A tramp through the remains of the snow in the Black Mountains

Christmas, family commitments and wisdom tooth removal operations both real and imagined have rather got in the way of any decent hill days over the past few weeks. The recent snowy weather has compounded such problems, for me at least. Whilst others gaze at snow-blanketed slopes and think 'Brilliant! Let's crack out the ice axe and crampons and go on an adventure!', I have alas been reduced to thinking 'Oh dear, looks like ice axe and crampons are required, I'd better stay indoors.' Such are the woes of wrists that don't work.

However, all was not lost as a couple of weekends ago I did manage to make it out. Rather sportingly the weather warmed up sufficiently to clear the roads of snow and so a group of us set off from various corners of the country and congregated in the car park of 'The Rising Sun' in Pandy, a small settlement to the east of the Black Mountains. This pub - a cosy, friendly establishment that serves a tasty cheesecake - has the added bonus of a campsite attached to it, thus reducing the always unpleasant late-night pub-to-tent dash to mere tens of metres. Treats such as beer and pudding have to be earned however, and so we all set off in one car and drove to the tiny village of Llanbedr.

The Black Mountains are hardly the most rugged or extensive of hills, with there being really only two big horseshoe walks available, however they are not without their charm. Once up on the grassy ridge it is possible to tramp along for miles and miles and miles without any real patches of strenuous ascent; certainly not a place to hone those scrambling skills but ideal when in the mood for a jolly good leg stretch. The views, when they exist, showcase the more famous Brecon Beacons to the west and the vast expanse of the flatter borderlands to the east. A fairly easy, hassle-free, day on the hill then?

Er, not so much in the snow. Okay, so it was hardly chest-deep and in most places it wasn't made horribly slippery by a thick covering layer of ice, but stomping through snow is just so much more tiring than walking on more solid ground. Legs have to be lifted much higher, bodies have to be braced as it's never clear how far down feet will sink, precious calories have to be used up in order to keep warm: in short, it can be quite hard work. Unless, of course, you reach a nice downhill section that's a fairly steep without too many rocks and where the snow is consistently thick. In these circumstances things become much easier: instead of plodding down uncertainly step by step it is much better, and infinitely more fun, to get down on your arse and slide.

Ah, Wales. (wistful sigh)

We left the car in Llanbedr (SO239204), and after a brief road walk found ourselves climbing through farmland up to Table Mountain. This little hill, rising to a modest 450 m, is maybe not quite as impressive as its South African namesake, but it does host an Iron Age hill fort, evidence of which must have been covered by the snow when we visited. From there it was onwards and upwards to the first trig point of the day, the 701 m high Pen Cerrig-calch (217224).

I suppose that Pen Cerrig-calch is a nice hill; in fact I know it is, as I've been up it before with (shock horror!) blue skies and sunshine. But on a cold, drizzly day with the grey clag limiting visibility to a handful of metres it does lose some of its appeal. There was no need to get too grumpy though, as summits are excuses for snacks stops, and in addition to healthier things like dried apricots and malt loaf we had Monster Munch.

As welcome as the food was, you can't stay stopped for long in near-freezing conditions and so we trundled on. It seemed to take an age to get to the next top, Pen Allt-mawr (207244). It may have been only 2 1/2 km away, but the snow had slowed us to a snail's pace. As such, it was a relief when the grey outline of the trig point finally appeared through the fog. The next section was rather more fun as it was downhill and some presented us with some opportunities for sliding; opportunities that we took up with some gusto. Such frivolity was short-lived, however and we soon found ourselves back trudging along on the flat.

We continued on, following the ridge as it wound its way northwards, until we reached a col marked by a well-made cairn at 204286. Here it was time to take stock of things, and to get down to some serious refuelling. It was unanimously decided that the constant drudgery through the clag was wearing rather thin, and so we binned our idea of completing the whole horseshoe and instead decided to take a path heading south east down the valley. This proved to be a wise decision, as barely ten minutes after leaving the col we were rewarded with a view! The sun had managed to sneak through from somewhere and was illuminating the snow-covered slopes of the hills rather nicely. We still couldn't see the tops, of course, but at that point even a partial view was a result.

Our initial jubilation eventually fizzled out and the path became, well, quite dull really. There is a reason that we are hill walkers and not valley walkers. The irritation provoked by the monotony was aggravated further by the condition of the path, which was covered in snow of uneven depths under which lay a soggy, boggy ground. Needless to say, it's not exactly fun when you place your foot forward and it plunges straight through the snow and you end up knee deep in cold, runny mud which inevitably creeps its way over the rim of your boot and down to your already-chilly toes.

There was no choice but to persevere onwards, however and eventually we reached a patch of wood (228245), which made a pleasant change. We continued through this to its end, then trundled through some farmland for a further kilometre or so, at which point we reached the road. From here it wasn't far back to Llanbedr, where we eagerly bundled into the car just as the last of the light was fading, more than ready for our pub dinner.