#cribarth

[mikemccombe]

The head of the Swansea Valley, looking south towards Cribarth, just after dawn on 16th January

[indesperateneedofsomeadventures]

The Sleeping Giant

Cribarth, Abercraf, Powys, Wales

Cribarth is a hill found within the Brecon Beacons National Park, it is probably one of the most heavily quarried hills in Wales but this has given it a distinctive appeal, from a distance the hill looks like a sleeping giant which gives the hill it’s local name.

The main reason the area was worked so heavily was because of the geology of the area with the hill being formed of Carboniferous Limestone and  Namurian age Twrch Sandstone.    

In total there were thirty-three large quarries and innumerable smaller ones quarrying Limestone, silica rock and rottenstone in huge quantities for the iron, copper and tin industries further south around the Swansea Valley, these were worked by 10.5 miles of tramways and eighteen inclined planes all eventually leading to the Swansea Canal which was built in 1794, the quarrying continuing on until the 1890s. 

The lower slopes were covered in a dry woodland of Birch Betula spp. and Oak Quercus spp. littered with boulders and Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis (4), further up the slope Bracken Pteridium aquilinum and Purple Moor-Grass  Molinia caerulea eventually giving out to grazed upland acidic grassland.

[indesperateneedofsomeadventures]

My Blog turned 2 today! 

So have a photo from a recent trip up Cribarth (eventually i’ll get round to sorting the rest of the photos). I can’t really believe i’ve only been doing this for two years...looking back at the photos it feels like much longer. 

I’d just like to thank my almost 300 odd followers, along with many others for looking at, reblogging/liking my photos, it’s nice to know people like to follow my adventures and enjoy them as much as I do.

 I can’t forget the people who I have these adventures with either, I very rarely wander alone these days. I’ve have been shown some of my favourite spots and species by some of the most knowledgeable people I know...and there’s still plenty for me to see!

Cheers and here’s to another year!

[welshhills-blog]

Photos of the Tawe Valley disturbance from Cribarth. The horses have survived the harsh winter but look dreaded and wild. They were walking up the old tram line a going 45° up hill, 130 years previously they would have been pushing and pulling carts loaded with limestone.