Plan C and a fallible technique

My better 1/2 decided that she too would accompany me on a dawn foray! What precipitated this outbreak of female enthusiasm, was the weather forecast which promised - light winds, temperature inversion, frost, valley fog/mist patches, sunshine etc, with the proviso of cloud and rain spreading onto the Brecon Beacons NP from the SE by late morning. Negotiations then ensued which established there were some conditions i.e No long walks in head torch light, the location should also minimise walking, the location should minimise travel and maximise sleep …   I explained that with sunrise at 08.20'sh, somewhere on the moorland on Mynydd Llangynidr would minimise walk time from the car to a decent viewpoint and Mynydd Llangynidr was the one of the closer options for the Brecon Beacons NP, so a plan was hatched, we will call this Plan A. 

Setting out later than expected, she wasn't going to be hurried and there was no little indecision about what to wear, which meant repacking and changing for conditions that wouldn't be of arctic severity. The car journey suggested that low cloud was already well on its way and there were fog/mist patches, which slowed travel down. I muted an option of Plan B a quick drive up to the Blorenge, mostly to see if the Black Mountain were clear and assess how thick the cloud layer was, oh and catch the sunrise colour. I was informed that we had visited this locale a few weeks before and told to stick to Plan A. Pity, as a break in the fog/mist revealed broken cloud with that tinge of magenta. As so often of late, Plan A utterly unravelled as the cloud/fog was extensive on the Heads of the Valleys Road and the mountain road barrier at Trefil was shut and locked. Plan B was needed - Table Mountain above Crickhowell was considered and rejected in view of the incoming cloud. Plan C - get somewhere high enough and as far away from the incoming low level cloud as possible. 

Dropping down into the Usk Valley from Cwm Onnau and the Black Mountains were clear of cloud, some patchy valley mist in the Rhiangol valley, a high layer of broken cloud was overhead and the sun was shining. So,  Mynydd Troed an outlier of the Black Mountains would be Plan C. 

Views from the North side of Mynydd Troed.

Castle Dinas

Western escarpment of the Black Mountains

Views from the South side of Mynydd Troed 

A wise decision to abandon Plan A 

Valley mist in Cwm Sorgwm

Views over to the Brecon Fans

Cloud streaming up the Usk Valley

My technique was less than satisfactory, as I'd somehow adjusted the Iso setting to a value beyond optimal, though not an unacceptable Iso speed, the error was spotted and readjusted. I'm not sure how this happened, as I thought the camera set up fool proof, hmmm gloves maybe? Worse, in a sequence of long tele photo images, some were 'soft'. The fact that some were sharp, pointed to the tripod technique and I'm opting for a combination of soft ground - 'springy' moss, peat and a stiff breeze as contributory factors, these aren't uncommon ground and wind conditions in uplands and I should have adapted my technique accordingly, mea culpa.

Brecon Fans disappearing

With the wind increasing and pushing the cloud onwards, Mynydd Troed was overwhelmed and with limited visibility a compass bearing taken and followed back to the car. Plan C delivered a great vantage point to witness a weather phenomena and an excursion, albeit cut short, that was thoroughly enjoyable.