Time at Tynrhyd

I’ve just returned from a long weekend retreat in mid-Wales, on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains. After months of grey dismal weather, we were blessed by four days of sunshine and clear skies, which really lifted my spirits and encouraged glorious pre-breakfast walks through the distinctive lumpy topography of this part of the world. The retreat was organised by Charlie Babb of Prime Wellness Retreats, and was the perfect combination of exercise, companionship of like-minded people, great food, and lots of time to explore the countryside and enjoy being outside.

Anyway, as usual, I took loads of photos (with my phone – there’s nothing worse than being annoyed by a serious photographer on a group outing – we always want to stop and hold everyone up!). I also spent a bit of time looking at the local geology (another interest, from my student days). There was a disused quarry on site which I explored, and lots of rocks outcropping at the Mynach Falls in nearby Devil’s Bridge (or Pontarfynach as we should probably call it). These spectacular cascades are over 90m high, and flow over dark rocks into a densely wooded steep gorge. The 675 steps down to the bottom and back up again were a bit of a challenge, but we all made it!

The Silurian rocks here are marine sandstones and mudstones that have been highly folded and tilted, the compression giving them a slaty appearance. They must contain at least some iron, as lots of the cleavage surfaces are stained reddish orange, like this from the quarry at Tynrhyd:

Here’s a gallery of images from my early-morning walks, through the beautiful countryside. Lots of sheep, lovely low light, larch trees, thrush and robin song, dewy grass, and fascinating (to me) patterns on wood and rock. Not to mention keeping an eye out for red kites and buzzards once the sun was up enough to create some thermals.

(Fact for today: the patterns on the rock above right are called Liesegang rings!)