Last weekend I went to the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons with five friends. We were practising for our expedition to Norway which starts in 3 days time.  We also did some filming whilst walking and camping.

The aim behind the trip was to have a wild camping weekend away to test any new gear such as B2 boots (suitable for semi rigid crampons) as well as to practice aspects such as filming. As we intend to produce a short film to document our Norway expedition it was important to be familiar with this equipment in the outdoor environment before the expedition.

I drove in my van to Crickhowell where we all meet in the car park, arriving at different times. At about 9 we then drove to the car park in the forest south of the Grwyne Fawr Reservoir. From here we set off in the dark and light rain, which gradually became heavier. We walked just over 4 km and looked for some flattish ground to camp. In the dark it was difficult to find a good spot but eventually we found a place to pitch our tents where we would not slide off our sleeping mats in the night.

We got up surrounded by a mist and had breakfast whilst packing up. We then walked along the ridge around the reservoir. In the afternoon the clouds thinned and the sun came out. We looked for a waterfall marked on the map to find fresh water but filled up at a small stream instead. We then carried on searching for a flatter spot to camp; we found a pitch which was both fairly level and the tufts of grass not too large. Shortly after pitching it began to rain and then later there was a thunder-storm. Luckily the lightning did not strike near us and appeared to be more on the mountains across the valley to either side of our ridge.

The next morning we packed up and carried on walking.  As we reached the edge of the forest it started to rain again. We headed back towards the vehicles, through the forest, it then started to rain heavily and thunder. Weaving our way along the forest tracks we followed a path that led into a garden. The owner did not mind us crossing to emerge on the road. We then went back to the vehicles and Crickhowell, where we did a little more filming before heading to our homes.

We did not see many other people – no other walker but a few mountain bikers.

The Friday night walk was ~4 .2 km; the Saturday 14.9 km; and the third day 6.2 km.  Below is a map showing the route taken on each day.