At the western end of Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), in a very quiet corner reached only by minor roads, there’s a glorious ridge where 4 peaks sit majestically above the glacial lakes of Llyn y Fan Fawr and Llyn y Fan Fach.

They’re dissected by the county boundary, so that only 2 of the tops are actually in Brycheiniog or Breconshire (or the modern county of Powys which absorbed it), and the others sit in Sir Gaerfyrddin (Sir Gâr for short) otherwise known as Carmarthenshire.

These Bannau Sir Gâr, or Carmarthenshire Fans, along with their Brycheiniog neighbours are sometimes known collectively as Black Mountain, but are not to be confused with the Black Mountains at the eastern end of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, or the peak in that range that’s also called Black Mountain!

Still with me?

This is only a personal opinion, so feel free to differ, but for impressiveness they surely rank in the top 10 in Wales, along with such giants as Yr Wyddfa, the Glyderau, and Cader Idris.

So it’s a bit embarrassing that until last week, they were also the only mountains in Wales I’d never really seen (if you exclude Garreg Lwyd, a pimple at the far end of the range that I ticked off last year). My excuse is that from my home in Wrexham, they’re also the furthest, as the crow flies. (Or as a red kite flies, for that matter. They’ve only recently reached my home patch, in the opposite direction, too).

The mountains can be approached from the south or east (past Llyn y Fan Fawr), or from the north. And that approach from the north, which not only takes you past the other lake Llyn y Fan Fach but also allows you to see the full extent of the range in all its glory, seemed the best idea. There’s a car park at Blaenau Farm (OS Grid Ref SN 797 238), about 2 km from the small hamlet of Llanddeusant.

The 4 main summits that sit on the edge of the 5km ridge are Fan Brycheiniog or Twr y Fan Foel, Fan Hir, Picws Du and Waun Lefrith. There’s also a lesser summit Garreg Las a bit further along, and all are ‘Nuttalls’ – 2000 foot peaks.

I hadn’t planned to do them all, but thought I might at least manage a couple. The unpredictable weather had other ideas – too hot, with thunder storms on the day I’d set aside, and then heavy rain forecast on the following day! I chanced it on that second day anyway, as far as Waun Lefrith, but with the clouds then starting to look a bit too threatening, I chickened out and headed for lower ground. So my 167th Welsh Nuttall ticked off, but 21 still to do!

Despite the clouds and general gloom, the area definitely won me over – a long steady climb alongside the stream, which only reveals the llyn at the last minute, and then the steeper but short climb onto the top, in a valley that feels peaceful and remote, and even quite natural despite the Dwr Cymru water treatment facility and obvious hand of man (the semi-wild ponies help). Definitely an area to return too, to tick off the other tops, and hopefully with better weather and a bit more blue in the photos.

For a quiet rural area, there’s quite a few tourist attractions that invite a visit – the sleepy but ’boutique’ Llanymddyfri (Llandovery) is great for a short stop, and around Llandeilo you’ll find castles, country estates and gardens.

If you’re in a nature lover, the Red Kite Feeding Station is a must, but check the website first https://www.redkiteswales.co.uk . It’s only open on 4 days, for about an hour at a time, to comply with their Welsh Government licence, and to maintain a balance where the kites also continue to hunt for food naturally. Seeing 100 or so of these majestic birds gathering at the same time, and swooping to feed, is a spectacular sight, and six quid well spent!

They’re not too easy to photography though, at least without practice! I used my phone to get an initial video of the full scene, and then switched to a 80-200 lens on my Nikon D810 to get shots of 3 or 4 birds together, and then a Sigma 150-500 to pick out individuals as others started to drift away. I’d over-exposed by a couple of stops, to avoid silhouetting them against the sky and I’m pretty happy with the results for a first try, but I’m going to need another visit sometime, to practice shooting them as they swoop down for food. That’s the tricky part.

Dinefwr Estate was good too. Not so much for Newton House (big houses aren’t really my thing), but for Castell Dinefwr, former seat of Rhys, ruler of Deheubarth, and built on the site of a previous castle which was the home of Hywel Dda. The walk from the main car park through the woods to the castle, and back across the meadow, was perfect for the day when it was too hot for hills.

Last stop was a visit to the National Botanic Garden at Llanarthne. They had a health & well-being event on at the time where I, quite literally, bumped into Shane Williams (welsh rugby god). I said sorry, he said sorry, and we moved on down the aisle.

My base for my 3 day/4 night trip was Ty Newydd, a spotless little cottage, next door to the owners’ house on a working farm/stables on the edge of the quiet village of Salem. Very comfortable, and perfect for a small stay if you’re heading that way.  Check it out at https://www.cottages.com/cottages/ty-newydd-ty-newydd-cottage-29320

Diolch Sir Gaerfyrddin. See you again soon.