WELCOME TO THE BRECONS

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Hi Friends and Family,

Time to get a move on. After going to the very lovely Caerphilly Castle it was time to go to the Brecons 'cos they're expecting us!

Our hostel was called” The Star Bunk House” and I picked it ‘cos it was slap in the middle of the Brecon Beacons National Park and it was a bunkhouse.

A bunkhouse is a hostel or barracks-like building that historically was used to house working cowboys on ranches in North America.

As most cowboys were young single men, the standard bunkhouse was a large open room with narrow beds or cots for each individual and little privacy.

The bunkhouse of the late 19th century was usually heated by a wood stove and personal needs were attended to in an outhouse. While the modern bunkhouse today is still in existence on some large ranches that are too far away from towns for an easy daily commute, it now has electricity, central heating and modern indoor plumbing.

In the present-day UK, a bunkhouse is a term for youth hostel accommodation provided with fewer facilities than a larger, staffed hostel.

Bunkhouses are usually found in mountainous areas as well as rural areas in England and Wales.

I wanted a more natural, local atmosphere and I certainly got that!

The Brecon Beacons (Welsh: Bannau Brycheiniog) is a mountain range in South Wales. It forms the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park and is one of Wales's three National Parks.

The Brecon Beacons is named after the ancient practice of lighting signal fires (beacons) on mountains to warn of attacks by the English.

The last of the National Parks, it was established in 1957 and covers 519 square miles (1344 km²), 332 100 acres stretching from Llandeilo in the west to Hay-on-Wye in the east.

It also encompasses the ranges confusingly named the Black Mountains (in the east of the Park, on the border with England) and the Black Mountain (in the west). The area to the west of the Brecon Beacons range is known as Fforest Fawr (Great Forest).

(The word bwlch means "pass" in the Welsh language and is used in many places names throughout Wales.) Nearby is the hill of Allt yr Esgair over which a former Roman road passed.

I chose the Black Mountains because I wanted my family and I to do some interesting hill-walking which is very popular in this area, and horseback-riding and so BWLCH seemed like an excellent choice.

Bwlch is a very small village on a mountain pass or col between two hills, where the present day A40 road now runs and between Brecon and Crickhowell in Powys, southern Wales. It generally consists of The Star Bunkhouse, The New Inn and a few shops.

The word bwlch means "pass" in the Welsh language and is used in many places names throughout Wales.)

The village is situated high up (about 200 metres (656 ft) above sea level, and 100 metres above the valley floor) and commands panoramic views of the south-western flanks of the Black Mountains, with the Brecon Beacons to the south and west.

The Beacons Way long distance footpath passes through Bwlch. Llangorse Lake is also nearby, as is the town of Crickhowell, some 5 miles (8.0 km) downhill to the east in the valley of the River Usk.

Bwlch also has a standing stone alone in a field close to the A40 road. The pass was once guarded by Blaenllynfi Castle, a Norman castle now a ruin.

We arrived in the early evening and……

And from the start it was a little weird…!

There was nobody to greet us.

Hmm.

We went to the local pub.

Across the road.

The New Inn.

Grateful and thankful it was there

And Ken.

A neighbour.

Let us in.

We never saw or had any contact with Greg the manager of The Star Bunk House

Who

Actually

Lived

There.

In fact, apart from the two middle-aged cyclists that we once glimpsed,

The 20-bedded bunk house was, in the height of summer, quite

Empty!

Suffice to say, we spent most of our time either outdoor or at The New Inn.

Across the road!

See ya on the morrow!

PS. To be fair, if you're with a group of at least 6 people The Star Bunk House would have been heaven. I mean, all on your ownsome. Free run of the place. Space and kitchen galore, etc. It would have been grand. It just wasn't "nice" for us - two adults and an 8 year old boy - I just never felt quite, well, safe as the front door was always left open and that's the truth of it.

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