Weather forecast was good yesterday - bright clear sunshine
in South Wales, temp 27 degrees, cold front to the north
moving south but not expected to arrive until evening at
least. I decided to make an early start to avoid the worst
of the midday heat. I'd hoped to get going at 5am but was a
bit late. I didn't start the walk until 6:20pm. It was
pleasantly sunny and the sky was completely clear. In
anticipation of another swelteringly hot day I just wore t-
shirt and shorts.
From Glyntawe I decided to follow the Afon Haffes, to see if
that would provide an easier ascent route onto Fan Hir. The
bouldery valley was quite overgrown with bushes and the
path, such as it was, wasn't at all obvious. A quick sting
from some nettles reminded me to pay more attention to what
I was walking through. A very scenic valley, but not easy
walking. Unfortunately I was walking in shade since the sun
wasn't very high yet.
As I got higher up the valley a chilly breeze from the NW
swept down it. I hoped that it would be less of a nuisance
as the day warmed up. At SN834175 I followed a small stream
north out of the valley and into the sunshine. The breeze
got even stronger as I emerged from the valley, it felt
stronger than the 15mph forecast and the sunshine was too
cool to compensate.
I then headed vaguely north through reeds and then deep
grass. Much of it was slightly damp underfoot. Not a problem
during this dry period but I imagine it would be quite boggy
at other times of year. The thick grass wasn't as bad as
tussock grass can be but it was harder going than I would
have liked. There was a decent view over to Twynwalter, Sgwd
Ddu and Carreg Goch, but it wasn't the easier ascent that
I'd hoped for. I'd have preferred a steeper ascent over
better ground.
Cwm Haffes showing Sgwd Ddu with Carreg Goch in background.
wildwales.fsnet.co.uksgwd ddu.jpgOpen ↗
In retrospect, just before the gate at the entrance to the
Haffes I noticed a stile on the right leading into a few
fields. From there a northerly route would take you
straight up to Allt Fach. I had a good look at these fields
on the way back and they seem to offer a much easier
ascent. There are only a couple of small fields before
passing through a small patch of newly planted forestry
onto the open hill. The fields are laying idle and the
walking looks easy. The ground next to the stile is a bit
overgrown but you could avoid that by entering the fields
at the gate at SN843167. The farm has a "Walkers Welcome"
sign on one of the stiles so I doubt they'd object. Looks
the best route onto Fan Hir IMO.
Anyway, I reached the edge of the escarpment at 7:51am. The
light was good so I proceeded to take a number of
photographs of Fan Hir from the edge. Pen y Fan and even the
Black Mountains beyond were extremely clear in the crisp
light. The chilly wind was getting even stronger, perhaps
25mph or so and it made me wish I'd at least brought a
fleece. In the distance to the north there was a thick low
bank of cloud covering the whole of Mid Wales. Presumably
the frontal system that was heading south. Hopefully it
would stay pretty much where it was.
Fan Hir. Note the glacial deposition ridge on the right
below the escarpment, reckoned to be a protalus rampart.
wildwales.fsnet.co.ukfan hir.jpgOpen ↗
Crags on Fan Hir. Note the distant bank of low cloud to the
north. wildwales.fsnet.co.ukfanOpen ↗
hir_crags.jpg
The walk north along Fan Hir was very pleasant in spite of
the wind, but by the time I reached Bwlch Giedd it was
becoming a major pain, so I donned my only spare item of
clothing, a Helly Hansen vest, and that improved the
situation somewhat, but I was still considering changing my
plans and returning below the escarpment to the east, to
get some shelter from the wind. I really didn't fancy
putting up with it for the rest of the walk. However,
looking at the wavelets racing across the quite full Llyn y
Fan Fawr I realised that the wind was funneling down from
the north too.
I reached Fan Brycheiniog at 9:09am and stopped to take
the obligatory self-portrait at the summit. (Thanks to the
wide dynamic range of digital I was able to extract loads
of detail from the shadows in this "against the light"
shot.) Still a beautiful sunny day at this point,
however... wildwales.fsnet.co.ukmynydd dOpen ↗
u/summit_portrait.jpg
The cloud bank to the north had been getting worrying close
and within five minutes of reaching the summit thin layers
of cloud raced in, immediately obscuring Pen y Fan and then
Fan Gyhirich. It was a little higher than the summit so I
wasn't engulfed in hill fog, but thinner wisps of cloud
swirled around just below. Within a few minutes the scene
changed from bright sunshine to murky dullness. A pity,
since I'd been hoping to work on my tan. Still, I got a few
nice photos as the clouds raced in.
Crag and cloud. The first cloud races in. wildwa-wildwa-Open ↗
les.fsnet.co.uk/misc/mynydd_du/crag_cloud.jpg
Llyn y Fan Fawr & Fan Brycheiniog panorama. From sunshine to
murk in a matter of minutes.
wildwales.fsnet.co.ukfb pano.jpgOpen ↗
I strolled north to Fan Foel, passing an ugly metal hut that
looked completely out of place, to find that the summit
cairn is "under construction". Most of the stones from the
large circular area of the cairn have been removed and
there's a white string delimiting the area. This is a cairn
that has changed many times over the years and whoever's
responsible seems to be at it again. How are they going to
rebuild it this time I wonder?
Fan Foel cairn construction site. wildwales.fsne-wildwales.fsne-Open ↗
t.co.uk/misc/mynydd_du/fan_foel_cairn.jpg
I made my way west to my usual viewpoint for Bannau Sir Gaer
but the scene was dull and uninspiring. If I'd got there
just half an hour earlier I'd have been able to photograph
it in excellent light. Damn! I must make more effort to
start early. This viewpoint has always been somewhat jinxed
for me. I never seem to catch the best light here.
