Xmas Lunch in Pontsticill

With festive alcohol to consume at the Strollers Xmas luncheon, it was to be a car-free walk for Lord Twynyrodyn and Wandering today (Butterballs, the Fit Fiftysomething from the Cynon Valley and RGB were all unavailable due to prior engagements!).

The predicted heavy snowfall overnight had failed to materialise as we left the Shire of Thomastown at mid-morning although the ground was sprinkled with a light dusting.

After negotiating the western section of Thomastown Park we experienced a white-out as we left Alexandra Avenue en-route to the top gate at Cyfarthfa Park.





Work had started on repairs to the feeder at Cyfarthfa Park lake that Lord Twynyrodyn had a professional interest to see so we went off-road under the bridge at the bottom of Cefn High Street and walked along the old railway tracks behind Lakeside Gardens.



The Cwm Taff Fechan Nature Reserve section of the walk has been covered on the blog previously. However, today the river was almost in flood.

We were graced with the presence of a heron, buzzard, dipper and green tit along the river bank.



We continued over the bridge and under the viaduct at Pontsarn until we reached the White Bridge where we left the trail to climb to the former-Church Tavern, that has now been converted into a dwelling house and is currently for sale at a price of £495k.



The Ironmaster Robert Crawshay is buried in the graveyard of Vaynor Church ("God Forgive Me" is engraved on his tomb) and we walked a few hundred yards to the site of the original church that was built in the 8th Century but was burnt down during the battle of Maesvaynor which took place in 1291.



Leaving this historic site we walked along the country roads into the village of Pontsticill to the Red Cow Inn, where we ate a Dragons Tongue!



From the windows of the service bus we could still see snow covering the agricultural area surrounding the village as we returned to the metropolis by late afternoon.

Local Reservoirs

Provisional Met Office climate figures for April 2011 indicate that last month was the warmest on record with many parts of the UK seeing temperatures 3 to 5 °C warmer than normal. April 2011 was also the 11th driest in the UK, since records began in 1910.

The UK average temperature was 10.7 °C exceeding the previous warmest April on record of 10.2 °C in 2007.

The warm weather was also accompanied by mainly dry conditions throughout the month. The UK average rainfall total was 36.7mm - 52% of the long-term average. The exceptionally dry April followed a dry March, when less than half of the normal rainfall fell across the UK, also followed by a drier than average winter.

Despite the warmest April since records began the local reservoirs are not as low as those in other parts of the country.


July 2010

May 2011 - normally levels reach the darker brickwork on the bridge

In July last year this photograph was taken from beneath Nant Crew bridge on the Cantref Reservoir, but today enough water was still flowing down from Cwm Crew to deny access to the river bed beneath the bridge.


July 2010

May 2011

However, the water level around the overflow plug at Pontsticill Reservoir was considerably lower today then in January.


January 2011

May 2011

TRIG Pt 642

With a relatively low turn out (half a dozen of us) and a distinct lack of vehicles, it was public transport to the Storey Arms before climbing the Y Gryn route to the elbow of Corn Ddu.

With Mark Crimmings in charge of navigation we headed south-east down Craig Gwaun Taf in relatively good conditions until we arrived at trig point 642 high above the Upper Neuadd Reservoir - and that's when the problems started!

The cloud dropped very quickly and we couldn't see anything, including the outline of the right path to take.

Making our way down Bwlch Gwyn the extremely boggy conditions in the open ground forced us to the edge of the Taf Fechan Forest and after some dificult scrambling through waist high grass at one point we eventually emerged in open ground above Pontsticill Reservoir as a relieved Steve remarked on seeing the Boat House "We've had a result!".

Rather than head for the B road to take us to our destination, Mark decided to seek out the wooden bridge on the far edge of the forest to complete our walk to Pontsticill and a well earned meal in the Butchers.