Carreg Cennen in the Snow

A lot of people across the country have been suffering terribly with the weather over the last couple of weeks, first with the dreaded 'Beast from the East' and now the 'mini' version. Whilst I wouldn't wish the hardships suffered by some on anyone, I love snow and really wanted to see some. 

Unfortunately living so close to the coast we had barely more than a flurry, which melted immediately. It did, however, affect the roads, which meant that today's planned walk to Carreg Cennen Castle was cancelled. Or mostly. After much too-ing and fro-ing four us decided to still go, having no idea how deep the snow would be but up for an adventure. It was definitely worth it.

Carreg Cennen is one of those places that is always stunning, no matter the weather. Perched on a cliff overlooking the surrounding mountains it's an imposing sight, but I've never been there in the snow before. With the weather turning everything monochrome it looked even more dramatic, a brooding black edifice looming over the landscape.

Rather than go to the castle itself (which I would have liked, it has some amazing architecture), we went on a walk in the surrounding hills. This was probably wise, the best part of the castle is the cave beneath it and the stunning steps leading down, which would have been lethal in such frigid weather.

Part of what I love about heavy snow is that it feels like the world has hit pause. The streets empty, the cars fall silent, sound is muffled. For someone like me, with a strong aversion to crowds it's a breath of fresh air, and for the four of us, up on a mountain with not a soul in sight, it felt like we were the only people in the world. 

Walking across open rolling fields of virgin snow filled me with childlike delight, and more than a couple of times I had to remind myself that the reality of jumping into a snow bank wouldn't be as fun as I might imagine. The snow was up to my knees in places, and thanks to slipping on a hill I got an impromptu roll around in it too. 

A great walk, lots of different things to see; rivers, mountains, farmland. Some tiny lambs, one literally newborn. On this occasion I wouldn't say the walk was an easy one, there were two parts that involved negotiating our way across liquid mud - one on a steep slope, one bisecting a field. I had to claw my way up the slope, and could have wrung the mud out of my gloves. Someone else lost a shoe in the field. Luckily there was a fair bit of hilarity and spirits were high so it was all good fun. 

The first outing for my new Chilkat boots, which were comfortable and held up well; no blisters and no damp feet. I was wearing my usual two pairs of socks, but the boots helped keep things warm and toasty. 

I throughly enjoyed today's walk, and am thrilled to have had my fill of the snow. It would be an excellent walk to do again in the summer, when hopefully the mud will have dried out, and I'd love to take similar photos to these and see the difference. I would also highly recommend going to the castle itself and down into the spooky cave that lurks below it - shame to miss that out, it's a highlight.