Ysgyrid Fawr - The Holy Mountain

"The landscape you grow up in speaks to you in a way that nowhere else does."
Molly Parker
 
Today I went "walkabout".  Destination Hay-on-Wye ... eventually.  As I was passing Abergavenny I thought today was an ideal day for visiting Cross Ash, where my grandmother was born, to photograph her childhood home - which is still there 120 years on.  On the way back to Abergavenny I was struck by the commanding presence of Skirrid which dominates the landscape, and sought inspiration for a photographic vantage point - a signpost to White Castle was the answer.  From there I could see not only Skirrid but also Graig Hill, with its long abandoned community, which overlooks Cross Ash.  Next stop Crickhowell for Meditation and direction, which took me - via lunch - to Hay-on-Wye, over Talgarth way. No visit here is complete without buying a few books!  On the return I also stopped off at Bronllys Castle, which has a superb view of Mynydd Troed, the incredible lump of a mountain overlooking Talgarth.