Sugar Loaf Walk Yesterday
Yesterday I went walking near Abergavenny in Wales. My goal was the summit of Sugar Loaf, north of town. On the way there I was seriously worried about not being able to walk because the fog was very thick. But the sun came out and burned away the worst of it. What was left was photogenic rather than dangerous, as you can see below.
I parked at Pen-yr-heol and walked down into the woods in St. Mary's Vale. This is the view that greeted me as I entered the woodlands.
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Forest stream in aforestwhisper
Close-up of forest stream in waterflow
Climbing up again on the other side, the woodland had changed to mostly oak. These are probably sessile oak, Quercus petraea, rather than regular oak, Q. robur. They're known for growing on hillsides in Wales.
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Beeches on the hillside in iamthelorax
As I was cresting the ridge of Rholben, I got my first view of the goal of the walk, Sugar Loaf. As you can see, the cloud was quite low. The summit of Sugar Loaf is at 596m. That's about 2,000 feet in old money.
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At the end of the ridge, where the mountain starts, I looked back on the ridge I'd come from. This is where the fog is photogenic, rather than dangerous. There have been a few mountain rescues on Sugar Loaf but this hill isn't nearly as dangerous as Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn.
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Looking in the direction I'm heading, the weather looks quite clear.
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There was a raven, Corvux corax, circling the summit. It just flew round and round, cawing as it went. It was lovely to see. Apparently Wales has some of the highest densities of ravens in the world.
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Another regular denizen of hillsides -- sheep. I love how almost monochromatic this photo turned out.
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Another look back at the ridge I came from, this time from a higher vantage point. You can see the path snaking its way through the heather. The sheep in the previous photo are visible in the distance on the left. The higher ridge on the left is called Deri on my Ordnance Survey map.
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I made it! I'm up on the frosty summit, looking north-west. The ridge on the left is Mynydd Pen-y-fal, the one on the right is Blaen-yr-henbant. The summit that just pokes up through the clouds is probably Pen Cerrig-calch at 701m. It was very cold up there but I sat in lee of the trig point and had some chocolate before heading down again.
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I had approached Sugar Loaf from the south but I descended to the south-west. The plan was to turn south along the top of Mynydd Lllanwenarth. Here you see the same ridges and tops as from the previous photos but with the rocky-strewn side of Sugar Loaf in the foreground.
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Rock and the ridge I came from in naturesbeauty
As I was looking back up toward the summit, the moon had risen above it.
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Moon rise over Sugar Loaf with sheep in fourelements
It was getting late and the setting sun was colouring the red bracken on the side of the mountain.
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I parked at Pen-yr-heol and walked down into the woods in St. Mary's Vale. This is the view that greeted me as I entered the woodlands.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
Forest stream in aforestwhisper
Close-up of forest stream in waterflow
Climbing up again on the other side, the woodland had changed to mostly oak. These are probably sessile oak, Quercus petraea, rather than regular oak, Q. robur. They're known for growing on hillsides in Wales.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
Beeches on the hillside in iamthelorax
As I was cresting the ridge of Rholben, I got my first view of the goal of the walk, Sugar Loaf. As you can see, the cloud was quite low. The summit of Sugar Loaf is at 596m. That's about 2,000 feet in old money.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
At the end of the ridge, where the mountain starts, I looked back on the ridge I'd come from. This is where the fog is photogenic, rather than dangerous. There have been a few mountain rescues on Sugar Loaf but this hill isn't nearly as dangerous as Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
Looking in the direction I'm heading, the weather looks quite clear.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
There was a raven, Corvux corax, circling the summit. It just flew round and round, cawing as it went. It was lovely to see. Apparently Wales has some of the highest densities of ravens in the world.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
Another regular denizen of hillsides -- sheep. I love how almost monochromatic this photo turned out.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
Another look back at the ridge I came from, this time from a higher vantage point. You can see the path snaking its way through the heather. The sheep in the previous photo are visible in the distance on the left. The higher ridge on the left is called Deri on my Ordnance Survey map.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
I made it! I'm up on the frosty summit, looking north-west. The ridge on the left is Mynydd Pen-y-fal, the one on the right is Blaen-yr-henbant. The summit that just pokes up through the clouds is probably Pen Cerrig-calch at 701m. It was very cold up there but I sat in lee of the trig point and had some chocolate before heading down again.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
I had approached Sugar Loaf from the south but I descended to the south-west. The plan was to turn south along the top of Mynydd Lllanwenarth. Here you see the same ridges and tops as from the previous photos but with the rocky-strewn side of Sugar Loaf in the foreground.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
Rock and the ridge I came from in naturesbeauty
As I was looking back up toward the summit, the moon had risen above it.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
Moon rise over Sugar Loaf with sheep in fourelements
It was getting late and the setting sun was colouring the red bracken on the side of the mountain.
Wallpaper, feel free to use
