Fecking lockdown down eh? What a pain in the ass that has been. Let’s stick to the positive. Having been cooped up for way too long I decided to escape and leave the country, so I crossed the border into Wales! (Yeah I know, not exactly “out out” but let a man dream!)
Dreaming up adventures and creating memories is my passion so I get a bit carried away, this one is a 5 min read, but hopefully you will ponder for longer on the photos. Thank you.
When the going gets tough, be kind.
A quick note before we get started, I hope you are all doing well. It has been a tough time for so many and for so many different reasons. If it hasn’t for you then please still be compassionate to those around you and beyond. It’s going to be a slow return to a new updated version of “normal”. Keep focusing on the positive and stay grateful for what you have learned and what you still have around you, especially the non-tangible.
Brecon Beacons Wales Adventure.
Right, ready? Let’s go!
The adventure started as usual, with chucking everything in the van and hitting the road. I spent the first night with a friend that I haven’t caught up with for over 2 years (still haven’t seen so many good friends since 2019 and imagine that’s likely the same for you too). The next morning with a map full of flags and a brain loaded with tips the van rolled towards the mountains of the Brecon Beacons in South Wales, a National Park with the south UK’s highest peaks.
This being my first time away in over a year I decided not to make it all about photography and to instead look after myself. When it is purely about photography it can mean climbing mountains before sunrise, staying out through the bad weather and sometimes compromising relaxation and adventure for the photograph. So instead I decided to balance things. I’d still pack some light camera kit but the emphasis would be on the adventure; a reset.
Blaen y Glyn Waterfalls
The first day was really chilled, just driving around with good tunes, looking across silent reservoirs, long slow lunches and maybe a nap here and there; all very much needed. I eventually reached the waterfalls of Blaen y Glyn Uchaf. Still a bit dozy from a nap the steep climb and fresh air along with the energy of the flowing water was a welcoming wake up. It had rained a lot in the preceding days so the water falls were heavy.
(I’ve made a few of these available in my galleries where they can be better viewed in isolation and wall art purchased. See the link at the end).
The walk was nothing too strenuous as it is short. Obviously it is all steep hills through the falls. There are also some river crossings to be made at the top of the falls so it isn’t for the faint hearted! The route through the woodland is very good. It’s through dense pine forest where the light is divided to give small glimpses of the forest life, old building remains and possibly a UFO crash site (how else did all those trees come down in the same spot?!)
Pen Y Fan, Wales walk; late evening
Next up on that same day it was time to find a spot to sleep the night. I drove round to Pen Y Fan, the south’s highest peak so I could walk up for the sunrise. After parking up and brewing a coffee I realised if I was quick I could make it up there by sunset, and maybe back down before it was too dark!
Nothing spectacular on the walk up. The path is good and although it is all up, it isn’t hard if you have lots of breaks. Of course I was racing and was panting and puffing my way to the top. It was chilly up there too. Take a good change of layered clothing. I generally wear a t-shirt and shorts going up mountains as it is a workout and gets hot quick. In my backpack I have thermals and waterproofs ready for conditions to change. Also doing photography can mean sitting around for ages and that can get cold. I also pack gloves and always a cap; protection from sun, dust, rain, wind, cold, bird-poo etc! I’m sure you don’t need reminding to take enough water and snacks. I take a 1.5 litre camelbak and a metal bottle. The bottle means I can collect extra water easily if the hike turns into a long one. Anyway, this is going of topic and I perhaps need to do a seperate blog in adventure gear, so back to the story and a few photos of the quick evening dash up a mountain.
Wild ... Life
As I said before the next morning was solid overcast at 5am so I dont go back up for the sun rise, I had a little lay-in and went into Brecon for coffee and cake. Nice little town, worth a visit if you need a break from hikes. It rained a lot that day so I messed around in little villages, long lunches, naps in the van etc and found a few beetles resting in the undergrowth. I imagine there are people that would love to resurrect these, though they do make good garden ornaments.
Night Hike in Brecon Beacons
In the evening I went to the other side of Pen Y Fan which turned out to be the same spot as the waterfalls at Blaen y Glyn Uchaf. Although it was 6pm I decided to take an evening hike up the mountain as the days rain had dried up. I knew I’d be coming back in the dark so carefully planned my route and packed a head torch, a hand torch and spare batteries (because I haven’t used either in ages).
