{"id":48571,"date":"2026-05-31T15:59:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T14:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=48571"},"modified":"2026-05-31T15:59:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T14:59:57","slug":"bagging-nuttalls-in-the-sunshine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/05\/bagging-nuttalls-in-the-sunshine\/","title":{"rendered":"Bagging Nuttalls in the Sunshine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the settled weather due to break at the weekend, I decided to make the most of it and head into the hills to bag a few more Nuttalls. Most of the local ones are already ticked off now, so it meant a longer drive, but the Black Mountains and Bannau Brycheiniog still had plenty left on my list. I\u2019ve done one or two there by accident whilst running 1000 miles around Wales<\/a>, as a couple are on the Offa\u2019s Dyke Trail, but the rest were still waiting to be bagged. So, I headed south on Friday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Into the Hills<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I drove to a car park on the mountain road between Llangadog and Brynamman, so I did quite a bit of climbing in the car and started my walk at around 480 m in elevation. From there, I headed off under cloudy skies, up through some old quarry spoil tips towards the summit of Garreg Lwyd (616 m), which was my first Nuttall of the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Carreg<\/a>
Carreg Lwyd Summit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I had all day, as it wouldn\u2019t get dark until close to 10 pm, so I was taking things easy. I stopped briefly at the trig point for a photo before continuing across easy ground to Foel Fraith (602 m).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foel Fraith doesn\u2019t count as a Nuttall, but it is still a summit, and it was on my route, so I stopped at the little pile of stones marking the top and took some photos of the cotton grass dancing in the wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cotton<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Foel<\/a><\/figure>
\"Grassy<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There was no one around \u2014 just me and the hills. The road was out of sight and all was quiet as a buzzard soared overhead. I didn\u2019t stop long, but there were now occasional breaks in the cloud and the sun was beginning to make its presence felt, so on went the hat and sunglasses too.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Summit<\/a>
Summit Selfie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

From here, there was a short descent over rockier ground and across a shallow depression which would usually be wet and boggy, but today consisted of somewhat crispy mosses. I then climbed up over a rocky rise and turned left, where a faint path took me along a limestone ridge to the summit of Garreg Las (634 m), where two large stone piles marked the top. This one was a Nuttall.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Garreg<\/a>
Garreg Las<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The sun was strong now, so I rolled my sleeves down to stop myself getting burnt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My original plan had been to head towards Waun Lefrith next and the main ridge above Llyn y Fan Fach, before returning via the summit of Carreg Yr Ogof the following day. However, from here it looked too tempting to ignore, so I decided to head straight there instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It didn\u2019t take long to stride through the bilberry bushes to the prominent white trig point at the summit of Carreg Yr Ogof (586 m). I passed a herd of wild ponies on the way, many of them with foals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ponies\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Carreg<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That was summit four of the day, and it was turning into a lovely afternoon. The summit here is surrounded by limestone ledges and grassy patches with views out over the fields of Mid Wales below \u2014 the perfect spot to stop for lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, out came my new camp chair and my pasty, and I settled down for a while in the sunshine. Not a bad spot for lunch: hidden from view, but with scenery that was hard to beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onto Bannau Brycheiniog<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After relaxing in the sun, I was back on my feet, descending to a saddle and heading east. So far, there had been no sign of water, which is fairly typical on these limestone tops. Rather than flowing in streams and rivers, much of it percolates through the rock into caves and underground systems, so reliable water sources can be hard to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the day heating up, a long way still to go, and only around 500 ml left, I decided to divert towards what was marked as a stream on the map. Sure enough, there was a perfect little stream flowing nicely and glistening in the sunshine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stopped to filter some water, only to discover that my filter had dried out a little and wasn\u2019t flowing properly. I managed to top up my bottle though, and left some water sloshing around inside the filter in the hope that it would rehydrate and improve later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, I began a steady climb along an easy path towards the summit of Waun Lefrith (676 m), the third Nuttall of the day. I was climbing higher now and properly entering Bannau Brycheiniog. As I reached the top, the stunning ridge above Llyn y Fan Fach opened out ahead of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Llyn<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Ridge<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The next part of the route would follow the edge of that ridge, picking off summits as I went before eventually dropping back down towards the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a tentative plan to camp by the lakeside, though I suspected it might be busier than I\u2019d like. From up here, it already looked that way. There were parties strung out along the ridge, several groups climbing up from the lake, and plenty of people gathered along the shoreline below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After taking a few photos, I continued on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the Ridge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The ridge walk took me up and down along the escarpment with constant views down to the lake below. The next summit, and another Nuttall, was Bannau Sir Gaer \u2013 Picws Du (749 m).