Beacons in the mist

24 November 2012

Our 25th anniversary treat was a short break in the Brecon Beacons. Set off for the drive south at 8.30 and immediately into the fog and started to feel some consternation about whether we would get any walking in at all. The drizzle and poor visibility continued all the way to Brecon, and we changed our plans when we got to the outskirts and headed for Storey Arms on the A470 on the basis that this was likely to be a safer ascent and easier to find. 

Once we got to the car park at the Storey Arms - an outdoor centre run by Cardiff city council - we saw lots of walkers coming down off the hill having completed the ascent. Perhaps we were mad after all, but we weren't the only ones clearly. 

After quick coffee and trusty flapjack we donned full waterproofs and set off up the path. It was pretty obvious which way to go as the path was laid with stone most of the way and is presumably packed solid in good summer weather. But today it was only 2 degrees. A flock of field fares were spotted just after a stone marking the handover of the Brecon Beacons to the National Trust by Eagle Star in1965. 

As we got nearer to the top the visibility worsened and we just about caught a glimpse of the first target, Corn Du, during a brief cloud break. Here the wind really whipped up as we were now at the top of the ridge and Sue had trouble staying upright on the short climb up Corn Du. My rucksack cover also disappeared in the wind but fortunately I spotted it 100 yards away and managed to get there before the next gust. Lesson learnt; tie up the rain covers as they just act like a balloon in the wind and fill with air. 

On Corn Du.

The rain was now really whipping in as well and the right side of our faces was being stung at every step, but after the short scramble to the summit, it was calmer and we found the level tabletop surface of old red sandstone. The path on top was further reinforced with stone, presumably because of the numbers coming up here in the summer and a small cairn marks the Summit. We took a couple of photos here and some on the phone to text to family to show how much we we enjoying our 25th!

Pen yFan summit.

Our next target was Pen y Fan itself although we couldn't see it at all. We worked out which path to take from the map and headed back into the stinging rain. At the top, the highest point in the Brecon Beacons and southern Britain, we found the stone marker post and took a photo for a couple of guys and they reciprocated. One of them kindly offered us some dried mango, which we didn't take but it sounds an interesting food to carry, shall have to try it some time. We decided to try and have some food ourselves but quickly realised that was a bad idea. Having bare hands in these very cold conditions is not a good idea and we instantly froze and gave up. Both of us had sodden gloves by now so when we got to a bit of a windbreak we retrieved spare gloves from the packs - well prepared, eh! 

Dry gloves. Bliss. 

It was then an easy walk downhill to the car, although when we got there, at 1.15pm, we realised that both waterproof jackets had failed miserably and were soaked through. Our waterproof trousers were brilliant though. 

Clearer views on the way back downhill.