Skirrid's Link With Arthur's Stone

 

Arthur's Stone is a Neolithic site less than 20 miles from Skirrid/Ysgyryd Fawr. The Guardian reports that apparently it so impressed CS Lewis that he was inspired that he used the image of Arthur's Stone as the stone table on which Aslan is sacrificed in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Also they now believe the site is aligned with Skirrid/Ysgyryd Fawr. For the full article CLICK HERE

The map below shows the location of Arthur's Stone in the Golden Valley relative to Skirrid/Ysgyryd Fawr.

!!!!GLANGRWYNEY ROAD & BRIDGE CLOSED - MAJOR DIVERSION!!!!

!!!!!River Bridge Closed!!!!!

A long stretch of Glangrwyney Road has partially collapsed, caused by the flooding which occurred during Storm Dennis. This road is the approach road to the only river bridge for miles. Walkers must use the diversion, Click Here For Details and Click Here For Diversion Route Note that the diversion adds about 1 mile to the total length of the route.

For photos of the collapse CLICK HERE.


For a more detailed, marked up map using the Ordnance Survey OSMaps website  CLICK HERE Please note:

• When you look at the route on the OSMaps site, its best to click the 'Leisure' button bottom right of the screen to get the 1:25000 map.
• You'll probably have to register with OSMaps to see it.

Monmouthshire Family are First to Complete the Three Peaks Trial Great Challenge and Iron Challenge

This year's Three Peaks Trial Challenge Walk saw the introduction of a brand new test, the 3PT GREAT CHALLENGE. Participants tackle three of the most stunning mountains in the UK, one each in:

Wales - Cader Idris (or Cadair Idris - the Snowdonia National Park prefer  'Cader') which is classified as a 'Hewitt';

England - Helvellyn which is classified as a 'Hewitt' and a 'Wainwright' peak, and 

Scotland  - Ben Lomond, which is classified as a 'Munro'). The attached map shows the locations of the mountains.

Participants are also able to choose when they want to undertake the walks and the first to complete the 3PT Great Challenge 2021 are the Wilton family from Monmouthshire (Jon Wilton (47) and daughters Lowri (10) and Rosie(9)). The family have also completed the 3PT Iron Challenge which is to walk the three main mountains around Abergavenny in a single day together with the 3PT Great Challenge.

Jon Wilton said "One of the silver linings of lockdown has been to walk and cycle more from home and explore our local area. The Three Peaks Trial has pushed our boundaries further and the Iron Challenge 2021 has been a huge motivation to walk further and climb higher whilst always being mindful of mountain safety. We’ve had loads of fun and raised substantial funds for two great causes doing it."

The Wilton family are raising sponsorship for St Davids Hospice and Longtown Mountain Rescue and as part of their fundraising they have a web page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jonlowrirosie

Chris Lewis, who coordinates the event on behalf of the organisers Cardiff Outdoor Group, said 'This is a fantastic achievement by the Wilton family. Lowri and Rosie have done a great thing.'

For some pictures at the summits CLICK HERE (Note that the photos also show holding a copy of a newspaper from the day they climbed each mountain. This is a requirement of the 'anytime' walk to help the organisers verify and validate  the walker's achievement.)

Gold Route Now FULL!!!

Gold Route is now full. Thanks to all those who've entered. Should any places become available then  will reopen w/c Monday 1st May. 

3PT Great Challenge

 

The Covid pandemic restrictions have caused us to reduce the main walk challenge to a skeleton event for 2021, which will now take place on Saturday 26th June.

To compensate we've added the 3PT Great Challenge. For this exciting 'anytime' challenge opportunity, walkers are to achieve the summits of Cader Idris (Wales), Helvellyn (England) and Ben Lomond (Scotland).

 

 

You can enter the event on http://threepeakstrial.co.uk/

Three Peaks Trial 2020 Donation

Many thanks from Cardiff Outdoor Group to the very many walkers who showed tremendous generosity and very kindly donated their 2020 entry fees for Longtown Mountain Rescue Team. A cheque for £7,441 has now been handed over to the team.

