Brecon Beacons, 28th - 30th January 2011

Bentlawnt - Brecon - Bristol (310 miles)

Two wet ones in Clun Forest



We were itching to get out again. We'd had a last-minute, completely unplanned overnight in Clun Forest a couple of weeks before (the casserole was cooked and K suggested we might as well eat in The Rosabella on top of a hill somewhere, so off we went). It had belted down with rain and we'd had a quick traipse along a path, got soaked and gone home for Sunday lunch. Not exactly a load  of effort but nice to be out nevertheless. 



However, we still felt bloated after Christmas and decided that we should head for the Beacons where the hills are fairly easy but spectacular once on the tops.

T had been fighting with the water system in The Rosabella, water coming up in the wardrobe from the heater dump valve. Amidst much muttering along the lines of 'we never had problems like this when all we had was a bucket and a bottle of water..........' (T would never admit to being a Luddite - maybe its his age - and these kids of today, well..........!) he thought he had nailed the problem.



He picked K up from work at about 6pm on a bitterly cold, clear night, and after a fish & chip stop just outside Hereford we set off for Brecon. T had had a look at a satellite image of the area around Storey Arms, just south of Libanus, and had spotted a likely-looking pull-in on a minor road next to a lake and, lo and behold, there it was, just waiting for an old motor home and its inhabitants. A glass of wine, a couple of aspirin for T's three-day old headache and we were bedded down for the night. He was awake at 4-ish, head pounding and freezing where various bits of him had been sticking out from beneath the double quilt. Heating on, a glass of water and kip for another couple of hours.



Saturday morning dawned bright, clear and very cold. T turned the tap with a triumphant flourish - NOTHING, apart from the sound of water happily tinkling away under the van! A quick examination was enough to tell T that his work on the water system wasn't quite complete, and it was back to bottled water for this trip.



Copious amounts of tea and biccies were followed by bacon and egg and after clearing up we headed the mile or so back up the road to the parking area at Storey Arms.

 

Boy was it cold! As we climbed toward the summit of Corn Du a nagging wind froze our fingers and toes and once on the top we hurried to find a sheltered spot for sandwiches and a drink. Out of the wind, although it was cold, the sun was beautiful and we lingered with a few other people, enjoying watching the clouds boiling below us.



Brocken Spectre on Corn Du

While K wandered around on the top the mist filled the valley floor, and we were lucky enough to see a Brocken Spectre. The "spectre" appears when the sun shines from behind a climber who is looking down from a ridge or peak into a corrie filled with mist or fog. The light projects the climber's shadow forward through the mist, apparently magnified to giant-like proportions. The head of the figure was surrounded by a glowing, rainbow-like halo (a 'glory').

This was K's first view of the phenomenon - only T's third in over 30 years of spending time in the mountains. It made our day.

   

 


Corn Du and Pen-y-Fan

 

A breather on the track up to Corn Du



 







We hurried on to the summit of Pen-y-Fan, now completely in the mist, and back down again in to the sunshine on the saddle between the two summits. A slow amble back down, warming up with every step, stopping to lend a stick to a young woman who was struggling with sore feet - she returned it to us when she arrived back in the carpark.

Hot chocolate with Bailey's and squirty cream helped with the rehabilitation back to warmth and a quick trip in to Brecon to buy more bottled water and a hinge to replace one that had broken on the folding worktop (there's always something to do with a Rosabella!) and then back out of the town on a different road to find our Saturday night lodgings, a beautiful spot alongside Tal-y-Bont reservoir. Quiet (one car all night, and some ducks quacking), no light pollution so about a billion stars shining, cosy, well-fed (K had brought a rice dish she'd made at home the previous day). This is why we have The Rosabella and love the life the three of us share.

 

Our lovely wild spot on Tal-y-Bont





Another beautiful dawn, the water turning pink, Venus rising over the hill, followed by a sliver of old moon, absolutely freezing outside but warm and snug under the duvet. Obligatory cups of tea, lovely brekkie and on the road again to visit K's parents in Bristol. Home on Sunday evening after a really lovely weekend. Can't wait for the next trip - North Wales in a fortnight. But we can do without the water problem, thank you very much!!



Sunrise over Tal-y-Bont reservoir






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