Brecon Beacons are a beautiful area to walk, especially in spring when the grassy mountain slopes are at their most beautiful green. They are a bit far away, but really worth the journey, with castles and waterfalls, great food and lovely scenery, and of course, a few hills to climb :-) Hurry and book as with limited spaces and at a mere £79 its sure to go fast!
If you've never been to South Wales, this walking weekend is a must - come along and see what Brecon Beacons have to offer!
The plan
We will meet at our accommodation (YHA near Brecon, 3h drive from Manchester)on Fri evening for dinner at 8:30pm. The carpark at the YHA is quite small so we will be car sharing from Manchester, but don't worry if you finish work late, a bowl of steaming soup and a cold beer will be waiting for you when you get there!
Saturday
We will tackle the classic Pen-y-Fan horseshoe (9 miles, 4-5h, difficulty 3, one steep ascent). Pen-y-Fan (2,907 ft) is the highest peak in Britain south of the Snowdonia range. The walk is along a U-shaped ridge around a steep sided glacial valley, with stunning views over South Wales and the Bristol channel. After a steep climb to reach the ridge the walk is fairly gentle over good paths.
Sunday
After a lazy morning over a fried breakfast and Sunday papers we will head to the beautiful Black Mountains for a 6-8 mile walk (difficulty 3) finishing at the beautiful Llanthony Priory for a well deserved pint and a snack. The Black Mountains features four long connected ridges, all of similar height and roughly in the shape of the fingers of a hand. These ridges are fairly level and for the most part they stay above 600m, which makes it a geat place for long high level walks around the area.
Kit list: walking boots, walking trousers, fleece, waterproofs, hat, gloves, sunglasses, sun cream, day pack, water bottle, tea flask, personal first aid kit.
What's included: accommodation at the YHA, the professional mountain guide and a great time!
Book a place and recharge your batteries during a relaxing and revitalising short break. Just 30 minutes a day of walking will improve your health and wellbeing. By becoming more active you will have a great sense of achievement, more energy, sleep better and reduce your stress levels.
I enjoy organised walks as part of group but either my mates are just not into it or the ones that are can’t commit to any dates, so having Social Circle organise it all means I can just do it and have some fun in the process meeting some new people. Louise Timperly