When the tide is out, there’s plenty of space to think. Exmoor in the haze, miles to walk, and because of the sharp wind, nobody about. Winter in a seaside town can seem bleak, but it has such views and sunsets here on the West coast of England.
On clear days like this you see across the Bristol channel to Wales, the Brecon Beacons, with this cloudscape for added drama. I love the shades of blue, the detail in the clouds.
After the three storms in quick succession, all rolling up the Severn, creating havoc, it’s nice to look back on quieter times. This past Saturday we had the first face to face meeting of our poetry group. You forget how good it is to listen, in person to people reading for the pleasure of sharing.
I hope your week is good, and you are staying safe out there.
It will continue to be wet
until the latter half of the century
when we expect it to be cold also,
maybe freezing, but definitely cold.
Just back from Wales, where the weather was windy and wet. Very windy, with added rain, sleet, hail and wet snow. An exhilarating trip to Mount Snowdon with Pete. Photos are limited, because the weather just made it impossible. You can’t see the wind but there was a lot of it.
Looking back down the Miners Track.
A Wet blogger.
Not quite the trip we had planned but then you can’t expect it to work every time. It’s never personal with nature, everybody gets rained on once in a while.
I’ve given you hints, teased you with some pictures, so now I feel I need to say some more about the Iron Mountain Trail. Starting in Blaenavon, South Wales, The Iron Mountain Trail leads you through a brief history of man in the valleys of Wales. Going from the scraping of ore at the surface, all the way to the deep pits and coal seams, you get a crash course in landscaping on a grand scale.
The Iron Mountain Trail.
Looking at the land around you, recognising how history has changed it. Made it into what it is today is a part of walking that many forget. We look at maps, compare to what we see, and follow our route, but the history around us has defined the landscape and the wildlife, even the nature of human habitation. I love to see things being put back in place by nature, not erasing our mark, just recycling what we have done. At Blaenavon you get to walk through this process in action.
Bog Cotton near the slag-heaps.
Engine house chimney.
You walk through the slag-heaps, along the tramways and around the remains of the mine workings. You pass old smelting yards, villages that supplied the labour for years of exploitation, all this under a hot summer sky. We looked out across the canals, to the crossroads in the valley bottoms, all the while enjoying the smells of nature as we walked through the heather and gorse that has reclaimed the hillsides, along with swathes of Foxgloves offering colour to the world. There was not much wildlife here, it is a popular place to walk with lots of access parking all around the circular route, but you do see the Buzzards circling on thermals from The Blorenge.
Flowers and Ferns.
The Punchbowl, nature reserve.
This was not the walk I had planned today, I was going to head to Mount Snowdon, but the walkers for that trip cancelled at the last. My good fortune, a little reorganisation and I had two friends and a trip to Blaenavon sorted out, we looked out at The Blorenge from Sugar Loaf earlier this year, and had made a mental note to visit. A good forecast and easy drive got us here, though the heat did make it harder than it might have been. Steve and Mike put on a good pace, faster perhaps than I would like but OK for a day that started later than expected due to a cycle race stopping traffic while we looked for our preferred parking spot.
In the woods.
Looking towards Blorenge. Old ponds in the foreground.
Views East.
All the while you get views up and down the valley, across to Waun Fach, Sugar Loaf and the Brecon Beacons. It was later on the news we heard of the group of British servicemen who had difficulties on the Brecons with the heat, the countryside can find so many ways to cause trouble. It is a reminder that even on sunny days we need to take care on the hills. These were professionals, my condolences go to all the families of these men.
The Blorenge itself is misleading, once you reach the summit it becomes a big flat moor, crisscrossed by tracks and the summit trig sits above this wide space by a few metres, surrounded by a pile of rocks. A fine place to sit and look around.
The Blorenge.
Two erstwhile companions, looking for a seat.
Getting away, don’t stop for a picture or you are lost.
Crossing the moor you head back towards the town and the start, lean in to the lumpy pathways and head home. Crossing scours, where water has been used to expose iron ore, circuitous tracks around the old works of the original mines. Where nature is as everywhere around, doing her thing and reclaiming what has been taken.
Head back, to the beginning.
Views from here.
What is hidden by new grass?
Out towards Sugarloaf.
