Cwm Ysgiach, Lliw Valley Reservoirs

When I volunteered Neil to be backmarker, neither he or I realised just what additional attention than normal, would be involved in that role today.

It had been great to see all the cars driving in to the meeting place with members old and new, and adding late comers Colin and John, we had reached a very large crowd of over 30.

This walk had been on the programme for some months and I was so relieved that in January and the bad weather that could have been thrown at us, that there was no snow or ice etc to spoil this very beautiful walk.

However when everyone assembled and I gave a little talk giving information about the days walk, I pointed to where we would be going, high up onto the moorland and was a bit taken aback and concerned, by the thick mist that had appeared in that area.

It'll soon lift I thought.

I got my priorities right and told the cafe owner of our estimated time of arrival back at the cafe for coffee and cake and he assured me that he would be open until 4pm--sorted!!!

Off we set mainly in single file on the furthest side of the lower reservoir, making our way all along the water line and then up some very steep steps back on to the tarmac.

We continued onwards and then very soon took a left turn onto the moorland with a steady climb through the now dying and trampled bracken up to a high point.

The terrain is quite magnificent here with rocky outcrops and beautiful shades of foliage, trees and bracken.

People could have been forgiven for not taking this in on this particular occasion due to the poor visibility.

It was a very narrow path and I had tried to suss this new path in the summer but the bracken had been so high that the track just couldn't be seen.

Neil and I had returned at a later date and with a lot of seeking out, we eventually found the path we wanted.

We formed a long trail, making our way up, up, and even more up, but very soon we were waiting on top for the slower walkers to catch up finding ourselves in a lot of cold thick mist.

When everyone was together again, I asked David if he would kindly keep a check on the rear and Neil and I went up front to try and locate the path we wanted, which had disappeared into the mist.

We found a marker post we knew, and then took a course we thought the right one, but due to the thick mist we weren't able to see the corner of a distant field that normally alerted us to the correct track we wanted.

I kept looking back the way we'd come, thinking that we could at least re-trace our steps if we couldn't find exactly where we needed to go.

After full concentration for 15-20 minutes the mist suddenly lifted and we could see the fields in the distance--PHEW!!!

We stopped quite soon afterwards on the moorland for our packed lunches as everyone was ravenous by this time.

It was very chilly up there and we didn't stay too long before we were off again.

The peat on the top was rather boggy but soon we came to a very large area of very deep mud.

It was every man, woman and dog for themselves!!!

We seemed to spread out, all trying to find the driest patch--actually there wasn't one!!!

Some went to the right and some to the left and some straight down the middle.We daren't stop to think too much about our next footing or we would have sunk in the mire so on we went until eventually we came to a road and were able to stamp our feet and try and get some of the clinging mud off our boots.

The mist by this time had lifted and so eventually we had the beautiful views this walk is known for.We were looking down to the Loughor Estuary and over to Pontardulais and the hills around there, which had formed a previous walk of mine.

On we went, still on the top of the hillside and eventually we found the track down Cwm Ysgiach which is the name of this walk.

It is a very beautiful green valley with lovely trees and water and a green lane with underfoot, a soft bed of different coloured fallen leaves.

This seemed to go on and on, down and down, but we eventually came to the road and made our way to Felindre Village and Nebo Chapel and its "murder stone."

It relates to a murdered milkmaid whose body was found at a farm nearby and the inscription on her gravestone was meant to appeal to the conscience of the perpetrator of this heinous crime.

It didn't work sadly.

Leaving the village I pointed to a sign saying we had only three quarters of a mile to go, before we got back to the reservoirs and cafe and everyone then seemed to recover a spring in their step.

A path through greenery brought us before long to the finishing line, where the rush was on, to get in the very long queue for the lovely coffee and cake on offer.

It's always a lovely way to end a walk and most people joined in, all more than ready for some fortifying liquid refreshment.

So many partook in fact, that I did think afterwards that I should have been on commission.

S C R U M M Y.

I'd like to say I was only there for the cake and caffeine kick, but the walk wasn't bad either!!!

 

 

 

 

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