UK Mountains Expedition Report

Abergavenny is a great jumping off point for the Black Mountains and it is perfectly possible to have a great day out without being too far from (so called) civilisation.

The winter of 2009 was a great one for those of us who love the mountains in the snow and so it was that I found myself heading down to Abergavenny one cold morning in December for a day in the mountains.

Given the conditions, it seemed like the safest form of transport would be the train. I could take it directly to Abergavenny and be there for 9:00am. Ideal!

I'd planned a walk that would start from the station and be in the countryside as quickly as possible. There is a footpath that starts from the bridge over the railway line at the station itself and after crossing the A465 is out in the wilds pretty much straight away.

Despite a heavy snowfall, the train was more or less on time and I arrived at Abergavenny a few minutes past nine. As I disembarked I was immediately hit by the cold air and wasted no time donning my trusty down jacket which I would keep on for the whole day. Now I am not one that normally feels the cold so was surprised to find that even with a brisk walk I was not warming up! My trusty beanie and gloves were barely doing the trick - I hoped for some uphill to assist in the warming process and it wasn't long before I had just that.

Circuiting a large woodland I picked out the electricity pylons that I would follow onwards and upwards towards my first summit of Ysgyryd (pronounced Skirrid) some 7-8km away as the crow flew. Sadly today there were no crows flying and the route was anything but straight. Not to worry, I was here for a day out.

With all the snow on the ground and the lack of other walkers, I was breaking trail as I crossed the fields towards my destination. The paths were sometimes a little difficult to find at times and the crossings between fields sometimes hidden from view initially but I pressed on regardless.

Eventually I began the climb to the summit of Skirrid but found myself heading along rather than up so took the decision to gain some serious height and took the cross-country route directly upwards. After all, I had to gain the height at some point, so it might as well be sooner rather than later. With the extra effort, I finally felt warm enough to remove my down jacket but stowed in the lid of my sac - I would need it as soon as I crested the ridge I was sure of that! I was right, once I came over the rise the wind started to blow so I quickly put my jacket back on, plus hat and gloves to walk the last 600 - 800m to the final summit.

The views made the effort well worth it, but as I looked across to Sugar Loaf, my next destination, I noticed the cloud coming in and the summit starting to vanish - ho hum, another day in the mountains! At least I had good views from here.

Due to the fact it was quite cold and the wind blowing, I decided I would get off the summit before stopping for lunch. Unfortunately Skirrid had other ideas and the route I wanted to take was just impossible due to the ice and snow. A fall here would be serious at the best of times coupled with the fact that I had seen no-one since leaving the railway station several hours ago meant I was doubly careful to avoid any kind of injury or fall. Retracing my steps I came to easier ground but no path. I had no choice but to tough it out and head down through the scrub. It is always hard work across this type of terrain and the addition of snow made the going even harder - I was not going to get cold! Eventually I came to a path which was heading in the direction I wanted so following it I began to lose height rapidly finally emerging on a small road. Following this down I found a convenient place to stop for lunch. Looking back, I could see my descent route.

I had a flask of hot water and a couple of cup-a-soups, so tucked into that plus a sandwich. For dessert I had a Snickers. Suitably fed and watered I soon departed. Even here in the shelter I cooled off quickly.

The next stage was to cross the A465 again, followed by the railway line and then start the long haul up onto Sugar Loaf, which had, by now disappeared into the mist. The summit would be a target and nothing more. I didn't expect a view!

There is an extensive path network on Sugar Loaf, but unfortunately in these conditions the paths were extremely difficult to find, so I took the view that, provided I was heading up, I'd be going in the right direction. Eventually I came out of the wooded section that characterised the lower slopes and found myself on a path that seemed to be going in the wrong direction, but as the limit of visibility was about 20 - 30m at best it was hard to know exactly where the summit was. I decided to check and took out my GPS which I had pre-programmed with all the important way-points of the walk just in case I needed to check. I was right, the path was heading in the wrong direction but, checking the map, realised that in fact it came around and would eventually take me up.

In these conditions, I had no choice but to follow the path. Taking a direct route would be just too tough. It was a frustrating time spent seeming to circle around the top gaining height slowly. I decided to leave the GPS on and it told me I was approaching the summit. Feeling good I pressed on, only to discover that the path took me away from the summit before swinging round and up.

Once on the final climb it got considerably colder and I began to wonder whether I should bother or just head down, but I was made of sterner stuff and had to finish!

I stayed long enough to take a photo of the trig point plaque, placed there by the local mountain rescue team, then headed down. Like Skirrid earlier, the mountain had other ideas and it took me several tries to locate the descent route. Unfortunately the only possible route off took me North and I needed to be going South West so abandoned the path and began to swing around across rough ground. There were no paths so it was a cross-country route but I knew the direction I was headed would bring me onto the path I needed to take me down in the direction I needed to go. It was starting to snow now and I decided that the quickest way off would be the one I would take. Keen not to make any mistakes at this stage, I selected the GPS setting that would take me down towards Abergavenny, some 8-10km distant and headed on. The snow by now was coming down faster so, stopping at a convenient shelter, I donned my waterproofs, grabbed a Snickers bar and headed down with a combination of jogging and fast walking. It was a long route down before I came off the hill and onto tarmac. I knew I would need to just keep going and I would come into Abergavenny but even so, it seemed to take forever. I daren't slow down, I was just about warm enough and slowing would bring on a chill that would slow me further.

In Abergavenny, the traffic had pretty much come to a standstill due to the snow and I found myself passing car after car stuck in the jam that had been bought on by the inclement weather. It had occurred to me that I could make the 4:00pm train if I didn't hang about so pressed on as fast as I could.

Walking into the railway station, I checked the time; 3:58pm! I had made it. A few minutes later the train arrived and I was on my way home, watching the snowy countryside speeding past into the gloom and eventual dark.

I had had a great day out. It had been cold, windy and the views could have been better, but the morning had been great, I'd got some fresh air and had that feeling of tiredness that you only get from being out in the open. All I had to do now was to relax, keep warm and try not to think about the 30 minute walk I had ahead of me from the train station to home.