[LifeStyle] Waterfall weekender: my wild swimming adventure in the Brecon Beacons

[BirSaNN]

A walk amid cinematic landscapes to five south Wales waterfalls – and a cosy pub – proves the perfect substitute for a holiday abroad

It had been a tough month for several reasons and I needed a break. I initially thought a holiday abroad would be the only antidote. But as it turned out, a wild-swimming weekend in the Brecon Beacons in south Wales was the only medicine I needed.

My excitement at the coming trip quickly morphed into panic as we looked at the weather forecast: lots of grey cloud and big rain drops.

After settling into our cosy room in Brecon, we put on our waterproof trousers and walking boots and braved the elements. A quick drive took us to the start of the Dragons Back route in the Black Mountains whose ups and downs recall the scales of a sleeping dragon. The constant spit of rain became cooling as we hiked up the steep grassy bank, at first trying to avoid the sheep poo, and then forgetting all about it. In fact, the weather made the landscape seem cinematic, the gaps between the low clouds revealing the next rolling hill like a curtain parting before the big screen. The air was so fresh, I felt it cleansed us of all the London grit and grime.

The only building in sight was the Dinas Castle Inn, the highest pub in the Brecon Beacons national park, so we treated ourselves to a pint of Bale lager, ate garlic bread by the fire and wondered if the waterfall we’d be swimming in the day after would be as cold as our beers.

link: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2022/nov/15/waterfall-hiking-weekend-break-wild-swimming-brecon-beacons-wales