Weekly Roundup 25/12/22

On the 21st of December, the shortest day of the year, Winter Solstice, we delivered sunrise and sunset walks in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Sunrise - We met at the Brecon Beacons National Park Visitor Centre. We wandered off into the dark in the hope of catching the spectacular sunrise, as the ancients did, from a religious site of antiquity. From this earthwork it is believed that perhaps 5000 years ago locals gathered to observe the sun track up the ridge to Corn Du, always just out of sight before displaying its magnificence as it shows its face, rising between the twin peaks of Corn Du and Pen y Fan. But there was cloud. So we imagined this wonder and then walked on to a Roman quarry and Roman road and an isolated standing stone and an Iron Age hillfort. This walk was 6 miles in total. It was then time for tea and cake in the refurbished cafe at the visitor centre.

Sunset - After lunch in The George in Brecon we made our way to the foot of Pen y Fan and then ascended this, the highest point in Britain, for sunset. Again, the sun was not much in view but the exercise and atmosphere were worth the effort :)

All in all this day was around 30,000 steps or 13 miles and getting on for 4000 calories. As it was in two parts it didn’t really feel that tough. We’ll do the same next year and one day we will see both sunrise and sunset on the shortest day.