Summer Solstice Walk | Brecon Beacons
I had just sat my last RHS exams after studying on and off for about 5 years. It was such a relief that studying and going over endless past papers was finally over and that I could enjoy the summer without being holed up inside on a lap top and at my desk! I just hoped I hadn’t failed any thing…
My exams were held in Ammanford, which is at the foot of the Brecon Beacons on the west side. It’s about an hour and a half from where I live so Brochan and I decided to make the most of having travelled so far {especially with the fuel prices at the time!} and go for an evening walk in the mountains. I was also desperate to get out and walk after being sat at a desk for about a month solid.
It was such a warm and clear evening as we headed up the mountain road, looking for a quiet place to stop and walk. We found a small empty parking area at the top of the western hills, near an old quarry and decided on a circular walk up and the back through a wooded valley. One of my favourite things about summer are the long evenings, being able to start a walk at 5pm, not need to worry about nightfall for hours and feeling the warmth until the sun sets.
The beginning of the walk was quite bleak and barren, rolling colourless hills with little on them. I was feeling quite uninspired and didn’t even get my camera out for almost an hour. I do love these vast mountain scapes but sometimes they can feel rather lifeless and empty; only sheep overgrazing and obliterating any little saplings that may take root, keeping the hills as grassland and perpetuating more grazing.
Eventually we came to a little patch of cotton grass amongst some beautifully coloured coppery tussocks, their little white tufts bobbing on long thin stems, I began to feel a little more enthused!
After just over an hour of walking we began the decent down into the valley. It felt so much more dramatic here, the late evening light casting huge shadows on the side of the valley and the hills felt like they were towering above us. Beyond the valley we could see out to the foothills of the Brecons. With the balmy summer weather and soft evening glow, rolling hills divided by shrubby hedges and the distant rumble of a tractor cutting hay, it was very idyllic, I felt as though I could be in a Thomas Hardy novel.
As we descended into the valley the open hills gave way to trees, I love the old oaks at the bottom of mountains, gnarled and twisting, bent with the weight of time. I find it quite amazing how sometimes they can be very small yet they are hundreds of years old. I wonder what they have seen and how vastly the world around them has changed since they were little saplings just beginning their lives.
In the lowering light the leaves and branches were alight, the greens became glowing yellows and gnats danced in the air like shimmering gold dust. It’s moments like these that I feel like I can’t take enough in, I can’t breathe deep enough and my eyes aren’t sharp enough to absorb everything. As we walked along the sun dappled on our faces, periodically warming our skin. The light shone through gaps in the canopy, creating pools of gold on the shaded ground.
Our chosen path continued over fields and along small country roads, the banks filled with tall grasses, until it came out onto an old track with open moorland to our right and rows of old trees to our left. It felt almost like we’d gone back in time, to a forgotten part of the Brecon Beacons, it was so still and quiet. Through gaps in the tree trunks we could see the view of the valley filled with deep shadows but glowing at the same time.
I held our walk up a lot, pausing to take photos every time there was a gap in the trees or every time I saw a particularly beautiful looking piece of grass! In the end, Brochan was mainly walking ahead of me as I pottered along at a sail’s pace, stopping here and there and just taking it all in. Ahead of us the hills started to rise above us again, coloured deep russet.
I couldn’t really believe how well we timed the walk, all my dawdling actually paid off! As we came out into the open and started the climb back up to our van the sun was setting in full view. Everything around us was orange, pink and gold, the light was just so beautiful. We were meant to follow the main road back up the mountainside but we decided to just cut straight up to avoid the (many) cars. This was a blessing, being quiet, but also very steep, we took many breathers to take in the sun. As we got to the van the sun was just disappearing behind the horizon which was glowing pink. I didn’t get any photos of it as it set, I just wanted to watch and not think about the technicality of the camera, shutter speeds and apertures. So you’ll just have to imagine the view I’m afraid :)
