and the remains on my walking snacks!

So, after reawakening my legs with a rewarding, swift morning in the hills, I sit humbled and reminded that any time spent out there is worthwhile. There are no bad days out in the hills (if safe of course)!
It'll be much the better when we are all welcome there and I hope many of you can be sooner than later.
martinmcc
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Re: Re-awakening the legs and mind on the Camarthenshire Fan

Postby Pointless Parasite » Tue Mar 30, 2021 8:28 am

Nice report :clap: I appreciate the pronounciation guide!
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Re: Re-awakening the legs and mind on the Camarthenshire Fan

Postby martinmcc » Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:46 pm

Thanks. I'm not a Welsh speaker but have a handle on some of the pronunciation!
There are some regional variations however, so I've tried to go by what my west Wales Welsh-speaking friends would say in this instance. Some words would be quite different in Snowdonia for instance!
martinmcc
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Re: Re-awakening the legs and mind on the Camarthenshire Fan

Postby neil684 » Thu Apr 01, 2021 1:33 pm

Great to see a walk in my old stamping ground, many walks over these hills with my previous Old English Sheepdog, Flossie. We always started the other end at Tafarn y Garreg. A great area for long exhilarating walks on high airy places. Thanks for the memory.
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Flossie on Fan Brycheiniog
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