What a month June was! I had been excited about doing the Wildlife's Trust 30 Days Wild for ages and had a few things already lined up for it. Unfortunately it was only a few days in when I got really bad news regarding my best friend's mum - she had past away unexpectedly from an heart attack.
It was a very sad time and I could relate to the grief my friend was going through (I lost my dad many years ago). Despite it being a very heartbreaking start to June I carried on 30 Days Wild and I found comfort in surrounding myself in nature.
These are some of my favourite photos and experiences from the 30 days (click on the link under the pic to read more)
So as you can see I did and saw lots. I also learnt loads too and with the help of the 30DaysWild Facebook group and Twitter account I got lots of answers to my queries and everyone was so helpful and friendly.
On a rainy Day 26 I decided to dig out my paintbrushes and tried to paint a kingfisher that I had seen a few days earlier. I was happy with the result and have now got my creative mojo back - thanks 30DaysWild!
It had
been a week since we climbed Pen y Fan but we were still craving the delights
of the Brecon Beacons.
Throughout the week I had been checking the weather uipdates and each day heavy
snow had been forecast on the mountains. Our time in the Beacons was not yet
finished and we decided to venture to the other side of the A470 and head up to
the summit of Fan Frynych
Once again our journey took us over the Black
Mountain and, like every other trip over this stretch of road, we had to pull
over to get some photos of the amazing scenery. There was still a lot of snow
on the ground and the wild ponies were grazing near the edge of the road - two
of them came right up to us looking for food. Unfortunately we didn't have
anything suitable for them but we did manage to get some lovely pics of them.
One of the beautiful wild ponies
There was still a lot of snow over the Black Mountain
We drove
past the Pen-y-Pant car park where we had stopped the week before and were
amazed at the amount of cars parked both there and on the road. We glanced up at
the path to Pen y Fan and saw people walking up like an army of ants...hence
its nickname, the Pen Y Fan Motorway! It was so busy and part of us was
relieved that we were going to a much quieter part of the National Park.
Our hike
began from a layby on the A470
(grid ref: SN956227) - a few miles north of the Storey Arms. It is quite a large layby with a picnic bench and information
boards - but no toilet or refreshment facilities. We made our way through a
wooden gate and into Craig Cerrig-gleisiad nature reserve.
A cheerful robin greets us
The beginning of the nature reserve
We continued
walking up a well laid path which was surrounded by deciduous trees and snow on
the ground. It's a fairly steep climb, a little uneven in places and
unfortunately not really suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. We reached
another gate and as we walked through we were presented with the most beautiful
winter wonderland.
The path from the layby
Going through the main gate into the reserve
A winter wonderland with very icy paths
Walking
through the reserve we were dwarfed by the overpowering steep crags of
Craig Cerrig-gleisiad. This fascinating landscape is the
result of the Ice Age 20,000 years ago and over time the ice carved the 150m
cliffs we see today.
We made
our way along the icy paths which kept disappearing under the thick snow. The
reserve is in continuous shade in the winter due to the massive cliffs creating
almost an amphirheater and
this meant that the paths were getting icier and there was no sign of the snow
melting. This shaded area creates perfect conditions for some rare arctic
plants that can only be found in this part of the Beacons. The cliffs are also
a favoured nesting place for peregrine falcons.
As we
climbed we turned around and were starting to get fantastic glimpse of Pen y
Fan and Corn Du - they were both covered in snow and you could see the
dark wintry clouds surrounding
the summits.
Corn Du and Pen y Fan in the distance
The
weather was starting to change quite dramatically and as we ventured uphill we
were caught in several spin drifts. The sky was turning black in parts and it
started snowing off and on, but we continued on the path.
We
inadvertently went off path a couple of times due to the snow cover, but
luckily we knew the area and managed to get back on track. We could just about
see the path in the distance and we followed it, passing the bare hawthorn
and rowen trees on the way.
We got to
our usual point where we would have a rest and a cup of tea…but the rock we
would usually sit down on was completely covered in snow. We didn't mind though
- we needed a rest and the views of Pen y Fan were beautiful.
The stormy sky
You can just about make out the path with rowen and hawthorn trees scattered across the landscape
Our rest point - with an awesome view of Pen Y Fan
After
warming up with a flask of tea and a Mars bar we continued up the mountain. The snow was getting extremely
thick in parts, almost knee deep! In the near distance we could see a cairn and
ventured towards it.
Dan battling against the thick snow
The snow was almost knee deep!
The cairn in the distance
When we
got to the cairn we once again had awesome views of Pen y Fan and Corn Du in
the distance. At this point you have an option to go one of two ways to the
summit of Fan Frynych: To the left
of the cairn is a ridge which we tried to walk, but the snow was far too thick
to see the path, so instead we went straight on (with the cairn behind
us).
