Tuesday, our third day in the Brecon Beacons, started with a bit of a mishap in misreading the map and heading towards Abergavenny instead of the Brecon Beacons National Park Visitor Centre. A very scenic detour it was, though, and we got there eventually.
The Visitor Centre is located at Mynydd Illtyd, an area of common land with great views of Pen y Fan, the tallest mountain in the Beacons. Grabbed a drink and a slice of millionaires shortbread from the cafe and basked in the sunshine for a bit before getting some tips from the very helpful ladies in the shop regarding good walks.
We were pointed in the direction of the Twyn y Gaer hill fort at the northern end of the common with the promise of brilliant 360 degree views. It had, by this point, turned into quite a hot, clear day and the dogs were already struggling a bit in the heat. Kept pouring water on them to keep them a bit cooler.
It was an easy walk up to the fort, of which there is very little left. You can see why it was chosen though - the views, as promised, are amazing. Pen y Fan, off to the east.
Views north up the valley towards Brecon.
And more of the Beacons to the west.
The dogs loved it. Indeed, Henry was so relaxed (and maybe just a little bit tired and warm) that he laid down for a quick snooze.
Oh, and there were some sheep. I really want to get a shot of the sheep that seemed to be creeping up on us through the bracken, but she ran away before I could get my camera out. Here they are enjoying the shade under this old tree instead.
Anyways, we lounged around at the fort for an hour, forgetting how clear it was and then headed back down to the Visitor Centre, where we ate our packed lunch outside the cafe. My sister treated us to ice cream and even the dogs got a little bit - licking out the empty tubs. It must have been good - they were giving me the gooey eyes even after they'd had their faces in my tub.
Then it was back to the cottage for a nice relaxed evening and the realisation that we'd all got sunburnt. Oops.
The next day dawned with tender shoulders where we'd all caught the sun and another directional mishap on our way to the Waterfalls Centre on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Turns out the mishap wasn't much of a mishap and probably took us a much more scenic route than the one my mum had planned on taking.
It took us up over the top of the Beacons towards Penderyn, through beautiful uplands dotted with sheep and the occasional mountain pony. I also spotted some sort of bird of prey, but I'm still struggling to identify what it was - grey, possibly with a black tipped tail. I think I've got it down to a peregrine, goshawk or (highly unlikely) hen harrier. Will never know.
Brief stop at Penderyn to check we were heading the right way (which we were) and then onwards to Pontneddfechan and the Waterfall Centre. Ended up not going into the centre, but headed straight up the River Neath to see the waterfalls. After the hot sun the day before, it was lovely to be able to walk in the shade for a while. Really peaceful and occasionally hilarious watching the dogs trying to avoid the puddles.
First of the falls was Sgwd Gwladys. Plenty of people enjoying the water, but I imagine it must be amazing when it's quieter.
And then onwards up a narrowing path to the next set of falls. The path up to Sgwd Gwladys is a bit uneven but probably accessible with a pushchair. After that, the path gets riddled with tree roots, narrow and quite steep and/or muddy in places. Very pretty though.
Made it up to the next falls, which are showing up as Horseshoe Falls on GoogleMaps, but I seem to recall them having a Welsh name too... Anyway, there were quite a few people enjoying the sun there too - there's a big chunk of bare rock next to the river that was catching all the heat.
Nice view up the river towards the next falls too. We decided against going up to those - the dogs were getting tired from all the scrambling their little legs were having to do and we were in need of a drink.
Headed instead back the way we came and then to the Angel Inn for a drink and something to eat. Lovely blueberry muffins that we then had to defend from some very persistent wasps. The dogs enjoyed themselves - they got fussed over by a couple of slightly tipsy Welshmen who seemed to be fascinated by them.
Refreshed, we started heading back to the cottage for the evening but found ourselves making a quick detour to Garwnant Visitor Centre for a cuppa. Some gorgeous views from there as well, none of which I managed to snap. So there's this one instead. Sun! In Wales! For the second day on the trot!
Yeah, I was impressed.
The day came to a glorious end with my first ever sighting of the Perseid meteor shower. The Brecon Beacons are a Dark Sky Reserve, so combined with the weather being clear and the moon being new, the views were amazing. Standing outside at 11pm staring at the sky shouldn't be so amazing, but seeing those meteors streak across the sky is one hell of an experience.
Find part 1 of my Wales trip here: Cake, sun and travelling with dogs
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