January in West Wales – the snow has fallen and the white landscape fills us with joy. The Cambrian Mountains were known for a fun winter day out called a ‘Welsh Winter Safari’.
In dim, very early morning light you would set off towards the old market town of Tregaron on the western edge of the Cambrian Mountains, Ceredigion. The narrow mountain track above Tregaron twisted through a stunning landscape of hills, escarpments and valleys. The peaceful and unspoiled Cambrian Mountains are one of Wales’ most special places and one of the few remote areas left in Southern Britain, with very little light pollution.
The mountain streams, well known for salmon and trout fishing, would be semi frozen. The reservoir, Llyn Brianne, at the head of the Tywi Valley, looked like a Swiss Mountain lake in the snowy conditions. Built in the late 1960s and early 1970s to provide water for South Wales and Cardiff, the reservoir also produces hydroelectric power from a generating station at the base of the dam.
