Tag Archives: brecon beacons national park

Brecon Beacons: a frozen ridge-top walk

Posted on February 15, 2015 by BarryH

It has been grey and damp most days since I arrived home. But not all. A modest snowfall followed by a week of continuing low temperatures meant that when the sun was forecast to come out for a day I … Continue reading →

Posted in Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Photography, Pontypool, Wales, Weather | Tagged Abergavenny, Abergavenny and Brecon Canal, blue sky, brecon beacons, brecon beacons national park, climate change, snow, Wales | 4 Comments

I was attacked by an airport: an unexpectedly wild walk

Posted on December 15, 2014 by BarryH

I did nothing to antagonise it. Malevolence on its part is the only explanation. That or ‘smart’ technology out of control. Which is even more frightening. I was on my home from Greece in the latter part of October. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Greece, Grumpy Old Men, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales | Tagged Abergavenny, Athens airport, brecon beacons national park, clouds, escalators, injuries, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, Pontypool Park, Shell Grotto, sunset, Wales | 1 Comment

Autumn gold in Old South Wales

Posted on December 1, 2014 by BarryH

You can’t live life looking to the past. After a few weeks under grey skies reminding myself of Symi summer sun it’s time to focus on the present and look to the future. The turning point was when yet another … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Landscape, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Nature, Wales | Tagged Abergavenny-Brecon Canal, Autumn gold, brecon beacons national park, Folly Tower, Holly, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, Scarlet Hood fungi, sunset, Wales | 2 Comments

Symi: back to a waterhole in the desert

Posted on November 10, 2014 by BarryH

During the summer on Symi and the other islands I visited, I went walking in the mountains every day. Since I have been home I have been out very little even though I live at the edge of the Brecon … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Pontypool, Reflections, Spring, Wildlife | Tagged aquifers, biarum marmarisense, brecon beacons national park, dragonflies, goat paths, Greece, Green Toads, Gria, Horio, hornets, Pedi, Pedi Valley, ponds, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, rainfall, Red-veined Darter, Symi, Wales, water hole, water levels, windmills | 2 Comments

Spring in Wales and Greece

Posted on March 26, 2014 by BarryH

Sunday afternoon, 23 March and the sun was shining. The sun has only put in the occasional appearance recently. Heavy showers in the morning had cleared and blue sky beckoned. One of the great benefits of living at the edge … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Nature, Pontypool, Spring, Wales, Winter | Tagged Abergavenny and Brecon Canal, brecon beacons national park, Greece, Hydra, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, Pontypool RFC, Saronics, snow, spring flowers, Symi, Wales | 5 Comments

Brief gaps in the clouds: Seasons Greetings

Posted on December 24, 2013 by BarryH

With the weather largely grey and wet, expected to be an increasingly typical manifestation of climate change in northern Europe, combined with preparations for Christmas and meeting up with friends before I head off on my travels again, there has … Continue reading →

Posted in Grey Britain, Landscape, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales, Winter | Tagged brecon beacons national park, crepuscular rays, Pontypool Folly Tower, Pontypool Park, Pontypool Shell Grotto, storm damage, sunrise | Leave a comment

A walk to the pub

Posted on November 17, 2013 by BarryH

“What time do you call this?” Predictable response, given that I had arranged with friends to meet up for a pub lunch at 12.00 and arrived at 13.45. The thing is, I had decided to walk. My ‘local’ is thirty … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Nature, Pontypool, Wales | Tagged Abergavenny, arson, brecon beacons national park, Foxhunter car park, fungi, Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, Mynydd Garn Wen, paragliding, peat soil, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, pub lunch, The Blorenge, The Skirrid, The Sugar Loaf, Wales | Leave a comment

A Really Wild Walk.

Posted on November 3, 2013 by BarryH

Saturday and the weather forecast for the end of the afternoon was for winds in this corner of South Wales comparable with those of St Jude Storm last weekend, wind speeds of 25 mph with gusts double that and heavy … Continue reading →

Posted in Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales | Tagged brecon beacons national park, hiking, horizontal rain, Mynydd Garn Wen, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, trekking, wild wind | 1 Comment

Going to extremes

Posted on October 31, 2013 by BarryH

It has been good to look back on my time in Greece during the summer, trekking in the mountains, swimming in the Aegean, warm sunshine …….. but life can’t be lived in the past. It’s time to refocus. I like … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Wales | Tagged autumn, autumn colours, brecon beacons national park, Great Storm of 1987, mushrooms, Mynydd Garn Wen, St Jude Storm, Wales, waterfall country, waterfalls, winds | 2 Comments

Brecon Beacons: waterfalls and pleasures revisited.

Posted on August 16, 2013 by BarryH

For over two weeks now I’ve been non-stop busy in the garden. The physically most demanding job has been cutting hedges because some of them are 15-20 feet high. That means erecting, dismantling (English is sometimes very strange, why not … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Wales | Tagged adventure, aqua tramping, brecon beacons, brecon beacons national park, courgettes, fasolakia, french beans, gardening, Glossop, greek dishes, Hayfield, Hepste, litigation, Mellte, Nedd Fechan, Peak District, Pontypool Folly Tower, potatoes, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd Pannwr, Sgwd yr Eira, trig point, waterfall country, waterfalls | Leave a comment