TR: Bannau Sir Gaer

Having been tricked by the forecast last weekend, I had a go at the
Bannau Sir Gaer this Sunday. I parked just before the end of the yellow
road from Llanddeusant to Llyn y Fan Fach. It is possible to drive a
bit further (only the steep section leading to the dam is closed to
traffic), but I didn't fancy the slog up the hydroelectric road.
Instead, I went down to the river
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06051401bAfonSychlwch.jpg
and then up the grassy slope that leads directly onto the western end
of the Bannau Sir Gaer ridge.

Soon the famous view of Llyn y Fan Fach surrounded by the cliffs was
reached:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06051406bLlynYFanFach.jpg
It was rather hazy despite a cold wind at least on higher ground.
The rock strata near the cliff tops are quite interesting:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06051412bBannauSirGaerStrata.jpg
The crumbly red sandstone is topped by a cover of some more solid
layered grey stone.

At Picws Du I was amazed at the view down the cliff; it was almost as
if I had the map spread out in front of me:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06051414bViewFromPicwsDu.jpg

I met a few other walkers as I moved east and then south along the
edge; most of them east of Bwlch Blaen Twrch, which is probably the
natural turning point if you start at Glyntawe in the east.

I had lunch perched on top of the cliffs south of Llyn y Fan Fawr:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06051417bLlynYFanFawr.jpg
and then began the way back along the eastern shore of the llyn and
along the foot of the cliffs. I had worked out that I needed to
stay near the 640m contour to avoid streams and bogs, but there was a
faint path most of the way anyway, although it is not shown on the map.

At the bottom of Fan Foel I turned north to have a look at the two
stone circles on Cefn Disgwylfa and Waun Lwyd, but both are rather
disappointing. Some horses and a foal roaming freely on the rough
grassland were more interesting.

On the way back down the glacial origins of this landscape become
obvious. All the valleys are deeply carved out although the streams
in them are rather mediocre these days, and lots of large rounded
boulders and the steep banks of the Afon Sychlwch indicate that this
is the end moraine of what must have been a sizeable glacier:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06051432bBrestYFedw.jpg

A great day in better-than-anticipated weather in hills that benefit
from missing the 914m mark!
--
Rudi Winter, Aberystwyth, Wales
.