CORONAVIRUS/COVID 19 UPDATE - EVENT CANCELLED

Update 24/03/2020: Refunds will be issued later this week. An email will go out prior to the issue of the refund to ask if anyone would prefer to donate their entry fee to Longtown Mountain Rescue Team.

Following Government advice, also the LDWA and Ramblers advise the same (https://www.ldwa.org.uk/ and https://www.ramblers.org.uk/volunteer-zone/coronavirus.aspx), this year's THREE PEAKS TRIAL IS CANCELLED.  Also due to the current uncertainty with how long the pandemic is going to last  we will be unable to re-schedule the walk this year but it will return on Saturday 27th March 2021 when we hope you can make it then. We'll sort refunds over the coming days. 

We appreciate that people will be disappointed the event won't be rescheduled. So, as it looks like many organized events won't return for some time, we're currently looking at the feasibility of an 'anytime' Three Peaks Trial Club challenge, preliminary details are shown on http://threepeakstrial.co.uk/club.htm and we'll email details once this event is confirmed.

Platinum, Gold & Silver Routes are Now FULL!!!

Platinum, Gold & Silver Routes now now full. Thanks to all those who've entered. If you'd like to go on the entry waiting list enter your details on Fabian4.

Outdoor education teacher Richard John Hill from Llanfoist has at one time or another climbed all 252 mountains in Wales. He has also completed the Three Peaks Trial 19 times - coming first three times and second twice.

“The difference in the weather conditions you can experience is incredible. Sometimes it’s freezing cold with the peaks covered in snow, other times it’s so warm you can wear shorts!” he said.

“People come from all over the UK to take part. I was in Dawlish once and met a man who said he was off to Abergavenny for the Three Peaks!”.

In 2017 Richard spoke to the Abergavenny Chronicle about the event. Click here to read the article.

Three Peaks Trial Links to the JRR Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings'

Lord of the Rings - Map of Middle Earth

If you click on this link https://youtu.be/9zxXgJN-sSs you'll have an extract from Derek Brockway's Weatherman Walking series on BBC Wales in which Emma Harrison, who runs the Star Inn in Bwlch, tells Derek about the links between the Black Mountains and how it's believed it inspired Tolkien's vision of the landscape in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Tolkien stayed in the village of Talybont-on-Usk in the 1940s, while working on parts of The Lord of The Rings and whilst in Talybont-on-Usk he walked the local hills and would have seen the conical topped Sugar Loaf which is very similar to his 'Lonely Mountain'. He named the hobbit settlement of Crickhollow after Crickhowell, nine miles from Talybont. Also in The Lord of the Rings, Buckland was a colony of hobbits between the Old Forest and the Brandywine River. Tolkien is thought to have based this part of Middle-earth on the Buckland Estate, whose ancient, protected woodlands stand beside the River Usk. It's also believed Merthyr was the inspiration for Mordor.

The drawing of the Lonely Mountain and the photo of Sugar Loaf do seem to support the theory. The ridges at the base of the Lonely Mountain also have a similarity with the Llanwenarth, Rholben and Deri ridges which come off Sugar Loaf.

Glangrwyney Bridge Checkpoint Is Moving

Please note that Glangrwyney Bridge Checkpoint will be moved for this year’s Three Peaks Trial from Glangrwyney Bridge at Grid Ref. 239 162 to about 0.5km further south on Glangrwyney Road to Grid Ref. 246 154 shown on the map extract below and on the link - Click Here. 

