Traverse Waun Fach and the Black Mountains

This weekend was the follow up to the Wild Camping weekend last year on the same weekend at Styhead Tarn. On this occasion we opted to remain at the campsite in Cwmdu rather than camp on the Black Mountains as planned. It put the planned horseshoe route for Saturday out of the question, but made for a socially very enjoyable weekend. If anybody ever gets the chance to partake in the eating of dead cow in the Farmers Arms in Cwmdu, I would thoroughly recommend it! I have decided that next years meet will be at Ardgarten below the Arrochar Alps.

After an evening in the farmers Arms it was decided that we would remain at the campsite in Cwmdu for a sceond night. We were rather slow to get going in the morning and left at about 10am. I didn’t feel on top form walking up the ridge to Pen Cerrig-calch. When we arrived on what we thought was the plateau, we were somewhat bemused by a large outcrop to our left, as Pen Allt-mawr has quite gradual slopes. John wandered off into the mist the wrong way whilst we examined the map. We realised that we were still on our way up the ridge, and hadn’t actually reached the plateau – but John had gone. Eventually we decided to continue, and as we were begining to ascend again we saw a figure heading in the mist towards Cwmdu. We decided that it must be John, and ‘we’ decided that I should run after him and return him to the group. Taking a bearing on his lordship I set off, not thinking to leave my rucksack with t’other two. Before long I had caught up with Lord John, and we walked back to Andy and Bob on a bearing, finding them with no trouble.

Arriving on the plateau at the same time as another group we followed them to Pen Cerrig-calch before they disappeared in the direction of Crickhowell. We headed next to Pen Allt-mawr, sticking to the Eastern side of the plateau, and arriving with no further problems, meeting a group of lost youths in the shelter to whom we confirmed the location. By the time that we had arrvide on Pen Twyn Glas, the cloud was starting to lift, and this process was complete by the time that we arrived at Mynydd Llysiau.

Taking in views for the first time during the course of the day, we headed off up Waun Fach, on the top of which it rained on us somewhat. We retraced our steps to the bwlch below Mynydd Llysiau, and descended from there to civilisation and the nearest hostelry. We were provided with a lift back to Cwmdu from here rather fortunately by a local lady who happened to be visiting the pub!

Weather:Cloud, Rain, Lifting later on
Accompanied by:Andy Brown, Bob Chartriss, John Eadon