The Brecon Beacons & the Black Mountains
Today I thought I'd share a few pictures from a recent hiking trip I made to the beautiful Brecon Beacons in Wales. This is a stunningly beautiful area that's very close to my heart and as such it's a place I try to visit as often as possible. Although the national park takes it's name from it's central mountain range the area in itself is comprised of four distinct ranges. The ranges are The Black Mountains (which is where my pictures are taken) The Brecon Beacons, Fforest Fawr and To add confusion the non plural Black Mountain.
The park covers over 520 square miles although equally the beauty of this tranquil and diverse area stretches far beyond it's boundary. Outside the park there are vast areas of relatively undiscovered wildnerness, a paradise for people like myself that prefer to walk the path less trod.
From crumbling castles to babbling brooks, raging waterfalls (with secret pathways behind them) to ancients forests and valleys, the Beacons is a place that will unleash the inner romantic within all but the coldest of hearts. The park was declared the fifth international dark sky reserve in 2013, parts of the park have UNESCO world heritage status and the area has also been designated as a European and Global Geopark. Indeed the Beacons contain one of the largest cave systems in the world, a system that to this day is still being explored.
Source
The Beacons are interwoven with tales of magic, myth and mystery. Equally the sense of history within these mountains and valleys at times feels so close that you could almost reach out and touch it. You could close your eyes and awaken in a forgotten age, a time so a palpable you can almost feel the ghosts of days past walking with you. This is border country and over the course of hundreds of years people have given blood, sweat and tears for the love of these hills and this land. When you look around and soak up the atmosphere you can really see why. In fact I would go as far as to say that when the sun rises and the first wisps of morning breeze gently tug at your hair and the crisp leaves of autumn slowly tumble to the ground, you can feel why!
It's while wandering these lonely hills that I'm reminded of the tragic tale of little Tommy Jones, the boy lost to the Beacons. It was an August day in 1900 when Tommy's father decided to take five year old Tommy for a trip on the train to see his Grandparents who lived near Pen Y Fan (the tallest mountain in the range). The pair arrived in good spirits and set off on a four mile walk to Tommy's remote Grandparents house. By 20.00 they were 15 minutes away from their destination when they met a group of solidiers camped at the login. The Father and son had only just stopped for refreshment when along walked the Grandfather and Tommy's cousin William.
Then William was asked to carry out a quick errand and pop back to the farmhouse and inform Tommy's Grandmother of their impending arrival. It was then that Tommy decided to join him and they walked off together in the direction of the farmhouse. When they were halfway Tommy became frightened and decided that he wanted to return to his Dad. William continued on his journey and returned to the soldiers camp fifteen minutes later to find that Tommy hadn't arrived.
A frantic search ensued but to no avail! Over the course of the next few weeks the search team was joined by locals, soldiers and police. The spent their days combing every inch of the area but were still unable to find Tommy
After reading an account of the desperate search a gardeners wife is said to have had a vivid dream in which she was shown the exact spot where Tommy lay. After two days of trying to convince her husband they borrowed a pony and trap and set of to climb the Beacons (which they had never done before). At the top of a ridge on Pen Y fan and at the exact spot she'd dreamed about they found the body of little Tommy jones.
Nobody could understand how Tommy came to find himself at this spot and indeed he'd climbed 1300ft to reach it. After examination the jurors revealed that Tommy had died from exposure and exhaustion. To this day the lonely spot of his death is marked by an obelisk.
Now to finish our journey into the Brecon Beacons I'm going to leave you with a re-telling of a local legend. Myths tell the tale of a lake (Llyn Cwm Llwch) in the heart of the Beacons that has an island only accessible on May Day.
Today this lake is frequented by hikers but in days gone past it was said to hold the keys to the fairy kingdom. Legend talks about this lake containing a mysterious and invisable island that was ruled by an altruistic fairy queen. Every May Day the queen would allow human visitors to her island. As the first rays of light danced across it's dark waters a magic door would appear in one of the rocks that lined the lakeside. Once stepping through the door you would be welcomed into the kingdom by the queens beautiful handmaids.
Local people would travel to enjoy the Beltane feast on this magical island. They gorged themselves with food, drank the finest elfin wine, danced, sang and celebrated the passing of winter. As the party began to wind down the queen would leave them with her final gift. Looking deep into the web of time she would then reveal which crops would prosper and which would fail, where the warmth of love could be found for those that sought it and how the enemies of the people could be defeated and vanquished.
The queen had but one rule, no human was allowed to take this magic and bountiful produce back through the door. The rule was observed and respected for hundreds of years until one year a greedy stranger arrived with nefarious intentions. He would steal a fairy apple and then take it back to the mainland, he would then plant it's magic pips in his orchard and make a fortune from the produce.
