Sgwd Clun-Gwyn Waterfall

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Sgwd Clun-Gwyn waterfall

Photo: Sgwd Clun-Gwyn waterfall, river Mellte, near Ystradfellte, Brecon Beacons national park, Wales

The river Mellte near Ystradfellte forms part of  ‘waterfall country’ on the southern parts of the Brecon Beacons national park.  I’ve never spent much time around here as I’d rather head up into the hills or go climbing, but a particularly bleak Autumn day on Monday seemed like a good time to go check things out.  I had seen some smaller waterfalls last week, but these are definitely more impressive.  A couple weeks back there were some heavy rains and flooding.  The high water line was clearly visible on the riverbank, would have been quite a sight to see the falls then.  Hopefully I’ll get down here another time or two as the autumn color progresses.

Sgwd Clun-Gwyn waterfall

Maen Llia

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Maen Llia standing stone, Brecon Beacons national park, Wales

Photo: Maen Llia standing stone, Brecon Beacons national park, Wales

It’s been on my mind lately to try and make some portrait style photos of some of the standing stones in the Brecon Beacons region.  Last night was my first attempt at this, using a single Nikon SB-800 as an off camera flash and the gigantic Maen Llia stone as my model.  Unfortunately, and what seems to be my luck these last few months, it started raining after about 10 minutes, before the sky was dark enough to really create the photos that I wanted.    Hopefully I can make it back again in the next few weeks and have another try.

Also, if you read my blog by RSS feed, stop by and have a look.  I’ve made a few changes, the biggest of which will be larger images, now up to 950px wide.  Though if your monitor resolution is less than 1200px, it might look a bit funny, sorry…

Maen Llia standing stone, Brecon Beacons national park, Wales

Twmpa – Black Mountains, Wales

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Welsh landscape photography - Twmpa, Black mountains, Wales

Twmpa, also known as Lord Hereford’s knob, is a somewhat prominent looking, but fairly low peak in the northern part of the Black mountains, Brecon Beacons national park, Wales

Twmpa and welsh countryside, Brecon Beacons national park, Wales

Hay Bluff – Brecon Beacons national park, Wales

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Hay Bluff, Brecon Beacons national park, Wales

Hay Bluff is a small (677 meter) peak on the northeast edge of the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons national park.

The English/Welsh border runs roughly through the left side of the peak in the above photo, as well as Offa’s Dyke national footpath which follows the border for the most part.

The bluff is only a few kilometers south of town here, so it’s probably my most visited area of the Brecon Beacons national park and Wales in general.  It’s a good place to go for some hillwalking in the late afternoon and provides some scenic views of the surrounding countryside.

Wild Welsh mountain pony, Hay Bluff, Black mountains

Hay Bluff panoramic stock photo, Black mountains, Wales

Above and Below: Hay Bluff as seen from near the summit of Twmpa.  The peak rises into a broad plateau which then turns into a ridge that forms the eastern border of: the Black mountains, Brecon Beacons national park, Vale of Ewyas, and Wales itself.  The small single lane road skirts the side of the peak and over Gospel Pass (center right of both photos) and down into the Vale of Ewyas.

Hay Bluff landscape photo, Brecon Beacons, Wales

Craig Goch Reservoir – Elan Valley, Wales

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Welsh stock photography: Craig Goch reservoir, Elan Valley, Wales

Craig Goch reservoir and dam, Elan Valley, Powys, Wales.

Craig Goch is the uppermost of the Elan Valley reservoirs.  From here the road meets up with the mountain road towards Aberystwyth at the coast or back east to Rhayader.

Welsh stock photography: Craig Goch reservoir, Elan Valley, Wales

Welsh stock photography: Craig Goch reservoir, Elan Valley, Wales


Claerwen Reservoir – Elan Valley, Wales

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Welsh stock photography: Claerwen Reservoir, Elan Valley, Wales

Claerwen Reservoir and dam on a surprisingly pleasant summer day, Elan Valley, Powys, Wales.

These waters flow some 70+ miles to quench the thirst of the city of Birmingham.  Claerwen was finished in 1952 and was the last of the reservoirs to be built.

Welsh stock photography: Claerwen Reservoir, Elan Valley, Wales

Wild Welsh Mountain Ponies

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Wild Welsh mountain pony, Hay Bluff, Wales

Wild Welsh mountain ponies in and around Hay Bluff in the Black Mountains area of Brecon Beacons national park, Wales.

I’ve posted previously about the wild ponies that run around the mountains here in south Wales.  There’s several herds that hang out on Hay Bluff, just outside of town here.  They make for more interesting subjects than near infinite amount of sheep cruising around.

White Welsh mountain pony on hillside, Hay Bluff, Wales

Wild Welsh mountain pony feeds on grassy hillside, Hay Bluff, Wales

Two wild Welsh mountain pony foals, Hay Bluff, Wales

Portrait of wild Welsh mountain pony foal, Hay Bluff, Wales

Wales – Black Mountain

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Black Mountain Landscape, Brecon beacons national park, Wales

Black Mountain (yes, singular, not plural) is the name of the westernmost range of the Brecon Beacons national park.  The other two being the Black mountains (plural this time) in the east and along the English border.  While the Brecon Beacons range, from where the national park takes its name and home to the highest mountain in south Wales (Pen Y Fan), sits between the two ‘black’ ranges.

Access into the Black mountain is about an hour from here, so I’ve only just begun to explore the area in the last weeks.  They are much more rugged and isolated that the Black MountainS here in my backyard, so I’m looking forward to spending more time out there.  There is also a roughly 100 mile long trail called the Beacons Way which runs east to west across the park which has also caught my attention for some time in the future.

Black Mountain Landscape, Brecon beacons national park, Wales

Black Mountain Landscape, Brecon beacons national park, Wales

Welsh Safari

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Welsh mountain pony, Black Mountain, Wales

Welsh mountain ponies.  They seemed to think either I and or the car was edible.  Out in the Black mountain area on a mostly fine summer day.

Welsh mountain pony, Black Mountain, Wales

Welsh mountain pony, Black Mountain, Wales

Brecon Beacons Winter Photo Gallery

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Pen Y Fan at dawn winter snow, Brecon Beacons, Wales

Brecon Beacons December 2009 photo gallery

I’ve uploaded about 40 new photos so far from the mountains after the snow in December.  I made a few trips up Corn Du and Pen Y Fan and once up Fan Fawr.  Recently added photos appear at the top of the gallery, which I’ll still be adding to during the next weeks as I get more photos processed.  There’s also a few old photos from 2006, you can tell which ones they are as there’s no snow.

Fan Fawr with winter snow, Brecon Beacons national park, Wales