Today was supposed to be a beautiful walk up Pen-y-Fan and around the ridges, but it was far to dangerous to attempt due to snow and ice. Lyndon had suggested a nice walk he'd ventured on over the Easter break that was over lower levels with less treacherous slopes.
The Brinore Tramroad runs for 8 miles (13 km) from Talybont-on-Usk to Trefil, within the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. It was operational between 1815 and 1865 and linked the Tredegar iron works and Trefil limestone quarries to the Monmouth & Brecon canal at Talybont. Its route passes through the dramatic and scenic valleys of Talybont and Dyffryn Crawnon before reaching the uplands of Trefil mountain where it meets the closed Trefil Quarry.
Starting the trek from the canal the team had walked previously in Talybont village we joined the tramway and followed the trail which was still adored for the most part by the original stones that held the sections of tram track back in 1815-1865 when it was used to link the iron works with the quarry that was our destination.
The walk was a steady upwards climb through forest and commonland, the views around were stunning on such a clear day, at various points we had views of the Brecon Beacons, The Black mountains, Usk Reservoir and the Quarry itself.
Due to the cold weather many of the waterfalls and streams we passed had been turned into beautiful sculptures of icicles.
We reached the Quarry after 2 hours of walking, It was a very quiet desolate landscape caught somewhere between man-made and natural, the hard landscaping and slag heaps being slowly taken back by nature. Perhaps its strange vistas are why a number of TV shows have been made here in recent years including Doctor Who, Merlin and the movie Wrath of the Titans.
The walk back took us out and over the Usk Reservoir where we bumped into a group of mountain bikers and a few fellow walkers, after a few pleasantries and directions were shared we descended back downwards to the canal again. A stunning walk i cant wait to do again.
Total time 5 hours, Distance walked 14 miles.
