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Wales - Mynydd Du (Black Mountain) - Feb. 2006

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Bannau Sir Gaer (foreground) and Bannau Brycheiniog (horizon) - Collectively "Black Mountain"

Go straight to: Introduction | Llyn Y Fan Fach | Bannau Sir Gaer | Bannau Brycheiniog | Llyn Y Fan Fawr

Click on an image to see a larger size in Flickr

This is the third travelogue featuring visits to Wales and this time we spent a day hiking on Mynydd Du, known in English as Black Mountain.

Mynydd Du is located at the western end of the Brecon Beacons National Park and occupies a dramatic position above lesser foothills. Most hikers head for the big ones within the Brecon Beacons themselves, but Mynydd Du offers excellent hill walking with plenty of variety as well as two lakes.

In a Nutshell:

Date: February 11, 2006 (but some photos were taken in June 2004 - it's pretty obvious which ones!)

Weather: Partly cloudy skies, very cold southerly wind, frozen ground. Perfect winter hiking conditions

Route: Good trails to and from the Llanddeusant trailhead, with easy ridge walking on short tussocky grassland. Approximately 11 kms (7 miles) round trip. Strenuous in places but a good winter day hike (we took about 4-1/2 hours with a short stop for lunch).

Recommended? Absolutely without reservation. This is great hill walking country with a few tough stretches rewarded by superb views..

We were welcomed by an excellent sunrise as we drove up across the Cotswolds. This was a relatively easy winter day trip for us, particularly as the roads as far Brecon include an excellent motorway (M50) and dual carriageway (A40). After that the A40 is a reasonably good road as far as Llandovery. Side roads to Myddfi, Cross Hands and Llanddeusant get narrower and narrower but the drive is worth it!

We arrived at the trailhead near Llanddeusant at around 9:30 a.m. At Llanddeusant the trailhead is signposted "Llyn y Fan". The road becomes a gravel track that skirts the last property and then ends at a small car park.

The target can be seen from the car park and the north facing escarpment does live up to its name, even in summer - Black Mountain!

A good quality gravel road provides the trail up to Llyn y Fan Fach, a natural tarn that has been enlarged by a small dam for water storage.

Looking back down the trail we noticed that the clouds forming over Black Mountain were localized and the foothills to the north were bathed in sunshine. As is always the case in the UK you do wonder whether the weather will get better or worse as the day progresses, and at this time we were heading away from sunshine!

The trail here breaks away from the gravel road and aims for the eastern end of the dam. You can just as easily follow the gravel road all the way up to the dam.

The route we took and recommend is a figure 8 with the crossover at Pant y Bwlch, the saddle between the two halves of Black Mountain. The trail takes in all the main peaks of Black Mountain including the highest "twin peaks" on Bannau Brycheiniog at 802 meters (2,631 feet).

The toughest parts of the hike are around Pant y Bwlch but these are relatively easy by comparison with rocky mountains such as Cader Idris. The hike down from Pant y Bwlch toward the trailhead may not be so pleasant in snow as it is quite narrow and precipitous.

The Dam on Llyn y Fan Fach is quite small and fits in well with the scenery. Once used as a water supply, the old filter beds have a new life as a trout hatchery. The lake itself has been low for some time and it does not look as though the spillway at the top of the dam is ever used. Geologically there has been a lake here since the last Ice Age, so this is a natural tarn even though it looks artificial. We'll have more pictures later. . . .

As we hiked up the grassy slope west of the dam toward the main ridge the sun came out. What a difference between this phoito and the previous one! The trail here is quite soft in places in the summer but in the winter cold the ground was hard, almost frozen solid. There were a few other hikers but all day we saw only about two dozen people on the mountain.

Near the top of this steady climb the view starts to get interesting. Looking back the main north-facing escarpment becomes more and more dramatic, particularly with Llyn y Fan Fach in the foreground. A thin film of ice covered parts of the lake, not surprising as it rarely gets any sun during the winter months. Not much chance of the seeing the "Lady of the Lake"; folklore being what it is such a remote and forbidding place is bound to have its legends!

Llyn y Fan Fach. We like our mountain lakes and this one is one of our favorites even though it has been modified by man. The setting is quite magnificent and it looks very cold and foreboding in this view from the ridge above.

The engineering includes a canal system that captures water from the next stream to the east. This canal still operates today and is worth a visit on the way down from Pant y Bwlch.

The western end of Black Mountain is crowned by a summit 677 meters above sea level. The view on the right is from the slopes of Bannau Sir Gaer, to the east.

View east from the western (677 meters) summit. A few patches of sunlight broke through the clouds at this point and with a stiff southerly wind we hoped for even fewer clouds later on. This photo shows the dramatic escarpment of Carboniferous strata that dip south under the South Wales Coalfield.

The far distant north south ridge of Bannau Brycheiniog is also visible from this elevation.

This photo from near the top of Bannau Sir Gaer shows how the water from the adjacent stream is captured and brought to Llyn y Fan Fach by a small canal that follows the contours of the valley.

The view west from the summit of Bannau Sir Gaer (749 meters) includes both the western end of the ridge and the lake below. By this time most of the clouds overhead had cleared for a while. In fact, as the next photo clearly shows, we had no clouds overhead at all for a while!

Mynydd Du is on one of the main transatlantic flight paths out of London, so one jet after another was seen forming dramatic condensation trails above us. Here is a good example of a Boeing 747 quite clearly streaking west.