The location is also where the charity cake stall set up by the charity fundraisers, ‘The Delivery Girls’ who this year will be raising money for the charity Mind

Charity Cakes For Sale at Checkpoint 2 (Glangrwyney Road)

Last couple of years many walkers commented on how much they enjoyed the charity cake stall provided by the group of midwives, 'The Delivery Girls' who have kindly returned this year raising money for the Mind charity. They serve tea, coffee, hot chocolate and soup, filled rolls and homemade cakes. All proceeds go to Mind.You'll find them on the Gold and Silver Routes at Checkpoint 2, Glangrwyney Road, at Lower Common about halfway along Glangrwyney Road between The Corn Exchange and Glangrwyney bridge. It's a property on the left (look out for the signs). They also have a Facebook fundraising page called 'The Delivery Girls'.

All Routes Now FULL

All Routes are now full. 

Thanks to all those who've entered.

Walker Raising Funds For Maggies Centres

Sarah Merrall, from Nottingham, is raising sponsorship from the event to support Maggie's Cancer Centres which provide free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends, following the ideas about cancer care originally laid out by Maggie Keswick Jencks.

Sarah said "On 30th March I’m doing the South Wales Three Peaks Challenge in memory of my sister Emma your sponsorship for this great cause will spur me on for the 20 mile circular walk with 1525 metres of ascent from Abergavenny crossing the 3 dominant peaks of Blorenge, Sugar Loaf & Skirrid."

To sponsor Sarah Click Here

£8,083 Raised in 2018

Three Peaks Trial Bronze Route - The Movie!

Whilst completing the Bronze Route Paul Manser (who also has a website http://www.paulmanser.com/) kindly made a short film of the walk which can be seen at Click Here.

Charity Cakes For Sale Just Before Cpt 2 in Gilwern

Last year many walkers commented on how much they enjoyed the charity cake stall provided by the group of midwives, 'The Delivery Girls' who have kindly returned this year raising money for Breast Cancer Care, Ovarian Cancer Action and Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust. They serve tea, coffee, hot chocolate and soup, filled rolls and homemade cakes. All proceeds go to the charities.You'll find them on the Gold and Silver Routes just before Checkpoint 2 in Glangrwyney, at Lower Common about halfway along Glangrwyney road between The Corn Exchange and Glangrwyney bridge. It's a property on the left (look out for the signs). They also have a Facebook fundraising page called 'The Delivery Girls'.

Walk Planner Website

Walker Jamie Knap has suggested a useful walk planner website. "It is a walk planner people can use to create walks over an Ordnance Survey map for free. It provides key information such as distance and elevation. People can also print out the walk and download a GPX file for use with GPS devices if wanted (so there is no excuse for getting lost!) You can see it here https://www.hikideas.co.uk/

All Routes Now FULL!

All Routes are now full. 

Thanks to all those who've entered.

Event History - Margaret Manley & Crickhowell Youth Hostel

 Bob Manley, who first did the Three Peaks Trial in 1964, looks back at when the event started and was based at the now closed Crickhowell Youth Hostel. The Youth Hostel was also run by his Mum, Margaret Manley

 

 For the full newspaper article (from 1972)  CLICK HERE

BOB MANLEY WRITES: I was for a while the youngest person ever to do the Three Peaks Trial. I was twelve in 1964, when it all started from Crickhowell Youth Hostel, where my mum was the warden. 

I joined a party of scouts from Birmingham that stayed in the hostel. The leader was quite laid back, and we started quite late. We climbed Sugar Loaf, and then the Skirrid, then back into Abergavenny where the leader decided to take us all into Quo Vardis Fish and chip shop for tea. We were probably in there for up to an hour, so we didn’t start to climb the Blorenge till after 5pm. 

We never did find the trig point on the top, as by this time it was getting dark. We made the rough descent from the top down to the Blaenavon road, where Chris Barber (the event founder) who was out looking for us picked me up in his car and returned me to Crickhowell. The rest of the scouts carried on walking, and arrived back about 8.30. Happy days....

The article above is from The Abergavenny Chronicle when mum was about to retire from the hostel. N.B. I get a mention in the article, although I’m christened Robert, mum always called me Robin but am now known as Bob.