Length: 19.0 km (11.8 mi) [shorter and longer walks possible.
Ascent/Descent: 622 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ½ hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10
09.30 Start at the Train Station, group
passes the café at the Bus Station at 09.40.
From the pretty town centre of Abergavenny walk up the iconic Sugar Loaf
mountain, initially steeply up through lush pastures and ancient oak woods to
Twyn-yr-Allt, a former settlement on one the lower foothills of the Black
Mountains. From there continue along the mildly undulating treeless plateau tox
Deri hill, covered in whimberries, bracken and gorse before turning steeply up
the barren easterly flank of Sugar Loaf through the upland heathland, to the
summit ridge of the southernmost peak of the Black Mountains, with superb
panoramic views (in good weather) across South Wales and South West England.
Descend gently down the heather and gorse-covered flanks and continue along the
gentle ridge of Mynydd Llanwenarth to descend more steeply through the large
ancient oak wood of Deri Fach into St. Mary’s Vale and along the spring-fed
Nant Iago (stream) to tea at the superb Sugar Loaf Vineyard’s Café and Tasting
Room, before re-tracing the outbound route through the town centre.
Sugar Loaf is an immensely popular destination. The chosen route avoids
paths from and to popular car parks, preferring quieter paths, while providing
for a mixture of environments and views in all directions.
Due to being a conical top distant from any neighbouring mountain chain,
Sugar Loaf is very exposed to bad weather. Especially the summit plateau can be
unforgiving. Only the very highest bit can be skirted.
A longer descent route and a scenic diversion to a nearby pub at the
bottom of the mountain in Llangenny are described, as is an alternative descent
through Deri Fach oak wood along more challenging paths.
Walk Options
A start/finish at the Bus Station cuts 730m
each way and 30m ascent at the end of the walk. Pick up the directions at the
end of the second paragraph.
A taxi ride can cut out the first steep ascent out of Abergavenny to the entrance of Sunny Vale farm at the top of the
straight bit of Pen-y-Pound road by a sharp right turn (3.2 km into the walk). The
taxi ranks with the best chance of a car being present are at the train station
and on Frogmore Street by the Tesco (1.5 km into the walk). Pick up the
directions at the end of the first paragraph on page 5.
A Longer Descent Route down the flank of Sugar Loaf adds 2.2 km/1.4 mi and 71m ascent.
A Scenic Diversion to the Dragons Head in Llangenny adds 4.0 km/2.5 mi and 237m ascent to the longer descent route. From the
pub it is straightforward to bail out to Crickhowell, along a signed
lane.
Lunch: Picnic.
Lunch Off-Route: The Dragons Head in Llangenny
(located 2.2 km downhill off the long route, after 12.9 km/8.0 mi of
walking).
For summary, walk directions, map, height
profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.334
2 comments:
The same n=10 walkers as yesterday, unsurprisingly, joining the group at whatever place was nearest their accommodation. The weather was very much on our side, as we had sunshine mostly, with plenty of passing clouds, and a 2 minute period of spittle just long enough to produce a faint rainbow. The walk 'leader' led from memory and promptly lost his way for a few minutes on the ascent up Twyn-yr-Allt, leading to a short stretch through very high bracken. Other than that, it was pleasant, if steep at times, walking. Far views galore, with a strong breeze keeping the clouds moving, and also the sight of rain lashing down on the Central Beacons (no flip-flop wearing tourists on Pen-y-Fan today, one would guess).
We saw wild ponies, bales of freshly cut bracken (where do they go with those?), and sheep of course.
7 walked the longer descent route, and 5 of those the thrilling route through the 'gnarled wood' of old oak trees. Got to the Vineyard Café at 15.30 when the norm route walkers had just/were just leaving.
A very good day.
W=sunny-with-a-breeze-and-passing-clouds
Peat-free compost. That's where cut bracken goes, apparently. Save the planet, buy bracken-based compost!
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