FAN GYHIRYCH
This mountain has a distinctive crescent-shaped cliff face thats often seen on clear days from the Brecon Beacons and Fan Fawr, but I chose the quick way up from just south of the Cray Reservoir. From the road, a brief steep climb leads to a broad plateau of marsh and tussock grass, with numerous lively streams cutting deep and dark gullies through the hillside.
I must have been tired, as even the gentle slopes of the marsh were taxing and I progressed at only a jogging pace to the foot of the escarpment - here Fan Gyhirych shows herself as a real mountain; a solid wall cut by one steep gully that offers the only ascent that isn't near-vertical. Actually, erosion has cut virtual steps into the side of the scarp, and if you're prepared to use your hands there are lots of easy ways up. As I was trying to run as much of the ascent as possible I took the gully, and after a hard but short climb I was coming on the summit, getting lashed by strong winds and blustery rain.
I descended quickly by the same route and the whole thing was a 45 minute run - would have been quicker but for slow going over the tussock grass - a little pic below shows you what the terrain is like:
A little out of focus, but you can see how ankle-turning that foreground is - after a mile of that stuff, you're very pleased to see a path.
It was nice to get up this mountain that I'd seen so often from the slopes and summits of its neighbours - the summit is quite wild and exposed, but the slopes are sheltered. It all feels very unfrequented and remote, a place for solitude.