JAN25: Black Mountains Winter Wild Camp (South Wales)
8 people attending
0 places left
GET SOCIAL THIS JANUARY! This event is one of loads of events taking place over the same weekend! Check out all the events over the weekend of 17-19 January 2025: OutdoorLads.events/JAN25. Great for new and regular members!
This will give you an idea of the environment https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-33506589
You need to be a winter mountain walker with experience of using micro-spikes / micro-crampons; you also need to be an experienced wild camper to participate in this event. If you are unsure whether this event is suitable for you, please do contact the event leader.
You need to be appropriately equipped (including micro-spikes or micro-crampons) and keen to participate in the event in challenging weather. If there is a risk of lightning or extreme winds, we may need to shelter for many hours or curtail the event. All pictures taken in the Black Mountains during wild camps. If we are very fortunate, we will get to hike and camp in snow; it’s rather more likely to be very wet and somewhat windy.
Following a meal at 6pm in the Bear (High Street, NP8 1BW, which is less than 100m from the car park in Crickhowell, we will make sure we are ready to leave the car park at7:45pm. It will then be a 5 minute drive to the secluded layby where we will leave our cars at the hike start point. Then in darkness a steep ascent to the ramparts of the ancient Crug Hywel hill fort to get to the top of Table Mountain (451m). Another 340m of ascent will get us over Pen Cerrig-Calch (701m), to then find a place to sleep at an altitude of about 650m if the weather is kind. We’ll get up at dawn and then to the top of Pen Allt Mawr (719m), for an early morning panoramic view across all of the Black mountains; followed by Pen Twyn Glas (646m) and Mynydd Llysiau (663m) to get to the highest summit Waun Fach (810m). We then continue over Pen y Gadair Fawr before finding a suitable place to spend our second night high in the mountains. The next day we have Pen Twyn Mawr (658m), Disgwylfa (540m), Crug Mawr (550m) and Blaen-yr Henbant (498m) to contend with, before descending to go over the Upper Cwm Bridge over the Grwyne Fechan, past the ancient church (first recorded in 1060) and into the village of Llanbedr and on to our cars.
Note that the maximum number of attendees will be increased to 8, if any Mountain (Trail) Leaders join the event,
Dogs: Dogs are not allowed on this event.
Photo Credits: All photos taken by Paul Ridealgh; permission is granted to OutdoorLads for further use.
IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement
You MUST complete a Participation Statement, in addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend.
Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, even if they are extremely mild, or who has recently tested positive for Covid-19, is asked not to attend.
What to bring
The "booklet produced by OutdoorLad Paul", found here should give you an idea of what to bring.....
https://www.outdoorlads.com/my-first-wild-camping-event
Please do contact me with any questions.
Bring normal winter mountaineering and wild camping equipment, bearing in mind the following…….
You MUST have micro-spikes or micro-crampons and you MUST have sunglasses/goggles.
You need a robust, compact tent.
Consider including a few “blizzard” tent pegs.
I will use walking poles.
Where we're likely to be camping, it's unlikely to get below minus 12 degrees, however, since we're likely to spend quite a lot of time in the tents, it's worth having a good sleeping bag, insulation from the ground and down jacket.
Carry a few pairs of gloves and socks.
Food & drink
Bring enough food to cover your needs for the duration of the event There is no possibility to obtain food once we have left Crickhowell. Once we have gained height, we will sometimes be able to obtain water by descending to springs (you will need to make your water safe to drink.).