Cairn
The sun begins to set
The ridge path was impossible to do due to it being so steep and full of thick snow
The route
we took to Fan Frynych didn’t
appear to have been touched by hikers for a while, which gave us great
satisfaction by making footprints in the unspoiled snow. With the path covered
in snow we had to rely on memories of previous visits to navigate to the stile
that takes you out of the reserve and onto Fan Frynych.
When we
eventually reached the stile the snow was coming down thick and fast with the
wind blowing a gale - it was the start of a blizzard!
Walking in untouched snow
The stile that leads out of the nature reserve and onto Fan Frynych
The two of us caught in a blizzard
It wasn't
long before we could see the trig point of Fan Frynych. The mountain is 629m above sea level and part of the
Forest Fawr section of the
Beacons. There is usually a well worn path that leads to the trig point, but
due to the snow we couldn't see it. So with the summit straight ahead of us and
watching where we were walking we headed straight for it.
I filmed
the walk to the trig point… it was freezing, windy and visibility was poor -
it wasn't very pleasant but definitely an experience! On top of the
blizzard we had to be aware that there were deep pools of water in this area,
so each step on the snow was risky.
Where did the path go? The trig point in the distance
Dan in the blizzard to the trig point
When we
finally got to the trig point the blizzard was in full force - it was so cold
and the wind was very strong. We got our obligatory trig point photos and then,
within ten minutes, the blizzard had ended and the sun came out which brought
blue sky and amazing 360 degree views. Please watch the video above to see what
we experienced on the summit.
The video of the walk to the summit
Me with the trig point
Dan in the Antarctic...errr actually Mid Wales :)
The Awesome Welsh Dragon trig point of Fan Frynych
We spent
a good few minutes up on the summit and as we were loosing light fast it was
time to make our way back down the mountain. The footprints we had left whilst
walking to the summit were now completely covered over due to the recent
snowfall, but eventually we got back to the icy path and then found the stile
to get back into the nature reserve.
Going
down was both fun and scary. When we have climbed this mountain previously the
path up is rocky, sometimes steep and very close to the edge - now it was completely covered with snow. We just had
to go for it and spent most of the incline sliding,
falling and just hoping for pot luck! We did however have a lot of fun
too... snowball fights, snowmen building and endless falls...the snow in the
Beacons was awesome!
Snowman!
Snowball fight anyone?
The sun
started setting whilst we descended creating
a beautiful pink and purple sky, it was also joined by a full moon.
We always
have a fantastic time when we visit the quieter side of the Beacons and it was
extra special in the snow. I would certainly recommend this area if you are fed
up with the large numbers of people on Pen y Fan - the walk is challenging but
you are rewarded with magnificent views of the National Park…and
solitude.
On a beautiful sunny evening in July we made our way to Dinefwr Park in Llandeilo to take part in a badger watch evening. We pre-booked by giving Dinefwr a ring and it cost just £7 each.
The badger evenings ran every Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 7pm from 2nd July to 9th August and were hosted by Mike Williams - a National Trust volunteer who had being volunteering for over 25 years.
The weather was perfect and we all met in the Dinefwr Park car park, next to the information hut. There were around 13 of us including Mike and we all made our way up to the hide passing the impressive Newton House on the way.
There were room for all of us to sit down in the hide and we look on as Mike scattered peanuts and other treats down for the badgers.
When Mike had finished laying out the food he came back into the hide where we all remained quiet, waiting patiently. Within a few minutes we saw a fox in the distance who was just passing through and several chaffinches and wrens. We waited patiently for about five minutes and got a glimpse of our first black and white visitor, followed shortly by two others. We were all absolutely delighted.
To the left of the hide we noticed some movement and there we saw several bank voles chomping on some seed Mike had left. They were running around and we were all mesmerised to be so near to these small (and usually illusive) creatures.
It was so fantastic to watch these wonderful badgers just enjoying the food and chilling out, you are literally only a few metres away from them and can get some great pics. I only have a small point and shoot camera, but my partner who has a super zoom bridge camera was getting spectacular pics and this event would be a wildlife photographers dream.
The whole setting was beautiful and the hide is situated in the deer park where herds of fallow deers graze. Dinefwr park is ideal for nature lovers and over the course of a few hours we were there we had seen an array of birds, deer, foxes, bank voles and of course badgers. The whole evening was really informative and Mike is a lovely gentleman who answered all of our questions - you get to learn all kinds of interesting facts about the badgers and the other wildlife in the park.
The evening finished around 9.30pm and as we all made our way back to the car park we were treated to the most beautiful sunset.
Unfortunately the badger evenings have now finished this year but hopefully they will do them again in 2015. I would highly recommend anyone who loves badgers and nature to definitely give it a go - it truly is magical to see these beautiful creatures getting the recognition they deserve and not the persecution they are currently receiving with the badger cull.
For more information on badger watch evenings visit Dinefwr's website here.
Check out my other Dinefwr blog that I wrote earlier this year for a full review on the park and castle. Click here.
