Well it has been almost 3 years since my last visit to the Brecons (Bannau Brycheiniog) and it was a long overdue return. As mentioned on my last walk around the Granite Way and Meldon reservoir, my next outing would be Wales. As with last time I visited these parts (and for that matter when I visit the Lakes) I wanted a walk before hitting the accommodation. A bit of planning was needed as Linda was visiting her parents near Blackpool, and I was driving up from Plymouth, we were staying around Ebbw Vale so needed a walk on the way in. I chose the Abergavenny area and Ysgyryd Fawr (Skirrid Fawr) as the objective, as this is a good little hill giving good views. There are a number of good hills around the Brecons, and alongside Sugar Loaf this one is the best. Having passed on the postcode to Linda, I sat in the car park expecting her arrival. I rang her to see where she was, to find out she’d passed me by 20 mins or so heading to Brynmawr and for the postcode of the hotel. A bit of corrective maintenance from me got Linda back on track, and we were off walking 30 mins later. The weather wasn’t ideal for long distance views with plenty of low cloud and mist, but luckily none of the low cloud hit Ysgyryd Fawr and there was even a bit of sun spearing through the cloud over Abergavenny. We’d chosen wisely by being in the east as the worst of the rain was in the west, something that would continue for our time in the Brecons. As for Ysgyryd Fawr, its a steep little hill, from all sides and you will certainly be huffing and puffing on the way up. Its just a short climb though and before long you will have some great views, and being detached slightly from the main bulk of the Black Mountains means you feel higher than you are, saying that you are nearly 500 metres up so its a great view on a clear day. Any descent will be steep, so we took our time down a steep slippery path, to then follow another path around the base on the western side. this was again very muddy and we were covered below the knees. Still a great way to start a few days away with this little cracker of a summit.

Start – NT car park by B4521

Route – Caer Wood – Beacons Way – Ysgyryd Fawr – Path under Ysgyryd Fawr – Caer Wood – NT car park

Distance – 3.5 miles  Start time – 2pm  Time taken – 2hrs 15mins Highest Point – Ysgyryd Fawr 486 metres

Weather – Cloudy with lower cloud around