On top of the world
Item posted: Sunday 27th October , 2002 From HAY BLUFF, or more correctly, Pen-y-Beacon and indeed from almost anywhere on Eastermost Black Mountains ridge known as Hatterall after the hill at its Southern end the view seems almost endless. On an even moderately clear day the Malvern Hills are easy to pick out and these are some 30 miles distant as the crow flies. At a slightly greater distance and moving anti-clockwise around the compass the distinctive shape of Titterstone Clee is also easy to distinguish followed by Brown Clee a few degrees further towards the north. Almost due north comes The Long Mynd, the Stiperstones, Caer Caradoc and even on a very clear day the long low bulk of Wenlock Edge.
More to the west of north you would be looking at the timeless masif of the Cambrian Mountains which run through the heart of Wales all the way to Snowdonia. These hills are the birth mother and, quite literally, the ‘wet nurse’ of the Rivers Wye and Severn which, between them and their tributaries, shape the landscape to the North and East and South of your present view point. To the west stretches the whole of the Brecon Beacons National Park with Pen-y-Fan being clearly visible albeit only some 17 miles distant.
From this elevated position you will be looking at or over as many as 9 of the old Welsh and English administrative shire counties, including Brecknock, Radnor, Carmarthen, Montgomery, Salop, Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester and Monmouth and every one as lovely as the next.
The Chartist Cave
Item posted: Sunday 20th October , 2002 We had been planning our final walk of the week for some time as it was to centre on an attempt to find the Chartist Cave high on the moorland above Llangynidr to the South West of Abergavenny. We all knew someone who had set out with this intention only to return without having found their objective but we had high expectations of our own navigating abilities and were in good spirits after 4 days of superb walking. We had intended to start at a point towards the top of the plateau but in view of the excellent weather prospects chose instead to start lower down and to approach by way of one of the streams which drain the moorland above. This proved to be a very good decision as the route rose first through cultivated meadows and then into woodland before emerging onto the open heather moorland. By this time we were in Limestone Country and the landscape was peppered with Shake Holes some only a few feet deep and others going down some tens of feet to disappear in a jumble of fallen boulders. Once we reached the head of the valley we took a compass bearing for a lake a short distance to the east of the Cave and set off to walk across country on this line. The going was rough as there were no real paths only the odd sheep track here and there and all the Shake Holes to avoid. However the terrain was fairly level and so we were able to keep up a steady pace with our sights set on a chosen landmark on the skyline so as not to stray from our route. We never found the lake and could only suppose that it was dry in summer because after we had walked what we estimated to be the correct distance we spotted the cave some way to our right as expected and deviated to it, there to find a commemorative plaque detailing the exploits of the local Chartists in the early part of the 19th Century. After exploring and exploiting the photo opportunity, as is only proper in these circumstances, we took another compass bearing and walked away to the west and completed our walk by following the route of an old Tramway, one of several that were constructed to move the product of quarrying and mining activities in the mountains to the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal for onward carriage to Newport and thence the world. The day ended with a pint in the gardens of the most excellent canalside pub in Llangynidr accompanied by reflections on a most rewarding day of truly varied and interesting walking. |
