National Geographic Traveller - UK (2020-07 & 2020-08)

MORNING

There are higher peaks in

Wales, but few have the pop-up

effect of the 1,594ft Skirrid on

the eastern fringes of the Black

Mountains. Sweeping above a

fretwork of hedgerowed fields,

the Skirrid takes its Welsh

name, Ysgyryd Fawr (‘great

shattered mountain’) from the

massive landslide that shook its

northwestern flank during the

last Ice Age.

Rambling up through

broadleaf woods carpeted with

ferns and wildflowers, the path

emerges onto a wind-beaten

ridge. When the Welsh weather

behaves itself, the views from

the trig point are unbeatable,

reaching west to the conical Sugar

Loaf and the Brecon Beacons,

east to the borderlands and south

to the Severn Estuary. Ospreys,

buzzards and red kites often

glide on stiff breezes above the

exposed outcrop. And if history

grabs you more than birdlife, look

out for the ruins of a medieval

chapel and the mound-and-ditch

ramparts of an Iron Age hill fort

near the summit.

AFTERNOON

After a bracing hike, The Skirrid

Mountain Inn beckons for lunch.

With 900 years of history, it

claims to be Wales’ oldest and

most haunted boozer. It sure

looks the part, with sagging,

woodsmoke-blackened beams

and an inglenook fireplace where

Shakespeare supposedly once

enjoyed a pint and came up with

the impish character of Puck

for his play A Midsummer Night’s

Dream. The hangman’s noose

above the stairwell nods to the

pub’s darker past as a courthouse.

Road trips are two-a-penny in

Wales, but few can rival the one

through the remote, steep-sided

Vale of Ewyas, which unfurls just

north of the inn. The halfway

point is Llanthony, where the

ruins of an Augustinian priory

are so wildly romantic that they

inspired Turner to commit the

scene to canvas in 1794. Further

north, a single-track lane ribbons

through windswept moorland

and up the 1,800ft Gospel Pass,

Wales’ highest road. Near the top,

astonishing views of Hay Bluff to

the east and Twmpa open up.

EVENING

As the late-afternoon light slants

over the hills, head south on the

A479, where the views of the Black

Mountains — including the highest

peak, 2,660ft Waun Fach — prove

distractingly lovely. Your base

for the evening is Crickhowell,

a picturesque Georgian market

town that straddles the River Usk.

The 18th-century stone bridge

here is well worth admiring for its

mismatched arches (12 upstream,

13 downstream).

Crickhowell’s showpiece is

The Bear Hotel, a 600-year-

old former coaching inn that

was once an overnight stop for

travellers heading from London

to West Wales. Now a delightfully

old-school gastro pub and hotel,

it brims with low oak beams,

log fires and cosy nooks. In

summer, the hanging baskets

are something else. If it’s warm,

grab a pre-dinner drink in the

rear courtyard. The menu plays

up seasonality and traceability

in dishes like Black Mountain

smoked salmon with crostini and

lemon oil, and braised lamb shank

with spring-onion mash.

DAY ONE SKIRRID TO CRICKHOWELL

IMAGES: GETTY; ALAMY

LEFT: A hiker surveys the

view from Black Hill (also

known as Cat’s Back) in

the Black Mountains, the

easternmost of the Brecon

Beacons’ hills

RIGHT: Usk Bridge and

The Bridge End Inn,

Crickhowell, with Table

Mountain in the background

EAT UP

The Brecons’

three best food

experiences

FELIN FACH GRIFFIN

With log fires in the

inglenook, low beams,

flagstone floors and

Chesterfields worn smooth

by decades of shuffling

bums, this pub between

the Brecons and the Black

Mountains is the country

dream. Garden-grown and

locally sourced ingredients

are elevated to gastro

heights in simple-but-punchy

dishes like smoked duck

with feta and pickled garden

berries. felinfachgriffin.co.uk

WELSH VENISON CENTRE

Watch deer, sheep and cattle

graze as you dig into a local-

and season-driven lunch at

this terrific farm shop and

café between Crickhowell

and Brecon. Outdoor fires

and blankets keep you warm

while you enjoy rural views

over Black Mountain Roast

Coffee, homemade cake,

and farm-to-fork snacks like

gourmet venison burger

topped with Welsh cheddar,

bacon and fried onions.

beaconsfarmshop.co.uk

THE WALNUT TREE

Shaun Hill heads up this

Michelin-starred restaurant

in the rolling borderlands.

‘Shaking the pans’ for 50

years plus, Shaun’s menu

is a love affair between

Wales and France, with

occasional whispers of India

and North Africa. The vibe

is unpretentious, the price

surprisingly modest (3-course

lunch £32), and the flavours

simple and bright in dishes

like squab pigeon with petits

pois. thewalnuttreeinn.com

Jul/Aug 2020 39