Immediately east of Bannaur Sir Gaer the escarpment plunges toward the saddle, Pant y Bwlch, that separates Bannau Sir Gaer from Bannau Brycheiniog. The hike down is hard on your knees as it is quite steep. At the saddle we looked for some shelter and ate lunch with the wind howling through the gap and heavier clouds rolling in. This location is a good "shall we press on or return?" decision point and in this case, if only to gain some warmth we decied to hike on up Bannau Brycheiniog and complete the high peaks in one day.

Pant y Bwlch will be visited again but for now the rather bleak scene at lunch began to improve for a while.

The view back from the trail up to Bannau Brycheiniog shows Bannau Sir Gaer in all its glory with the steep trail descending down to Pant y Bwlch.

It also shows that Black Mountain really does stand tall among the lesser hills to the north, south and west.

Bannau Brycheiniog is the highest point on Black Mountain. Actually there are two highest points, both 802 meters above sea level. the southern one (here) has a trig point and wind shelter while the northern summit has a cairn (visible above the trig point in this photo).

The escarpment here runs north south with the steep face on the east. And awaiting us, below the cliffs, was the second lake, Llyn y Fan Fawr.

Here is Llyn y Fan Fawr from the summit. This is a delighful lake which must look beautiful with the morning sun.

All the features atop Bannau Brycheiniog in one scene! The Flickr photo has notes

Bannau Brycheiniog and Llyn y Fan Fawr

Llyn y Fan Fawr from the northern summit of Bannau Brycheiniog, a view looking to the southeast with Fforest Fawr as the backdrop. A second trailhead exists at a parking spot on the road from Trecastle to Abercraf (OS grid reference approx. SN 856 224). The trail from here to the lake is described as being a bit wet and not continuous. We'll be trying it out soon and will report on it when we do.

Foel Fan remained the last significant peak of the day. This is the northern end of the Bannau Brycheiniog escarpment and in many ways it looks more impressive from below than it does from its neighbors. The walk over from Bannau Brycheiniog is easy. A very unusal cairn awaits, a tiny stack of about four stones surrounded by a circle of debris.

The view to the west was dramatic as darker clouds rolled in. So we called it a day and started the trek back down to Pant y Bwlch.

The trail down from Pant y Bwlch is probably the most difficult of the route. It is not dangerous but in a few places the path is starting to erode and a missed footing would be nasty. It generally has the texture of a good sheep trail but there are one to two places where there are quite large steps in the trail. Several overhangs are present, like the one to the right with several very nicely preserved icicles!

From here the path crosses a level area to the canal system and then continues on the left of the stream until it meets the road. This trail does seem to peter out to ward the end and you have to follow your nose to find the best way down! Then it is a short walk past the trout hatchery to the trailhead.

Finally, here is a photo from June 2004 showing what the mountains look like in summer!

Links and FAQs

The following links are recommended for those planning to visit Mynydd Du (Black Mountain).

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map OL12

Brecon Beacons National Park

V-G's cross country trip (a FocalPlane recommended site)

What equipment should you take on a hike to Mynydd Du?

Depending on the time of year, you should prepare for the worst conditions possible, even if there is not a cloud in sight at 6 a.m. and the weather forecast is good. Weather patterns can change quickly. We saw several weather patterns come and go in winter and things could have been very different if the clouds had descended on the peaks.

The obvious items for cold weather include hat, neck gaiter or scarf, several layers including wicking t-shirt, good quality waterproof jacket/anorak, gloves (preferably waterproof), trousers (polartec or similar in cold weather) with waterproofs over (strongly recommend Marmot brand as they breathe), liner socks under thick hiking socks, and finally good quality hiking boots with ankle support. Additional equipment should include map and compass, whistle, additional water and rations for an emergency, as well as a lightweight foil emergency blanket.

Useful equipment should include shades (as much for the wind as the sun), GPS, multi-purpose knife, staff or stick, first aid kit, lip balm, small flashlight and spare batteries

Optional items would include a camera, binoculars and swimsuit (summer only!).

Isn't GPS "cheating"?

Not really, but always think of GPS as a back up, not an essential tool. Batteries fail. Besides you still need a map and compass, even with a GPS unit. Look at it this way, with dense fog and no land marks visible, wouldn't a previously entered waypoint or two be useful in getting you off the mountain?

Any recommendations on food for the trip?

The trailhead is remote but has a nice area for a picnic in the summer. You really have to take food into the area unless you are staying locally (such as Llandovery). The nearest pub is the Cross Hands and we met the new (16 weeks) landlord when we stopped in for a pot of tea on the way home. We have great hopes for this pub which has a pub food menu (except on days when wales plays rugby internationals!)

What about camping?

There are several caravan and camp sites nearby as well as a YHA youth hostel at Llandeussant. We have not checked them out.

Bivouac camping on the mountain is definitely a possibility but remember that this is a national park and the owners almost certainly will not give you permission. We noted numerous good spots to wild camp (using the wildcamping etiquette of pitching late in the day, striking camp early in the morning).

What do you recommend for a first timer to Mynydd Du? What will you do next time?

The trails we took are the best introduction to the Berwyns. If this is too long, the second loop of the figure 8 can be left off.

We will probably hike in from the east next time and take in the north south ridge as well as Llyn y Fan Fawr. This would be a nice summertime hike.

What about public transport?

The nearest train station is Llandovery. This attractive line has connections to Shrewsbury and Birmingham. A faster service from London to swansea would work but there is still the problem of getting to the trailheads.

Local bus services do not extend up to places like the trailheads mentioned above. Black Mountain is more remote than it looks on a map of Wales!

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