As the light of the day began to wane he slipped the apple into his pocket and attempted to leave. Aware of his deceit the queens revenge was swift. As soon as he stepped back into the human realm the queen appeared before him and demanded that he emptied his pockets. Near frozen with fear the thief agreed, only to find a rotten apple that was infested with maggots. The queens revenge was brutal and as the man sank to his knees she splintered his mind, driving him insane. In a fit of rage she expelled her guests and eternally slammed the door shut behind them. Without the queens predictions the villagers were ruined, the crops failed and their lands were overrun with invaders. Destroyed by a mans greed for one apple.
Even on the darkest of days the Beacons shine a light and illuminate the path in front of me. Carrying me through this ancient landscape on an ethereal cloud of magic and mystery. On days like these I hold the dreams of the future in the palm of my hand.
I hope you enjoyed our journey into the Brecon Beacons, thank you for reading
Written by perceptualflaws
Original Pictures by perceptualflaws
Gifs courtesy of @justcallmemyth
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That whole area is beautifully harsh and wild, no surprise our SF guys train there. Looks like you caught it at just the right time it looks stunning mate. I'm glad you had a good break and got away from it all you couldn't have picked a better place for isolation.
Great post buddy.
Hey thanks for the support @tremendospercy it's much appreciated and I'm really glad you enjoyed the post! Like you say it has the perfect balance between the harsh and the beautiful and on the right day the two mesh together perfectly. It was great to get away and have a much needed break. We had a cottage in the middle of nowhere , reached by a three mile dirt track only accessible by a 4x4. The skys at night were amazing! thanks again my friend.
What a beautiful place, full of history...thanks for sharing the stories and myths. The tale of the boy is really sad :'(
That photo of the horse is absolutely epic.
Hey @lyndsaybowes thanks so much for popping by and taking the time to lend your support/comment, I really appreciate it. It's a really beautiful area and I'm so glad you liked the post! The story is a really sad one but equally it's woven itself into the fabric of the area and as such I felt compelled to share it.
Thank you, he's a beautiful horse eh? and I love the dark and brooding sky behind him. He is a wild fell pony and one of many that freely roam these hills. Thanks again @lyndsaybowes :)
Makes me smile when I hear there are beings in this world, wild and free <3
Likewise my friend :)
Wales has got some pretty spectacular scenery! Just those photos looks like an awesome walk :)
sadly I suspect I would freeze to death even in the warmer months XD
Hey @ryivnn thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my post, I really appreciate it. It's a truly beautiful area, but equally not one known for it's tropical weather :) thanks again.
These pictures are beautiful! Love the stories too! Would love to read more posts about this trip.
@timdunn thanks for taking the time to read and comment, I really appreciate it. Equally I'm glad you enjoyed the post, I will be sure to add some more picture at a later date.
No problem! I will be looking forward to them!
Honestly amazing. I enjoyed reading the post
Thanks for taking the time to read my friend, I'm really glad you enjoyed the post. Hope you've had a good couple of weeks, I'm just easing myself back into steemit :)
I think i enjoyed it more, wish the pics never ended...nice one thumbs up
Hey @onos thanks for taking the time to read and comment, I really appreciate it and I'm glad you enjoyed the post :)
The pleasure is all mine.
Wow what a beautiful post @perceptualflaws ) " From crumbling castles to babbling brooks, raging waterfalls (with secret pathways behind them) to ancients forests and valleys, the Beacons is a place that will unleash the inner romantic within all but the coldest of hearts. " that part was lovely ) I have also been there with my primary school rambling club !! Was beautiful and those sausage sandwiches my mum made for my lunch sure tasted good in that beautiful air )
Hey thanks for taking the time to read and comment @gomeravibz my friend, I really appreciate it! Equally glad you enjoyed the post! That's a lovely image you've given me there, childhood memories are so special. I can also remember childhood picnics, those memories are so vivid that I can almost taste/smell the food. Thanks again :)
yes I promise you thats it, I had a bag of buttered sugared popcorn too of all things as she knew I loved that !! Plus the blue wrapped penguin biscuit !! lol But i remember the silence and the taste of it )
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The place looks really stunning! I wish I could visit one day, and with the tales... it does seem really misterious. The tale about little Tommy made me sad :/ Anyway, great post! I really enjoyed reading.
Hey @staskkaa thanks for taking the time to read and comment, I really appreciate it and I'm glad you enjoyed the post. It.s a sad tale for sure, It's a beautiful area and equally yes It's a really sad story, but one that's woven itself into the fabric of the area. I always remember it when walking the hills so it felt right to share it. Thanks again :)