Our first day walk of the academic year took us to the black mountains in South Wales. After an early start in Bath we arrived at the foot of the Grwyne Fawr Reservoir where 21 brave mountaineers and a hardy Welshman with the OS Maps app set off in high spirits on our 16km route, in search of some snow. One group quickly encountered a waterfall, which is only comparable in size to that of the Niagara falls, while the other was left to do some jungle bashing in the dense welsh forestry.
Both obstacles were quickly negotiated and a push for the first summit of the day ensued. At the top of their respective summits, one group were treated to some spectacular views while the other were treated to some tour guiding info courtesy of Wikipedia.
As the groups gained altitude, we traded the footpath for snowy landscapes which presented a new challenge. Snow reached waist deep in places with lone disorientated ramblers on the hill claiming they had seen a whole human consumed by snow drifts over 2m in depth. Thanks to the skill of the group leaders and global positioning services, no Bath student suffered this fate. Both groups pushed on to the high point of the day, Waun Fach.
After a huge knee slide by Conor (the likes of which a premier league footballer would've been proud of) everyone pushed on, completed the route and returned back to the car park before darkness descended. A great effort by all considering the conditions under foot.
A huge thanks must be paid to Rob for organising the trip and selecting a stunning route. Thanks to Vicky, Conor, Emily and Joe for driving, especially on the country roads of Monmouthshire.
Glad to see everyone had a great time and hope to see you all back out on the hill soon.
Cheers
A hardy Welshman. JB