Pen Y Fan Pilgrimage

Well another year has gone by and I am still alive and kicking. As I like to do every year, I head off to the highest mountain in South Wales - Pen Y Fan. Pen y Fan (pronounced pen.e.van) is the highest peak in South Wales and southern Britain, situated in the Brecon Beacons National Park. At 886 metres (2,907 ft) above sea-level, it is also the highest peak in Britain south of the Snowdonia mountain range. The twin summits of Pen y Fan and Corn Du were formerly referred to as Cadair Arthur or 'Arthur's Seat' This is my way of seeing in the new year, along with many other people, as the crowds heading up and back proved. Arriving at the car park at the mountain base I was surprised to find the car park full, I was heading up much later in the day than normal, about 10am, as I thought the weather was going to prohibit my climb this year but a sudden brake in the wether sent me dashing out of the house heading for the hills. The weather was cold, but dry and a lot of blue sky above. But knowing the mountain as I do, I did not expect the weather to remain clear for long. My legs did suffer, but I did not notice until I got to the top and started to walk back down, it was then that my inner thighs started to cramp up. Not wanting to look a plonked I ignored the pain as much as I could and walked it off as best I could, I think I may have been walking a little funny and it felt as though I was going slower down hill than I did going up. As soon as I was within a couple of hundred feet of the top, where evidence of snow was plain to see, the clouds started to close in and remained there until my decent. It remained dry though, but very cold and no view. But no matter I got there, again, proving that at 50 years of age I was not ready to be an old fart just yet. Lets see what its like at the start of next year! I have included some images that I took during the climb.