Ysgyryd Fawr

An imposing landmark situated just to the north-east of Abergavenny that looks down on the A465 as it trundles below. The 360 degree views from the summit are well worth the climb through the woods from the foot of the mountain.

Leaving a small but equally convenient parking area at the side of the B4521 you walk through a hedge-lined track until you come to a gate to join the Beacons Way. The hardest part of the climb comes at the very beginning of the walk as you make your way through dense woodland, that provided a protective shadow from the fierce sun.

There was an abundance of Cabbage White butterflies in the hedgerows, while Wagtails and Meadow Pipits were also evident.



The welcome breeze at the higher altitude was enjoyable when leaving the wooded slopes after the hard uphill slog, to emerge onto the exposed upper elevation of the mountain that on a clear day can be seen from (another Country!!) over 20 miles away as you leave the outskirts of the city of Hereford on the west bound A465.



The walk along the cats back ridge to the trig point at 486 metres was the final climb before the panoramic views included Grosmont, Hereford and the Malvern Hills in the east, the Black Mountains and the Vale of Ewyas to the north, Abergavenny and the Sugar Loaf to the west. Plus dozens of brightly coloured fields full of Rape Seed in all visible directions.

The mountain has long been referred to as the Holy Mountain. It has a distinct shape formed by a landslip on one side dating from the Ice Age. The evangelical importance of the mountain was marked with a small medieval place of worship, dedicated to St. Michael, and squeezed onto the narrow summit. Years of mountain top weather have taken their toll and only the outline plus two small standing stones that form a doorway now remain.

Skirrid Mountain, as it is commonly known, was a favourite walk of Rudolph Hess, Deputy Fuhrer of the Third Reich, when he was detained in Maindiff Court Military Hospital (located near to Wern Ddu Farm) during the Second World War, after being captured when his plane crash landed on the way to Scotland.



The thermal currents that create an up-draught around the steep sides of Skirrid make this an ideal environment in which to para glide and while near the summit three 'twenty somethings' literally 'threw' themselves off the edge of the ridge as they launched the huge canopies 'whooping and hollering' to ascend gracefully into the clear blue skies, before circling silently to hundreds of feet above the mountain in a spectacular display. It was definitely an 'I was there' moment in time.