Our Outdoor Adventures: March 2011

Thursday, 24 March 2011

Sun 13 March 2011.....Fan Hir 761m (2,497 ft)

Black Mountains (eastern) Brecon Beacons in Wales.....

the route map

We set out on a circular route to locate the crash sites of Wellington Bomber BJ697 and DeHaviland Vampire VZ106.

GS & KL heading up towards Burnt Mound

We started out from Carreg Haffes farm off the A4067 and headed up over the Burnt Mound towards Fan Hir in a north by north-westerly direction.

GS, KL, & I at the memorial cairn for Wellington BJ697

In 2.3km we reached the crash site of the Vickers Wellington BJ697. A small memorial cairn has been erected at the site. There was only a "very" small amount of the wreckage left, which was neatly piles adjacent to the cairn.

all that remains of Wellington BJ697

It is said that on the 25th September 1942 in a night cross-country exercise the Wellington BJ697 crashed due due to flying off course. The pilot F/Sgt Bird died of his injuries. The other members of the crew Barr, Fairweather, and Troughbridge were badly injured but survived; whilst Sgt. Head was unhurt and with help from local civilians got the injured crew off the mountain.

at the crash site of Vampire VZ106

We continued north by north-west from the BJ697 crash site for another 1.8km to reach the crash site of Vampire VZ106. There was no cairn erected at this site, but there was a significant amount of the wreckage still left. Somebody had seemed to have made the effort to arrange prominent parts of the wreak into the original shape of the plane.

the wreckage of Vampire VZ106

It is said that on the 09th of October 1953 the pilot of the Vampire VZ106 let down through 8/8th cloud without getting a fix on his position or requesting a radar controlled let down, and struck the western slopes of Fan Hir. The pilot P/Off. John Raymond Baldock was killed.

KL & I with the "boys"

At this point we stopped for our usual soup and bread. It was another fantastic sunny day and we took some fantastic photographs on route.

descending from Fan Hir across Waun Haffes

From the crash site of VZ106 we headed in a south by south-westerly direction for 1.9km to reach the well formed footpath and headed in a south-easterly direction for 3.9km back onto the A4067.

GS & KL descending on the footpath

It was an approximate 10km/6mile (direct point to point & not calculating for slope distance!) route in an absolutely glorious day. It was a thoroughly enjoyable excursion.

KL & GS having a quick "pit stop" on the return journey

Yet again, GS performed exceptionally well for his age and notwithstanding his medical issues.....he continues to amaze us all!!!

More photos........

at the start..............

me too.................

some of the local wildlife................. :)

KL & the boys heading up to Burnt Mound

a north by north-east view from Burnt Mound

an easterly view from Burnt Mound

KL & GS heading up

KL & the boys

an easterly view from Brunt Mound looking over Penwyllt quarry

a view from Burnt Mound towards Fforest Fawr

another easterly view from Burnt Mound

taking a bearing at the Wellington memorial cairn

KL & GS at the Vampire crash site

a northerly view of Fan Hir from Waun Haffes

a southerly view from Waun Haffes

KL & GS heading down Waun Haffes

a south-westerly view from Waun Haffes

a south-easterly view from joining the footpath

GS & KL heading down the footpath

GS heading down & a south-easterly view

phew....................another long one!

that's it...............I have had enough

General Notice....we have had Internet issues

Apologies to all of you who follow our blog. We have had problems for the last few weeks with our Internet connection and have been unable to upload information of our recent excursions.

Now we are back again and will be bringing everything up to date shortly!!

Enjoy................

Saturday, 12 March 2011

this weeks progress.....rock climbing training

Another active week training......

Wed 09th.....on route

On evening of Wednesday 09th of March, we spent a few hours on the rock face with GS practicing his foot-work and holds. Continued to concentrate on traversing the face to develop GS's confidence. He seems to get more confident in his ability as we progress through each session. Also spent some time, familiarising GS with protection equipment in the form of Wall Nuts, Hexes, Cams, etc and their safe placement and use.

Wed 09th....vertical climb

We have also started rope work in the form of practicing knots each evening. The target is for GS is to learn a knot every 1 to 2 weeks. This week GS has learnt the Figure Eight Threaded knot for use in tying into harness or anchor. By the end of the week GS was confidently tying the knot without the need for any instruction. He is now trying to master tying the knot with his eyes closed.....confidence eh??!!

Sat 12th.....on route

Today, Saturday the 12th of March, on the rock face again. GS spent the fist part learning to place protection equipment in different scenarios. Once he seemed confident, we then concentrated on some vertical freehand climbing, yet again to develop confidence in holds, balance, weight distribution, and footwork. We spent the final hour today with GS trying his first lead climb on an easy 10m section of wall, with me as his belayer. We jointly chose the route and securely placed the required protection. GS then progressed the climb confidently whilst correctly clipping-in to the protection, reached the top, and then abseiled back down.

Sat 12th.....confidence in the Figure Eight

The little man is progressing well...............!!!

Wed 09th.....traversing

Wed 09th.....practicing holds

Sat 12th.....old man surveying route

Sat 12th.....demo on hold

Sat 12th.....clipping in

Sat 12th.....lead climbing route

Sat 12th.....abseiling

Monday, 7 March 2011

Sun 6 March 2011..... Fan Fawr 734 m (2,408 ft)

Brecon Beacons in Wales.....

the route map in a clock-wise direction

We set out on a 5mile excursion to climb Fan Fawr on a circular route. It was a fantastic sunny day, which made the journey thoroughly enjoyable.

KL & GS up through the woods

We started from the Nant Crew Bridge on the A470 and trekked through the woods north of the Cantref Reservoir in a north-westerly direction. There was no clear path through the wood, which made this section rather challenging.

KL, GS, & the boys at crossing the Taff Trail

Once out of the woods we crossed the Taff Trail and continued up the Farmstead due west to cross the A4059 and continue up Twyn Garred-wen in a north by north-westerly direction.

KL leading heading up Pant Brwynog

The route was totally off-trail, and with the summit of Fan Fawr in sight there was no requirement for navigating off the map, which enabled us to savour the fantastic views and good weather on our journey.

GS leading up Cefen yr Henriw

Still continuing in a north by north-westerly direction over Pant Brwynog we reached Cefn Henriw and climbed up the south-eastern ridge to the summit of Fan Fawr.

KL, GS, the boys, & I on the summit of Fan Fawr

The views from the summit in all direction was amazing and clear out to the horizon. After a long stop for hot soup and rolls we spent some time photographing the views.

a north by north-westerly view from Fan Fawr

We descended Fan Fawr down the steep north face and continued south by south-east along the Nant Penning river to join the Taff Trail in the woods east of the Beacons Reservoir.

descending to the Taff Trail

Then we continued due south down the Taff Trail up to woods north of the Cantref Reservoir, and descended through the woods, across the A470, back to Nant Crew Bridge.

a small waterfall along the Taff Trail

In summary, a stunning day with spectacular views, thoroughly enjoyed by all. On this whole route of over 5miles, we only crossed paths with a two groups of hikers.