Be Excellent To Each Other

Was thinking about going to the Brecon Beacons for a bit of walking and photography this Sunday, using the Brecon Bus from Cardiff at a mere £7 all day trip. Can't decide where precisely I should head out, though. I've been to the Brecons a few times, but can't for the life of me remember what is where. Can anyone think of any spots of outstanding natural yadda yadda, preferably involving hills looking down on valleys, sweeping woods filling the floor below and maybe the odd lake as dappled light filters down thus winning me prestigious photography awards?

Any other places yon folk like to walk too?

I like to walk to the pub and back. Sometimes I drive.

The only walks I have done recently in the Beacons are to the top of the Sugar Loaf although the last time we abandoned that goal halfway and walked through the forests along the many Forestry Commission Tracks which was nice in its own way.

It's quite a long walk to the top of the Sugar Loaf, the route we take usually starts off with a slog through a steep wood and across some farmer's fields, not sure that there'd be too much opportunity of some snappage whilst you're scrambling up a hill or running from sheep.

The last walk local to Cardiff I went on was from Llantwit Major to Nash Point, that's a nice established coastal path that's not too strenuous, goes from the 'sticky out' (the beach head) bit towards the bottom right of the map, past St Donats castle and on to to Nash Point light house and its huge fog horns and (if the tide is right) back across the rocky beach.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Llantwit+Major,+UK&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=15.56051,46.538086&ie=UTF8&ll=51.398081,-3.52026&spn=0.032023,0.090895&t=h&z=14&iwloc=A

However, my fall back walk is always from Upper Cwmbran across the Mynydd Maen, nice easy stroll through the forest and across the ridge dropping down onto the top of Cwmcarn Forest Drive (you could always get to the Cwmcarn side and just walk Forest Drive?) or push onward to Twmbarlwm and the views out toward the Bristol Channel

I'm not that familiar with many of the popular walks in the Beacons (mostly due to being a lazy bastard and not getting out there) I'm sorry.

Um, there are also a fair few circular walks that start in Penarth if you fancied being a bit closer to Cardiff?

99% of the time I use the left foot forwards, right foot follows walk. A really nice one is a giraffe's canter, which I use on special occasions.

Had a lovely walk the other day from the mid town of Littlehampton all the way down to the beach and onto the boardwalk/jetty thing and back.

Didn't help that I was stuffed full of the south coast's finest fish and chips and had taken some of my pills. I was dead tired when I got home and fell asleep for three hours

Fish & chips + sea air + anti nerve pills = ZzzZZzzzZZzz

The weather was beautiful too, really made it a wonderful afternoon/evening out

Also when I went to Goodwood FOS we walked right from where the tractor dumps you (at the bottom/beginning) all the way up to the rally stage. We learned a valid lesson that day. Basically when it's really hot and you don't know how far/steep your destination is you shouldn't walk it

I was fucked for days after that haha.

I have made my decision, PEN Y FAN!

Please don't rain.

I "threaded the needle" about ten years ago. I don't remember the ascent route, but do recall it was pretty hairy at times. A long trek across a very rocky ridge for a mile or so. That stage had an amazing view down into a perfectly round, blue little lake. The needle itself was a "grade 2 scramble" or something I stupidly wore some pair of desert boots, thinking that the walk that day was going to be fairly sedate. It was not. After threading Napes Needle you have to take on a bizarre alien landscape on-all-fours, fight up a steep, constantly shifting surface of scree and loose chips.

NB. To "thread" the needle you just have to climb through the gap between it and the side of the hill. It's not exactly challenging, but takes some time due to awkward shaped rocks.

This shows some people doing it:

http://www.yorkmc.org.uk/Reports/Thread ... eedle.html

The weather on the day I did it was perfect, thankfully.

Best.