Back to the Brecon Beacons

We last visited the Brecon Beacons two years ago. The most recent Trail magazine carries a 10.5 mile route in a different part of the National Park which seemed perfect for a promised sunny Easter Sunday.

The Beacon Way and Trail's route take you out from Glyntawe along the main road, which seems a little strange because there's a right of way marked quite clearly on the map just parallel to it which runs along this beautiful stretch of river. Something's not right here, though, because the landowner went out of his way to point out to us that, contrary to the map, there's no right of way through his land. He has marked out a permissive path, which allowed us to get around his yard and back onto our path, but the map and the farmer certainly disagree here.



I enjoyed the day. The 10.5 miles wasn't a problem, but the amount of climbing proved tough. Lots of walking in Derbyshire is no preparation for walking up hills in Wales.

This walk has some steep ascents almost straight away. The reward is views like this. Strangely, the Beacon Way goes parallel but follows the bottom of this edge, which I imagine makes a less strenuous but much less spectacular walk. It's no wonder that Trail's route takes you up onto the top.





The trig point here marks the highest point of the walk, (although theres a bit of downhill and some more steep climbing to come.)



Just beyond is the cairn at Fan Foel, with some great views all around. This shot looks back at the edge we've just walked along.



A little further is Picws Du, a high point with a great view of Llyn y Fan Fach, allegedly the lake featured in the legend of the Lady of the Lake:


The magazine promised some difficult navigation at this point. It suggests turning south and crossing boggy land with unmarked paths. (You can roam within the boundary of the National Park.) It wasn't anything like as difficult as suggested, and we were soon back on a fairly clearly-marked bridleway. The terrain here is very unusual. It's full of what look like small standing stones. Strata or fissures seem to run vertically, so as stones are exposed, they point to the sky.



The other unusual features here are shake holes. The ground is peppered with these little craters which are formed by water draining away into the ground and eroding the rock and soil - like a giant plug-hole in the ground.

More signs of spring

Walked: 29 March 2009
Distance: 8m

This is becoming a regular jaunt, Shellbrook to Moira, Donisthorpe, not quite to Measham, Oakthorpe and back to Shellbrook. Map is at the bottom of this post. This time I made it a bit shorter by parking at Shellbrook rather than starting from Ashby.

These daffs are really beautiful:


Hawthorn leaves are unfolding:


While its relative, blackthorn, is starting to flower.

Green shoots

Distance: 11m
Walked: 1 March 09

I've really let my walking slip. It's difficult to get motivated during the winter. But this morning, officially the first day of Spring, that changed. Contrary to the weather forecast, the sun was out and it really did feel like Spring. Seeing a few buds and leaves really did get the juices flowing again! this is Hawthorn, one of the first signs of Spring.



Here we hit a minor snag. That underwater stile and waypost is where the public right of way is. It hasn't been raining, and so this strange flood seemed odd. We couldn't see any reason for it (for example a blocked river), it was just a flooded field. Even more bizarrely, the water is marked on the map (and the dotted green line of the footpath goes through the water), so it seems to be reasonably permanent. Presumably it wasn't flooded when the waypost and stile were put there...? Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult to take a slight detour around the edge of the water.



A classic image of spring. Wool on legs.


I haven't identified this tree yet, but it has big pom-pom-like catkins with busy bees all over it.

Bakewell to Monsal Head

Distance: approx 6m
Walked 8 Feb 09

The Monsal Trail is an old railway line. They're often nicely-surfaced and great for walking at this time of the year - flat and not muddy. The snow today did make the veiws incredibly picturesque, and gave us the opportunity to warm up with a game of snowballs, but the price for that was that it was very slippery.