Now this was a steep climb. That first photo was not looking up or down at any angle but straight ahead to show just how steep. It’s a great work out, a real thigh burner! Well worth it for the views of the valley at the top, it is probably one of my favourite hikes and I did it again the next day with a whole longer hike bolted to it. Met some friendly locals that all had stories to tell and tips for other hikes. Just a handful of photos here to show the darker evening views and why it was worth taking my head torch for the walk back down!
Paragliding in Wales
The next morning I went up the same path again, (my thighs hate me!). Great to see it all in the light and also some people jumping off the cliff edge; thankfully they were paragliders. Great to sit and watch them set up, catch the wind and take off. All looked very gentle and “flow state”.
Fan Y Big (yes, that is the real name!)
I didn’t take short cuts but instead the long routes as wanted to cover as much as I could in one day having seen reports the next day was going to be pure sunshine and hot; I didn’t want to be doing steep mountain hikes in that. When I got towards Pen Y Fan it was already busy and the weekend sunshine would bring out more people.
Gwaun Cerrig Llwydion
I spent the most of my time hiking around the plateau named, urm…. I don’t know how to pronounce it let alone spell it, anyway, it’s the title of this chapter to save me writing that again; Welsh is seriously lacking in vowels!
Chatting to a local hiker was really interesting (“I’ve been doing this hike regularly for 50 years!”), he and his wife told me they used to do runs up here and once it was so windy the marshals tent at the peak blew away and he was blue! We talked lots of stories of being caught out by the weather and being grateful for the right gear. The story of a crashed bomber site two peaks over determined my route for the day. This turned out to be the best hiking of the whole trip. For the last few hours I didn’t see a single other person as I hiked away from Pen Y fan. The weather was as perfect as the views, just the sound of the wind, birds and the ever bleating sheep; it wouldn’t be Wales without that sound track. In this next photo look at the highest peak in the background, You can just about make out all the tiny people on the top of Pen y Fan in the far distance. Dougal, they are not tiny, but just far away. (100 points if you get this reference!).
Crashed WWII Bomber in Brecon Beacons, Wales
The bomber crash site is a very peaceful stroll around the plateau. It is a path less oft walked so can be hard to find. A GPS device helps a lot for this. The wreckage can be seen glimmering in the sunlight from quite a distance. Remaining parts of the wreckage had been gathered into 2 piles and a memorial erected. The local I’d met earlier said that a service is held there on the mountain every year on 11th November. I spent a while looking at the scenery and thought about how they might have met their fate, the bravery of the crew and the beauty and peace of their resting spot. If you are that way it’s worth seeking it out for the peaceful solitude.
Coming back down from that peak was steep descent and with a nice little treat near the finish; a river crossing. Very refreshing on feet that had been plodding on mountain paths all day.
Tired body but buzzing mind, grateful for the day’s adventures. Put on a brew, changed into warmer clothes, admired just how sturdy and forgiving are my winter trainers from Merrell and thought to buy another pair quickly while they still make them!
The Brecon Beacons adventure was just 3 days and it all went so quick but I really enjoyed it. Just the right kinda mountain walking when away from the main tourist areas, great to get tips from the locals. My first trip away in over a year due to having all my work taken away by the plague of 2020-21 and I will be back for more.
Added to the NEW GALLERY!
I’ve recently moved my galleries and slowing adding to it from the archive. You can have a look right now and please enquire for prints. They all look incredible when they are huge. I really enjoyed doing the exhibition and need to do another. This button will take you to my gallery site. Please come back here for more stories and to leave a comment. Thank you.
Final note:
I hope you can now get out for adventures too. If you’d like to come along on a photography adventure like this get in touch as I’m building photo adventure tours in the UK and Europe. I look forward to adding you to the growing list so we can make them happen.
Thanks for following along. Hope to see you again for the next adventure.
2 responses
Adam, so glad you made it to Wales 🏴 and shame we didn’t know you were just down the road. We moved back to Wales in 2017 and all the climbing up and down you did here is on our doorstep 🥂
Do get in touch on my Instagram or my mobile if you still have the number as it would be great to see you when you cross the border again.
Phil
Looks fantastic