Mixed weather on the Brecon Beacons

[ilovescotty]

My sister was back from university for the weekend, and being one of the few people I know who enjoys the outdoors like I do, we set off good and early for the Beacons.

Upon our arrival at the car park, we set off under blue, almost cloudless skies.

Crossing the wooden bridge at the foot of the hills, with the snow dusted peak of Corn Du in clear sight, I was excited at the thought of the views which we would surely be rewarded with at the top. Unfortunately the weather changed very quickly, and by the time we were halfway up our first beacon, we were at the mercy of a sheet of grey cloud.

I turned around around to see another grand looking hill (I am not sure of its name) shrouded in mist.

Upon reaching the top, the temperature dropped quite drastically. I went from being red faced, wheezing and sweaty to shivering and numb fingered in seconds. I fumbled desperately in my pack for a jacket which I had foolishly shoved right to the bottom.

As we stood on the ridge between Corn Du and Pen Y Fan, we were treated to views of a smokey reservoir, and the beams of sunlight which began to poke through made the whole scene even more picturesque.

We pressed on, taking in fine views from the summits of Corn Du and Pen Y Fan along the way. In my opinion, a view on a misty day can be just as rewarding as one on a perfectly clear day.

As we descended from Pen Y Fan and headed towards Cribyn, the clouds began to fade, and soon we were enjoying some glorious sunshine.

Cribyn is my favorite mountain in the Beacons in terms of aesthetics. A dramatic sweeping dune; falling steeply away to one side, and gently sloping to the other, its a really distinctive and attractive peak.

Despite being relatively modest in height, it still presented a challenge after an uncomfortable stumble down from Pen Y Fan.

I took the opportunity to get a good snap before the remaining mist cleared.

At the top of Cribyn, I managed to get some good pics of the remaining peaks, before our laziness and general lack of thigh strength forced us to turn back, exhausted.

An excellent day, and just one of many that I plan to have in these hills.

[larry groo]

Great report and pics...

These are wonderful hills and underrated by some.

I think the unknown hill in your 2nd pic is Fan Y Big.

Fan Frynych and Fan Fawr are another 2 great hills to check out.

Also the bunkhouse in Talybont is great, nextdoor to a pub too and a lovely canal walk.

We won a meat raffle there one evening!! Happy days.

Hope you find more fun in the Beacons.

[The Rodmiester]

Some nice photographs there, I agree with you re the conditions and photographs, somehow they can be much more dramatic with a bit of low cloud swirling about. It looked cold up top, but glad you got some nice views, the hills look a wee bit similar to the Ochils in Fife, maybe a bit higher, but loads of well trodden paths to the various summits. Never been myself though, maybe someday when I'm visiting my daughter.

[ChrisW]

before our laziness and general lack of thigh strength forced us to turn back,

This had me laughing so much, it reminded me of myself Really enjoyed this report