Monsal Head has to be one of the best views in the Peak District. All the better for being a little unexpected. The viaduct, which originally carried a railway, but is now a surfaced walking path, is fascinating. Imagine the valley without a viaduct, and then imagine someone proposing to build one across the valley. John Ruskin had a real rant about it, and he's quoted on an information board. his main beef seemed to be about making it easier for humans to get (unnecessarily) between Buxton and Bakewell. Ironically, the viaduct is now protected. I did find myself sympathising with the old curmudgeon; the viewpoint that this picture was taken from is a car park, so you can drive up, enjoy the view, enjoy a pint and drive home again. It's lucky that Ruskin couldn't forsee that. I can't help feeling that you should have to work for a view as good as this.

Once we'd arrived at this point, we made a little loop by walking (very tentatively) down to the viaduct (bottom left of this picture), over it, across the river where the buildings are on the right, and back up to this viewpoint again, before heading back to Bakewell along the railway line.

Rover Soar

Walked: 10 January 2009
Distance; 14.6 m

This walk starts at Diseworth and crosses a few fields before hitting Long Whatton. This is the intriguing church there. Usually, a church has a central original aisle, often with an aisle each side added later. Note that the tower here is not part of the central aisle, but the one that's to our right. I'm very curious about this asymmetry - was the tower added later and for some reason couldn't be added to the central part, or is the right-hand part with the tower the original part, and the two parts to the left added later?



After quite a bit of road walking, we arrive at the River Soar. The route of the river and our walk get a little bit convoluted here. The river flows behind us and in front of us, but we carry on walking along the road for a little bit, cross a field and join the Zouch Cut (a canal) before starting to walk along the river. The point where the cut joins the river is in the middle distance of this picture.


This is the cut. Notice the broken ice on the water. I had high hopes for the weather today but unfortunately this greyness was with us all day.





Anyone who knows me will know why I squealed with delight when I saw this boat:








We had thought of carrying on along the river, but we knew we wouldn't have the daylight and weren't prepared for a night walk. Therefore, we worked out a route which would get us back before dark, leaving the river here and going through Kegworth.



We approach the East Midlands Airport. We're right under the flight path here, and looking back at Kegworth.



Just before the airport, we arrived at the M1 motorway. On the bridge we used to cross the motorway we found this plaque and floral tribute. If you enlarge the picture you may be able to read the wording. It's for the people that died 20 years ago when a plane fell short of the airport and crashed on the motorway.


This is the motorway today. With airplanes coming in to land overhead, it was chillingly easy to imagine the crash scene.



There's no avoiding walking along the motorway for a little bit. This path actually goes parallel with and between the M1 and A453 - this path looks pleasant, but the noise isn't very relaxing! It's just a short stretch, before we cross the A453 and head towards the airport. It was already quite dark and so no more photos.


This walk goes quite close to Castle Donington. Today we avoided the town itself, and headed for the Airport perimeter. Although that's not a public right of way, the Airport authority have marked out the perimeter (and beyond) as a walking path. (For legal reasons, they have to close it for one day per year - I can't remember exactly, but I think it's late November.) There are leaflets describing the Airport Walk. For us today, it was a very convenient way to join us up with public rights of way south of the airport which will take us back to diseworth.

Weaving around Norfolk

Distance:13m
Walked: 31 December 2008

Weaver's Way is a 60-mile Norfolk walk partly based on an old railway line. the full route meanders south-west from Cromer taking in Aylsham, North Walsham, Stalham and goes on to Yarmouth via the Broads. The name reflects the historic importance of the weaving industry to the area.

While visiting Norfolk, I made time to walk a part of the way; North Walsham through Stalham and on to Hickling. The sunshine and frost made the views beautiful and there were still plenty of rosehips to give some colour.





The Way is marked very well with finger-posts and discs (The green disc has a tiny map of the route marked on it!) However, as always, it would be a mistake to rely on these markers because it only takes one missing post (or for you to fail to spot one) for you to be lost. With the OS Explorer map in your hand (or print some off using the OS get-a-map service) you'll stay on track.

Meeting Hill is very pretty, and despite growing up in this area, I think this is the first time I've walked through. I think the name comes from the fact that non-conformists had to have their religious meetings outside the parish and this was the location of their meeting house.




After walking out of north Walksham town, there are a couple of fields to cross before picking up the old railway at Bengate.



