Saturday, 12 August 2023

Crossing the mountains yesterday, plus extra photos

 


Just a couple of photos to go on with. I'll add more later.  We took the mountain road from Beulah across to Tregaron yesterday.  It was just as well I hadn't had too much caffeine as it was a bit hairy in places.  For those of you who know Porlock Hill, imagine this half the width (single track lane), often with sheer drops one side or the other.  Not for the faint hearted - going over a hillock to find the road disappearing from view and often going into a hairpin bend. But we survived, and stopped in Llandewibrevi to visit St David's Church (separate post) and then Tregaron (heritage centre, also a separate post), before going on to Llanarchaeron (separate post).    We also went to Powis Castle and I'll do a post on that too.






Looking back to where we saw 10 or a dozen Mistle Thrushes - they keep together in family groups late summer.   One youngster was hopping/flying up the lane ahead of us for quite a way so we got a real close up of him.  Beautiful birds.  Lots of Wheatears, Stonechats etc too.




And to think folk think WE live out in the sticks!!!


That's civilization in the distance!


21 comments:

  1. Its a good road that.. breathtaking in many ways!!

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  2. Wow. I remember Porlock Hill well. That must have been scary!

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    1. The steep bits were shorter but you couldn't see where the road was going next.

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    1. It was really lovely. Know where the chapel of Soar-y-Mynydd is now so may go and check that out whilst summer is still with us.

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    2. Did you add more photos or is my scrolling doodad messing me up again? It's so beautiful there, achingly so.

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    1. Fortunately enough cars crossing it ahead of me (and a couple coming my way) to give me a bit of confidence. Imagine breaking down out there - bound to be no phone signal!

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  5. I know Porlock Hill! Id forgotten about it. I had a colleague when I worked in London who's family home was near the hill. I visited a few times. Very lovely area, so I imagine it is lovely as well in your area.

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    1. The little hills here were first gear jobs. Never got out of 3rd even on the flatter bits.

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  6. What a lovely area. Stunning.

    God bless.

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    1. Certainly an experience. Now I want to go again, park up, and check out the wildlife.

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  7. Beautiful Wales, I love it. Sometimes I think I find a bit of Wales here but this is the real thing. Will never forget the newborn piglets at Llanarchaeron. Well done on the drive, I used to drive the hairiest scariest hairpin mountain roads in Italy but I was young then. And as for cycling over the Pyrenees, my friend and I still say that was tougher than childbirth! Looking forward to your next posts. Sarah x

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    1. This was true Wild Wales - you could imagine George Borrow exploring there and it was EXACTLY the sort of challenging landscape that Edward Thomas would have revelled in too.

      Our car (more like a van shapewise) isn't the best at up hill and down dale. The Doblo would have loved it though.

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  8. Your talking about the Devils Starecase, that is a steep windy one. Our Swift 4x4 struggled up there but the Jimny has no poblems. You must have turned right further on because we went to the lake.
    I used love driving up and sown Porlock in my Moddified mini. Fish hill is another good one. I found a Georgian church not that far away from you. Triabad, its redundant now but you can look around though it is lot very big and nees som TLC.

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    1. I saw the turning for Llyn Brianne reservoir. We used to visit that, and the upper Cothi Valley around Twm Sion Cati's cave when we lived in Carms. I will have to explore the route from Abergwesyn some time. Just checked out Tirabad and it is one of the 7 churches founded by St David in 519 - our church included and the one up the hill at Maesmynis and Llandewi'r Cwm, the latter I have yet to visit.

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  9. Beautiful photos, and yes some of those homes are really out on their own aren't they.

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    1. There were none we could see from the road once we got up in the mountains proper, but a couple of tracks could have led to farms.

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