I thought for a while that a bike would probably be better than my just my feet for accessing the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains in South Wales. You can carry a lot of stuff on a bike and going downhill is an absolute riot. I have a lovely Titanium framed Planet X Tempest gravel bike that is perfect for bridleways and country lanes, so rode down to the station and got the train up to Abergavenny.

There’s a long hill with a spine on the top that sits near LLangorse lake that has a good view of the Beacons and Talybont on Usk. I started there and rode/pushed the bike to the top. It was a glorious day, perfect for sketching, so I found a comfy boulder and did a few pencil sketches.

I then headed down onto the road and pedalled my way to Cantref, which has some stunning views of Pen y Fan.

I got a bunch of photo reference, before heading North to Brecon and up Coed Fenni Fach. I don’t think the trail up there gets used much as it was incredibly overgrown and tough going, it felt like pushing through a bracken jungle at times! All good fun.

After Fenni Fach I went up the very steep Pen y Crug. The trails were far more open and easier to navigate and the views were better from the top! You can see 360 degrees and right across Brecon to the Black Mountains and also back towards Pen y Fan. Lovely.

I was pretty exhausted after all that, so it was back to Abergavenny station and the train to Bristol. A very satisfying day, with loads of new spots discovered for future paintings. Hurrah!