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, the ridge dipped and climbed again towards Fan Foel (781 m). This one doesn\u2019t count as a Nuttall either, but it was still a prominent point on the route. Beyond it came a longer descent followed by a steeper climb to Fan Brycheiniog \u2013 Twr y Fan Foel (803 m), the highest point of the trip and Nuttall number five which afforded views back towards the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Views<\/a>
Views back to Llyn y Fan Fach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Just beyond it sat the Fan Brycheiniog trig point (802 m), which is classed as another summit in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Fan<\/a>
Fan Brycheiniog Trig Point<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This stretch of the walk was noticeably busier. I overtook several groups and had wide views down towards Llyn y Fan Fawr. Most people seemed to be completing a loop from the lake below, but I still had one final summit to reach.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Llyn<\/a>
Llyn y Fan Fawr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Fan Hir (760 m) sat a little way beyond the main turning down to the lake, so before long I found myself alone again as I headed out towards it. That was the sixth and final Nuttall of the trip, and from here it was simply a case of making my way back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around the Lakes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My original plan had been to retrace my steps before dropping down to Llyn y Fan Fach somewhere between Fan Foel and Bannau Sir Gaer. I\u2019d spotted the path earlier and it looked straightforward enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Fan Hir though, there was also an obvious route down to Llyn y Fan Fawr and then around towards Llyn y Fan Fach. It would turn the outing into more of a loop and save some retracing, so that\u2019s the option I chose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The descent was steep at first, but before long I reached the lakeside, passing several people I\u2019d already overtaken earlier in the day. There were groups scattered around the grassy shores, some already waiting with tents ready for the evening. Others had clearly decided not to wait and were already pitching beside the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wandered around the shoreline before contouring around the steep spur descending from Fan Foel. The path here hugged the hillside and made for easy walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once around the spur, the full length of the ridge opened out ahead of me once again, while the waters of Llyn y Fan Fach appeared in the distance. Things had quietened down here too, and I made my way along narrow tracks and grassy paths towards a small rill feeding into the reservoir.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Impressive<\/a>
Impressive Scenery and an easy grassy path<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Oddly, for a while it genuinely looked as though I was walking uphill towards the lake, despite the water flowing in the same direction as me. Some sort of strange optical illusion was definitely at work.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Rill\"<\/a>
Rill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

At the lake itself, I stopped for a short while and confirmed what I\u2019d already suspected \u2014 there were simply too many people around for my liking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Llyn<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d already started leaning towards another plan anyway. Rather than camp by the water, deal with midges, and face a steep climb first thing in the morning, I decided to head back up onto the ridge instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea was to revisit the water source from earlier so I could top up for the evening and breakfast, then camp somewhere near Carreg Yr Ogof, where I\u2019d stopped for lunch earlier in the day. There were plenty of good pitches there, the breeze would help keep the midges away, and it wasn\u2019t too far to carry 3\u20134 kg of water. It would also leave me with a short walk back to the car in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s exactly what I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water Collecting and a Campsite<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once I started climbing again, I didn\u2019t see another person. I cut across country slightly to contour around the hill towards the stream, avoiding a re-ascent of Waun Lefrith and saving a little climbing in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While filtering water, I noticed a tiny pinhole leak in the filter bladder, though thankfully the flow was much better this time. Soon enough, I found a perfect little spot to camp and had the tent pitched in time to relax in my new chair beside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Tent<\/a><\/figure>
\"Home<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>