13 people from a variety of Red Rope regions were very lucky with perfect weather on this West Midlands trip, walking part of the Beacons Way in the Brecon Beacons, south Wales, over a long weekend in May. The trip started on a Thursday evening at Llandeusant YHA, an idyllic small hostel, then on the Friday everyone walked over 10 miles via Fan Brycheiniog to a bunkhouse near Pen y Cae.
On the Saturday two groups took different routes to Llwyn y Celyn, followed on Sunday by an 11 mile walk, some going over Corn Du and Pen y Fan, others taking an easier route to finish at Danywennallt, another lovely hostel. As usual this was a brilliantly organised trip, with good food, good company and our luggage cleverly ferried ahead of us each day. One of the strangest sights over the weekend was seeing people queuing to have their photo taken on the summit of Pen y Fan. Later some of us met a young woman playing a harp in a field, only stopping to tell us the way! The walking was superb and the views amazing.
On the final day a few did a short but tough walk to the Chartist Cave, where weapons were stored in 1839, prior to the Newport rising, and a commemorative plaque speaks of the Chartists’ contribution to democracy. I suspect they would all be turning in their graves in the light of recent events.
Janet Saunders