The flat and straight nature of this section gives you the clear impression that it's an old railway, but just in case it isn't obvious, there are platforms and bridges.






One highlight was walking past Sutton Mill. This old windmill made us all wish that we had the cash to buy and restore it! There's a museum in the buildings at its base, but sadly it seems to have closed.

By the light ... of the silvery moon

Walked: 10 December 2008
Distance: 7.5m

I've been wanting to go out walking at night for some time. It's happened by accident a couple of times, and I've enjoyed it. Tonight was reasonably clear and the moon was very nearly full.

I discovered that my old camera isn't up to taking good night-time photos. To the eye, there was plenty of light to see by, but all of my photos have just come out as black squares.

This is the only one that is usable. The moon doesn't look half as beautiful here as it did at the time.



It was very rewarding. The moon looked beautiful, the towns and cities were clusters of orange lights, and the moonlight was bright enough to walk by. The light was amazing. My disastrous photography proved that it wasn't really as bright as it appeared to the eye. A strange monochrome though, that colour being mithril.

I'm not sure whether it was a bad idea to walk paths that I didn't know very well, or a great idea. Orienteering was a little more of a challenge than in daylight. This being a linear walk, I obviously walked the same route back, but in reverse. I didn't need the map on the return part of the walk, because I remembered the paths pretty well. I think this was because when I did have the map out, I had to try and memorise as much as I could, because after reading a map by bright torchlight, it was very difficult to see in the moonlight once more.

I picked up where I left off last time out - starting in Stanton and walking east to Castle Donington, trying to keep to the higher ground for the views over the Trent valley.




The route above was generated using Meander.

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Map image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.

The Long View

Distance: 11 miles (linear)
Walked: 6 Dec 08
Terrain: The steep ascents are worthwhile!

The local moggies like to laze on top of my garden shed and take in the great view over fields and The National Forest. I thought about this as I drove to my local farm shop this morning, which takes me over one of my favourite South Derbyshire viewpoints (SK365250). Why do animals and humans alike find it so rewarding to find a high spot and take in a long view?

It might have to do with defence - from this position you can see a predator or enemy coming hours before they reach you and fight them off much more easily.

This is all a bit irrelevant for us these days, but nevertheless it feels great to be up high and see a long way. I felt inspired to devise a new walk which would follow the high spots along the Trent valley.



A circular walk would be great - to the south of the valley, then crossing over and back on the north of the river. This would be a very long walk because points where you can cross the Trent are few and far between.

Today's walk was a bit experimental and I'll develop this route some more but it worked out very well. I started in Repton and headed East, making it to Stanton before having to turn around to get back before dark.

From Repton, there are a couple of paths taking you East - on the map there's the main green line, and a pink alternative. I tried both today (one out and one back) and preferred the latter - the green one is low in the valley and you can't see very much more than Willington Power station.

I've said before that the walk along the river between Foremark and Ingleby (passing Anchor Church caves) is one of my favourite spots. Today the path was flooded, as it often is after wet weather. Once before I took off my boots and waded through. Today I thought I could see a way up over the cave, which gave me a great spot for a picnic lunch. This was off the right of way and was probably trespassing, which I hope the landowner will forgive, so I can't recommend it. Instead, I recommend the alternative path (blue on my map below) through Foremark

This chap seemed to enjoy sitting up high enjoying the view too.


In the distance is Ratcliffe power station making its signature across today's amazing blue sky. I really don't like the short days, and we're very nearly at the shortest day, but it was a perfect day for walking. The air was fresh and clear as a bell and the sun was bright. Despite some puddles being frozen over all day, the air didn't feel very cold.






The white building flying the St George cross is the John Thompson at Ingleby, famous for brewing its own marvelous beer.




This time of the year, there is a little bit of colour if you look for it. Today I saw beautiful yellow gorse flowers and red rose-hips. Here they're both showing in front of a tree in wonderful copper foliage.




I used Meander for Mac to generate the route below. Click the map for a bigger version complete with all of today's photos.