It’s a walk of very different flavours, man and nature each vying for their place. At times still, dreamy and almost like a lost world. Then you pass a place where families and pets are roaming, calling and using the space to be free from the closeness of industry. I can see why the area is a World Heritage Site, although I think some more homage should be paid to natures part in the whole scheme. If you get the chance pay the place a visit, it’s worth a few hours of anyone’s time in my opinion.
What’s not to like about this view?
For now though, enjoy every trip you make, long or short. They are all part of the trail you are following through your life.
Sugar Loaf is a hill just North of Abergavenny, South Wales. Isolated and showing different faces to each corner of the map it was the first time we had stopped here to give it a good look. One of the joys of its solitude is the views to all points, Brecon, the Black Mountains and the valleys surrounding. As a bonus we caught the Welsh weather by surprise, sliding in a gap between the cold and the rain, so the day turned into a walk on a real spring day, light winds, shining sun and blue skies.
A brisk morning car park, with great views to Blorenge.
The plan was to do a half circuit of the hill with a trip over the top. As we arrived at the foot of the hill we could see the last vestiges of the snows that have been causing havoc over the winter. Enough for some fun, not enough to make it a real snow day. Any snow though does add something to the photos. As a side note, my camera has picked up some dust again so sorry about the dots and bits. Another trip to the cleaner, or maybe just a wash in the machine, very frustrating as it has kept clean about 12 months since last time. I’m not sure if a seal has broken down meaning I need to take more care.
Snow, and a hill to climb. Happy as Larry.
Yes, snow and we jumped in it. Snowballs, kicking it around, fun stuff.
As a first trip out for three months it was a good place to start, with easy slopes good paths and plenty to see as we wound around the base to the point where we struck uphill. Picking up other walkers as the day went on, because of the easy parking and proximity of major roads it is where many day walkers head.
Looking up to the summit.
On any trip, someone has planned the route, knows where we are going, and leads the way. That person is then chided, ignored or abandoned by everyone wandering, chatting and basically enjoying the scenery. Today, it was Pete, who’s valiant attempts to keep us on schedule worked out pretty well despite the best efforts of the rest. We got round, saw everything on schedule, and found the car at the end, can’t ask for more than that.
A man with a map, being ignored by the team, shortcutting!
On the way up.
White stuff, perhaps the last of the season.
Looking up the ridge to the summit.
The final slope, crusty frozen snow to practice step kicking in.
The summit of Sugar Loaf can be a surprise to new visitors, being narrower than would seem after looking from below, but it is wide enough to allow plenty of visitors, and the views all around are stunning. With the cold day the air remained relatively clear and you can appreciate Sugar Loaf for its unique position.
At the start of the summit.
Just some bloke on top.
Wonky team pic, with the Brecons in the background.
Summit Trig point.
Dropping down to the South side of the hill changes your perspective, spring is creeping out of the woodland and we walked through a changing mixture of heathland, woodland and farmland. Walking through some of the valleys and climbing back towards the car changes the views of the hill again and again. All the while the sheep, the lambs and birds are enjoying the afternoon sun. What else can raise the spirits so well after a cold winter.
Southern Views.
Yes, more snow. No I’m not sorry. Yes we jumped in it again.
Trees
Trees in the sun.
Mint Sauce?
Although the day was bright, warm and full of the onset of spring. With good company, a picnic lunch and plenty of hot coffee provided by Pete and Kath. Plenty to see and a good stretch after months only walking on the seafront or in our local woods. The shoulder held up well, although putting a rucksack on and of was interesting at times. Yes, a good day out to add to the list of good days on the hills.
Possibly the best picture ever.
The only remaining point to add is the re-emergence of the Curly Balls, modeled by Pete, and tucked into the trees, they have survived the winter and are looking forward to more trips out.
I’m back, I’ve been to Wales and walked some hills. Now I’m ready to start again. I did 7 mountains, 14 miles, 1700m of climbing, 2500m of descent, and only got halfway round the set of Welsh Three Thousanders. Well done to the two Petes who made the whole trip in sixteen and a half hours. (I’ll check that time or Pete can correct me.)
But the weather was great and I did plenty, including camping on the top of Snowdon, a couple of new views and learned how to do it better next time.
For the moment, here’s a taster of the pictures, more to come after I catch up on other posts.
Crib Goch sunrise
Keep looking for more, it’s coming soon. And enjoy the sight of sunrise next time you have the chance.
Please follow the link from the Photo of Ollie to donate to a good cause, thanks.
A walk through the world between places 