Fan y Big from Torpantau - Wednesday 10 February 2016
Route
Blaen y Glyn Uchaf - Craig Y Fan Ddu - Graig Fan Las - Bwlch y Ddwyallt - Craig Cwareli - Fan y Big - Bwlch ar y Fan - Tor Glas - Taf Fechan Forest - Blaen y Glyn Uchaf
Parking
Blaen y Glyn Uchaf Car Park (Free) - Grid Ref SO056175
Mileage
9 miles
Terrain
High Level escarpment ridge walking on good paths (when not covered in snow!) The going is generally easy apart from a steep ascent to the ridge at Craig y Fan Ddu & a steep descent to the col at Bwlch ar y Fan (The Gap).
Weather
Much snow on the ridge with an icy wind for most of the walk. Visibility generally good.
Time Taken
4hrs 15mins
Total Ascent
1942ft (592m)
Map
OL12 - Brecon Beacons National Park (Western Area)
Blaen y Glyn Uchaf - Craig Y Fan Ddu - Graig Fan Las - Bwlch y Ddwyallt - Craig Cwareli - Fan y Big - Bwlch ar y Fan - Tor Glas - Taf Fechan Forest - Blaen y Glyn Uchaf
Parking
Blaen y Glyn Uchaf Car Park (Free) - Grid Ref SO056175
Mileage
9 miles
Terrain
High Level escarpment ridge walking on good paths (when not covered in snow!) The going is generally easy apart from a steep ascent to the ridge at Craig y Fan Ddu & a steep descent to the col at Bwlch ar y Fan (The Gap).
Weather
Much snow on the ridge with an icy wind for most of the walk. Visibility generally good.
Time Taken
4hrs 15mins
Total Ascent
1942ft (592m)
Map
OL12 - Brecon Beacons National Park (Western Area)
GPX File
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Walk Description
Just Dave & Fudge out today therefore we made the journey over to Torpantau to an area of the Brecon Beacons I know very well. The weather was looking good and it was my intention to see how it went today and I set out with the aim of doing as much walking as possible - if the visibility remained good. I had a big flask of soup, Fudge had his kibble therefore we set off full of hope for a good day out in the mountains.
The walk started from the Car Park at Blaen y glyn Uchaf, above the waterfalls near Torpantau. There was nobody here when we parked but people started to arrive as we set off. There is a steep ascent at the start to gain the ridge on Craig y Fan Ddu but once this is reached the hard work is over for a while and it is time to enjoy a superb high-level escarpment transit for a fair few miles. It was on gaining the ridge that I soon realised there had been a fair amount of snow that had fallen over the last few days. The route along the ridge is never in doubt but the obvious path, normally so easily visible was extremely intermittent - this resulted in several comedy "lets try and guess the depth of snow and fall on your arse" moments.
Undeterred by the lack of a path we headed along the escarpment to continue over Craig y Fan Ddu and Graig Fan Las to reach the junction of paths at Rhiw Bwlch y Ddwyallt. Here I had intended to visit Waun Rydd, Carn Pica and the Wellington Bomber Memorial - all to the east but the visibility was deteriorating over that way therefore I turned to the west and carried on to Bwlch y Ddwyallt, Craig Cwareli and Craig Cwmoergwm.
From Craig Cwmoergwm there is a gradual rise on a good path up to the summit of Fan y Big where for the first time ever I had both the summit & Diving Board to myself. There is a fabulous view down into both Cwm Cynwyn & Cwm Oergwm and also over to Cribyn & Pen y Fan but for the latter the cloud was down unfortunately and did not look to be shifting anytime soon. Therefore I made my way down to the col at Bwlch ar y Fan and instead of heading up the slope to Cribyn, I turned left and made the long walk back to the Taf Fechan Forest and ultimately the road which would take me to the Car Park at Blaen y glen Uchaf.
The weather could have gone either way for me today and I made the most of what I had. Notwithstanding the clag over Pen y Fan and Cribyn this was still a super day out on a fantastic escarpment.
The walk started from the Car Park at Blaen y glyn Uchaf, above the waterfalls near Torpantau. There was nobody here when we parked but people started to arrive as we set off. There is a steep ascent at the start to gain the ridge on Craig y Fan Ddu but once this is reached the hard work is over for a while and it is time to enjoy a superb high-level escarpment transit for a fair few miles. It was on gaining the ridge that I soon realised there had been a fair amount of snow that had fallen over the last few days. The route along the ridge is never in doubt but the obvious path, normally so easily visible was extremely intermittent - this resulted in several comedy "lets try and guess the depth of snow and fall on your arse" moments.
Undeterred by the lack of a path we headed along the escarpment to continue over Craig y Fan Ddu and Graig Fan Las to reach the junction of paths at Rhiw Bwlch y Ddwyallt. Here I had intended to visit Waun Rydd, Carn Pica and the Wellington Bomber Memorial - all to the east but the visibility was deteriorating over that way therefore I turned to the west and carried on to Bwlch y Ddwyallt, Craig Cwareli and Craig Cwmoergwm.
From Craig Cwmoergwm there is a gradual rise on a good path up to the summit of Fan y Big where for the first time ever I had both the summit & Diving Board to myself. There is a fabulous view down into both Cwm Cynwyn & Cwm Oergwm and also over to Cribyn & Pen y Fan but for the latter the cloud was down unfortunately and did not look to be shifting anytime soon. Therefore I made my way down to the col at Bwlch ar y Fan and instead of heading up the slope to Cribyn, I turned left and made the long walk back to the Taf Fechan Forest and ultimately the road which would take me to the Car Park at Blaen y glen Uchaf.
The weather could have gone either way for me today and I made the most of what I had. Notwithstanding the clag over Pen y Fan and Cribyn this was still a super day out on a fantastic escarpment.
A Welsh Traffic Jam near Talybont-on-Usk on the way to Torpantau
The start of the walk at Blaen y Glyn Uchaf, Torpantau
The steep rise on to Craig y Fan Ddu
One of several waterfalls near the start
Looking back across to Pant y Creigiau
Graig Fan Las ahead
Cwar y Gigfran and Allt Lwyd
Back along the escarpment to Craig y Fan Ddu
Just shows how much snow there was today - this is a normally well trodden ridge path.
Fudge seemed to float on the stuff but I just sank into it
Fudge seemed to float on the stuff but I just sank into it
On Bwlch y Ddwyallt - Fan y Big is just right of centre with Cribyn behind
Fudge was loving this snowy stuff
Craig Cwareli
It has clearly been a tad nippy up here lately
Fan y Big with Cribyn to the rear
The valley of Cwm Oergwm
Craig Cwmoergwm
Approaching Fan y Big's summit looking back to Craig Cwmoergwm
No chance of having lunch in here today
The Diving Board on Fan y Big
The summit of Fan y Big
Our descent to Bwlch ar y Fan and the climb to Cribyn
Looking back up to the Diving Board on Fan y Big
Bwlch ar y Fan
Neuadd Reservoir