Leigh Cousins RAW - London creative photographer and designer

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Brecon Beacons Mountain Hike

Corn Du

Blaen Taf Fawr River
By Leigh Cousins 27/04/2016
Canon 5D Mark II 16-35 USM 16mm F/13 3.2seconds ISO100

The Mission : To walk up Corn Du mountain and reach Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales.
The Excuse : The night before I had cramp in my right thigh, I was hoping a hot shower and a good nights sleep would do the trick.

This shot is of the Blaen Taf Fawr river and waterfall located at the entrance to the trail near Storey Arm's Car Park. The pathway leads up Corn Du mountain as far as the eye can see and then leads gently up to Pen Y Fan mountain, the highest British peak south of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia, it takes about an hour at a steady pace, if you are carrying equipment then add some time for breaks, I would also recommend a pair of hiking sticks!
To cut a long story short I only managed to make 60% of the journey up the mountain before I really starting struggling, my thigh was killing me and the cold wind was piercing me like aggressive acupuncture. I took an extended break to gather my thoughts and perform some vital Tai Chi before trying one last time but it just wasn't going to happen... Its at times like these that you realise how unift you are and also how damn heavy camera equipment is. Rescheduled for the summer!!

blaen taf fawr waterfall

Pen Y Fan Peak
By Leigh Cousins 27/04/2016
Canon 5D Mark II 16-35 USM 16mm F/13 4seconds ISO100

If you look in the far distance you can see the peak of the famous Pen Y Fan mountain and starting on the right is the path up which I can conclude, looks good at first 'I can do this!' But it also slowly reminds you of how far you have left to go... Preparation is key, I should have known this when I parked up to find a group of army troups preparing to go up, but I'm sure they were taking the harder route. It had been snowing the night before and the air was brisk at best, the further I travelled up the path the more ice I saw on the ground and the colder it became. Minus 5-10 degrees from ground temperature, its cold and windy up there. Hiking sticks. If your not a regular hiker then do some streches well before you plan to go, you'll regret it the next day! And have fun.

Fan Fawr

Fan Fawr Panoramic
By Leigh Cousins 27/04/2016
Canon 5D Mark II 16-35 USM 35mm 3 shot pano ISO100

The views even from here are amazing, this is about halfway up. You can see the snow topped Fan Fawr mountain and the path leading up to Pen Y Fan. In the far distance at the bottom of the path there is the Brecons Reservoir and you can just make out the A470 and the Storey Arms car park.

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