On a pleasant late September morning, punctuated with pulses of rain, a select group of five and a dog gathered at the Taffarn y Garreg pub for our walk up on the Carmarthen Fans.
Fortified, we climbed the steep path up to the top of the ridge and the 802m summit of Fan Brycheiniog. Here we met Graham, a lone walker and a member of the Western Beacons Mountain Rescue Team. I had seen him earlier when we were preparing ourselves at the start. Now, on the top, he asked if he could join and walk with us. He did until we started the climb up Picws Du, where he ventured off again, on his own. I looked round to see where he was heading but he was nowhere to be seen, swallowed up by the vastness of the landscape. It reminded me of the production of Adrian’s Wall, a play I saw at Malvern a couple of years ago. In it there is a character, Stuart, a veteran of the Iraq war, who, unable to settle down to normal life, walked backwards and forwards along Hadrian’s Wall, latching on to other walkers and camping along the way. Was Graham a similar character, who was intrinsically part of the landscape, appearing and disappearing at will? I wonder?
When I did this walk a few weeks ago I hardly made mention of any river crossings. That was because there was not sufficient water to warrant comment. Shortly after second lunch we had to cross the river by which we had been seated. This was not a wide river but it was more than a single pace to get across, and because there was a greater volume of fast flowing water, many of the rocks that had been available for me previously were now submerged. We paced up and down the bank looking for opportunity, trying one or two out, retreating for fear of slipping on the wet rocks and spending the rest of the walk with sodden boots. Eventually we found suitable crossing points and I jokingly said that this was good preparation for the last river near the end of the walk. It turned out not to be a joke. This river was significantly bigger, wider, deeper and faster flowing than all the others. Needless to say, not everybody escaped without getting their feet wet. At least Juno, the dog, enjoyed the crossing and was not fussed about getting wet. One of the outcomes of having to negotiate the rivers was that it added about an hour to the length of the walk.
After seven and a half hours we returned to our cars for the lengthy journey home. It had been a super walk, proving yet again that you don’t have to have perfect conditions to have a memorable experience. The showers sweeping in on strong winds actually enhanced the day. It was well worth the longer than usual journey at either end of it. Those that missed it, well look at the pictures to realise just what you missed.
What a beautifully written summary of our day. Thanks very much John for leading it and organising it – I really enjoyed everyone’s company and the views were as magnificent as you described. The rivers were memorable – especially the last – but thankfully it wasn’t too far from there to the car squelching in wet boots! I would very much like to join you and others on future treks and only regret not doing so earlier. Hope all goes well in Spain. Best wishes and many thanks again.