Three Pens and a Table

The forecast promised us good weather but as i drove down the M50, with the roof off, the skies were pretty leaden and it was quite chilly. By the time I reached Crickhowell the cloud had begun to lift, break up and clear, revealing bright sunshine.

Approaching the Darren with Table Mountain and Sugarloaf behind

Approaching the Darren with Table Mountain and Sugarloaf behind

There were eleven of us and a dog as we set out from the car park, working our way through the Darren housing estate towards Cwm Cumbeth. This is a lovely tree-lined valley just to the west of Table Mountain, which brings you out on to the open hillside beneath the massif that is the three Pens. Heading west, we climbed further towards The Darren, an outcrop of rock just below the plateau. By now the sun was shining and we decided to sit, just below the crest for “first” lunch, overlooking the Usk Valley and Crickhowell. Although this was a little earlier than planned it proved a sensible choice as there was still a chill wind on the top.

The view north

The view north

Once on the plateau the going was much easier as we followed the southwestern edge of the plateau towards our first pen, Pen Gloch-y-pibwr. From here there are superb views to the north, of moorland hilltops with a patchwork necklace of fields around their shoulders. The Dragon’s Back Ridge rose via several humps towards the Black Mountains high point, Waun Fach. The surrounding hills were so dry the grass had the colour of August rather than the fresh colours of spring. There were no mud sections along the route and any streams were running extremely low for the time of year.

Having climbed our first pen, a journey that took approximately three hours, the others came more quickly. Following the north westerly edge of the plateau, we soon reached Pen Allt-mawr, the highest point of the walk at 719m. From here we could look across the four main ridges of the Black Mountains towards the hazy Malverns, some fifty miles away to the east.

Preparing to leave after "second" lunch

Preparing to leave after “second” lunch

Shortly after setting south towards the third and final Pen, we dropped just below the ridge line for “second” lunch, where we could enjoy the view in glorious sunshine while being out of the wind. It was very relaxed with nobody wanting to rush off; it was much too pleasant to want this walk to come to an early end. Eventually, we had to prize ourselves away and climb the third pen, Pan Cerrig-calch. From here we had lovely views of the southern half of the Black Mountains, Sugarloaf, Skirrid and to the south the hills above Llangattock. To the west the larger Brecon Beacons stood out distinctly.

Approaching Table Mountain

Approaching Table Mountain

All we had to do now was descend to Table Mountain, an isolated plateau that had once been a defensive outpost with extensive views up and down the Usk Valley. It had never been a permanent settlement, because of the lack of water, but it was a very useful lookout, a place to store supplies and a handy retreat in case of need. The ascent all round is steep and with defensive ditches all round it would have been difficult for any aggressor to attack.

Our final descent brought us back to Crickhowell and a swift drink in the Bear before heading home. A fitting end to a glorious day of Black Mountain walking.

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