As I approached Bwlch Blaen Twrch I saw the first walkers of
the day, three of them, ascending the path to the col. I had
hoped to have the entire mountain to myself but the odds
were increasingly against that happening. I quickened my
pace and crossed the col before they reached it, thus
avoiding an encounter. So far so good.
I reached Bannau Sir Gaer at 10:01am. Not even bothering to
stop I carried on westward along the ridge in the murky grey
light. Llyn y Fan Fach was a little lower than it was
recently when I visited it with Bill Grey. As I followed the
ridge I encountered the first walker and stopped for a chat.
It was his first visit. At least I had nearly four hours of
peace and quiet before the intruders arrived! ;-)
A little further on at 10:27am I encountered a second walker
on Waun Lefrith. He beat me to the summit by a small margin.
We both stopped for a quick drink at the cairn, exchanged a
few words (he was from Hereford and was enjoying the cold
breeze), then continued our separate ways. He headed east
along the ridge, I headed south into the wilderness. Time
for the whole escarpment was 4:07 for a distance of
10.1km and 765m of ascent.
Heading pretty much due south from Waun Lefrith my route
followed an interesting line of small crags, an outcropping
of old red sandstone speckled with quartz. The name Fagl
Bengam appears on the map but whether this applies to the
craggy area just to the west or to this line of crags I'm
not sure. Still it was an easy landmark to follow and dry
underfoot.
Old red sandstone crags. wildwales.fsnet.co.ukmOpen ↗
isc/mynydd_du/sandstone_crags.jpg
When the crag line fizzled out the route became vague with
no obvious line to follow. I had to negotiate a patch of
boggy ground with lots of cotton grass as I sought to
locate the bridleway across the moorland, of which there
was no sight.
Cotton grass. I think the "summit" in the distance is the
520m contour at Twyn Tal y Ddraenen. wildwales.f-wildwales.f-Open ↗
snet.co.uk/misc/mynydd_du/cotton_grass.jpg
I soon reached the Afon Trwch at the point where the Nant
Lluestau runs into it, and to my pleasant surprise found a
small waterfall, a scenic oasis in the middle of the
featureless moorland. Sheltered from the wind, and with
occasional patches of sunshine breaking through, this seemed
an ideal spot to stop for a break, so I spent half an hour
lounging beside the waterfall, checking the map and snacking
on nuts and dried fruit. Nearby in another stream I found a
Gelert folding sit mat.
Afon Twrch waterfall. wildwales.fsnet.co.ukmiscOpen ↗
/mynydd_du/waterfall.jpg
As I got up to start walking again I felt a sudden
tiredness. I'd felt fine up to this point but fatigue was
just starting to set in. Very strange that this should
happen after a rest, I'd expected to feel refreshed, not the
opposite! Probably due to not having eaten anything during
the walk so far, and of course due to not walking this sort
of distance very often.
The bridleway was nowhere to be seen at this point, but the
GPS led me to where it supposedly crosses the Afon Twrch.
Still no sign of any real track though. Vague bits of path
here and there but nothing really continuous or obvious, so
I just used the GPS to follow the rough line that the path
was supposed to take. I walked though a sedate herd of
ponies with young foals into the limsestone shake hole area
at Twyn Tal y Ddraenen. I passed a couple of dangerous
looking shake holes and marked them accordingly. Best to be
careful if walking this area at night.
As I approached the Afon Giedd the light became very dull.
The low cloud dropped and covered the main summits in hill
fog and there was even some very light drizzle in the air. I
wondered if the cold front was making an early appearance
and I contemplated the risk of rain, but even with only
shorts and t-shirt it was still quite a warm day, so a
little soaking wouldn't have done me any harm. The cold
breeze that had bothered me earlier in the walk had dropped
considerably by this time so the walking was then quite
pleasant in spite of the murk.
I noticed a line of walkers in the distance heading north
toward the foggy tops. I couldn't see clearly but there were
perhaps a dozen of them snaking like sheep up the hillside,
all seemingly dressed in black, or perhaps dark blue. I
imagined a squad of youngsters kitted out in full waterproof
gear, but whether that was the reality of the situation I
really don't know, they were too far away to tell.
One of the pools at Pwll y Cig, looking toward Fan Hir.
wildwales.fsnet.co.ukpool.jpgOpen ↗
After crossing the Giedd the track became clear. From the
waterfall onward the walking had been easy with very little
additional ascent. Just as well because I was flagging
toward the end of the walk. I passed some very interesting
limestone outcroppings near Twynwalter and it was all
downhill from there. On the whole a good day out, in spite
of the wind and cloud. The early sunshine made it all
worthwhile. I arrived back at the car at 1:41pm.
Thistle in limestone outcrop. wildwales.fsnet.co-wildwales.fsnet.co-Open ↗
.uk/misc/mynydd_du/limestone_thistle.jpg
Trip Statistics:
Time: 7 hours 21 minutes Distance: 18.4 km Ascent: 880m
approx. Effort Rating: 27.2ke (kilometre equivalent)
If anyone is interested in studying the route more closely,
here are the OziExplorer track and waypoint files. w-w-Open ↗
ww.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk/misc/mynydd_du/mynydd_du.zip
Paul
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wilderness-wales.co.ukwilderness-wales.co.ukOpen ↗
wildwales.fsnet.co.ukwildwales.fsnet.co.ukOpen ↗
photosig.comuserphotosOpen ↗