Our Early May Bank Holiday was spent in the small town of Bwlch in the Brecon Beacons, or Bannau Brycheiniog as we should call them now.
There’s not much in Bwlch these days except for a traditional pub and a rather splendid bunkhouse. Naturally we were staying in the latter.
Once upon a time the Star Bunkhouse was the Morning Star pub. It has been beautifully transformed into cosy accommodation with a well-equipped kitchen and excellent showers. There was even a drying room, although for once in Wales this was not needed. The weather was glorious, and the only problem was carrying enough water to last you between pub visits.
Our Saturday walk followed The Beacons Way from the bunkhouse on the on a steady climb up Cefn Moel. This is a fantastic path, bounded by heather and sheep grazing with great views across the valley with Llangors Lake plumb in the middle. The ridge has a prominent outlook over the valley, which is probably why there are ancient burial cairns all along the crest.
After bagging the summit of Mynydd Llangorse, the ridge narrowed to a very pleasing rocky spine leading us down to the pass, from where we headed to the pub and (eventually) on to the lake.
Llangors Lake is the largest natural lake in Wales, left behind after the ice age glaciers ploughed through the valley. It is also the location of the only crannog outside Scotland. Crannogs are artificial islands built for defensive purposes. At Llangors, attackers would have had to wade through the boggy lake margin to get to the inhabitants. To show you what it might have looked like, a replica has been built a few metres away and we couldn’t resist a peek before heading to our next ascent.
On the other side of the lake is a short ridge called Allt yr Esgair, known locally as ‘The Allt’. The climb up was short but brutal, so you could see why it had been chosen for an iron-age hillfort. Having conquered the hillfort, we enjoyed the views from the impressively rugged summit before heading back down to Bwlch.
For our Sunday walk we were joined by Carol Franks, who, having moved to Wales, remembered us fondly enough to drive an hour to walk with us. From Bwlch, we walked south to the River Usk and the ancient Llangynidr Bridge. Possibly the oldest bridge crossing the Usk, it dates from about 1700. Today the extremely narrow bridge tests the nerve of modern drivers.
Having crossed the river, we headed for the canal and a bit of the Usk Valley Walk before heading up Tor y Foel for our summit of the day. After enjoying the views, we ducked below the summit ridge for a leisurely lunch on the hill.
With views across Talybont Reservoir to the Beacons beyond, we descended into the woodland and joined the Taff Trail. The full Taff Trail is 55 miles, linking Cardiff and Breacon, but the short bit we were on was a former railway which took us on a gentle contour to rejoin the Usk Valley Way. There was a very welcome pub, the Coach and Horses at Llangynidr, for much-needed refreshment to help ease us up the hill back to Bwlch.
The fantastic weather lasted into bank holiday Monday, so we finished off the weekend with a walk from Crickhowell up to Table Mountain (aka Crug Hywel). It was another surprisingly windy day, so after a brief pause on the top (another hillfort) we headed down to find a gorgeous flower-strewn meadow for our lunch. Just the thing to work up an appetite for the obligatory tea shop before our drive home.
Ali
Roger Jones
We've received the sad news that Roger Jones has died. Roger was one of our longest-standing members. He was a generous supporter of the group, having been a member continuously for more than 50 years. After retiring from > his job at Bradwell Power Station, he moved back to his roots in County Durham, but often made an appearance at our Christmas meals. Many of us will remember visiting Bishop Auckland in 2016 to see "Kynren", the spectacular outdoor show that Roger helped organise.
Roger passed away on 28th April at the age of 81. Donations in his memory may be made to Mesothelioma UK.