Brac on holiday!
Brac in the Black Mountains
Following some failed attempts in previous years to get into the Welsh Mountains we finally managed to take Brac on a hike in his homeland!
Our destination was Sugar Loaf Mountain, or Mynydd Pen Y Fal as it’s known in Welsh. This iconic mountain, located to the North of Abergavenny, is shaped like a classic volcano which makes it stand out from most of the other flat-topped peaks in Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons National Park) but is actually red sandstone. At 596 metres (1,955 feet) it is one of the highest peaks in the Black Mountains.
Rather than walking up the usual south elevation, we decided to circle around and make our approach along its western ridgeline. This affords spectacular views over the valleys on either side. The lower regions are a gentle walk along paths through the bracken and Brac was frequently surprised to see grazing sheep appear out of nowhere. It was a good job he was on a long lead otherwise he would have been off giving chase! After some training, and lots of treats, he became accustomed to them and by the time we made our descent he was ignoring them most of the time.
It was lovely to see him trotting along with us exploring the terrain. Whilst the lower section was very easy-going, the walk along the ridgeline became progressively steeper but Brac continued to bounce along with his endless energy. Unfortunately, he would not let us use him to help pull us up the slope. Towards the peak you have to navigate lots of boulders where he needed the occasional lift but it was amazing watching him following our exact route as he jumped from rock to rock wherever he could. You could tell he was really concentrating here.
On a clear day you have panoramic views over South Wales and on into the Southwest of England from the summit. The day of our walk was too cloudy but the views were still amazing and well worth the effort. Brac made his own inevitable mark at the trig point, as you can see if you watch the video carefully.
Brac was particularly in his element as we made our descent via a different route where he really needed to work out how to navigate the rocky parts. Watching him pause and decide his next steps to the instruction ‘find the path’ showed how much he enjoys the mental stimulation. Maybe we need to invent ‘extreme agility’.
Needless to say we all had a snooze when we got back and some well-earned treats. Video of the walk can be found on Instagram @welshiebrac and @weltos_uk
Video links:
Neil and Jane
and Brac 🐾
Wow Brac what an amazing adventure you had! Thank you for sharing with us.
Jan Chamberlain sent the following message:
This morning we went to our local woods, as we were leaving we bumped into a beautiful Welshie boy and his owner. His name is Dylan aged 21/2 years. I passed on one of our cards. Hopefully He'll look on our website and join. We were both trying to avoid the Army officers on their huge horses, Izzy got wind of them and shouted just a little bit, well quite loudly really.
Have a good weekend
Jan X
Jan and Nigel are owned by our newest Puppy Nell who is Brac's half sister.
Sylvia Turner sent some lovely photos of Owen the family dog - helping with housework, sharing a meal, site seeing, the proud father - a prize winner!
Sylvia lives in Ludlow and has never been able to attend our meetings but really enjoys seeing our blogs and hopes they continue. Sylvia won the WT cushion shown in the photo in a WELTOS online competition.
I hope you all enjoyed your summer, especially the lovely weather we had in September. Do send me your holiday photos and I look forward to seeing some of you at our Christmas Ramble/AGM on Sunday 19th November.
Take care all, Mandy
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