Contrary to the last photo, this time we look almost directly to the north, with the sun at our backs and the beginnings of the Rhondda valley laid out before us. The wind turbines are part of the Pen-y-Cymoedd Wind Farm, the highest altitude wind farm in the UK and able to power 140,000 homes over the next 25 years. They are owned by the Swedish firm Vattenfall, but they pay the Welsh Government for the privilege of using it and contribute millions to a local community development fund. But it isn’t the wind farm that’s the most impressive feature here, for beyond the white turbines stands another, even more impressive sight.

The double-peak you see centre-screen is Pen-y-Fan, made up of the taller Pen-y-Fan and the smaller (by only 43ft) Corn Du. The mountain isn’t only the highest peak in South Wales, but the highest peak in Britain south of Snowdonia, and stands in the Brecon Beacons National Park towering above all the valleys to its south. On top of each peak is a fantastically-preserved burial cairn from the British Bronze Age, both far larger than the cairn near to the place where I took this picture, and both containing examples of grave goods such as flint tools, urns, and the remains of flowers. It’s pretty much a tradition in South Wales that at some point you have to climb Pen-y-Fan, though the mountain is not an easy one to climb nor to navigate, and the weather can change in an instant. For this reason, the British military pushes a select few to their limits on the slopes, in their mission to find the best of the best to deploy as part of the UK’s Special Forces. Many have found success in mastering the mountain, but some have died trying. So please, if you plan on climbing a mountain any time soon, do not underestimate what nature can do, and take adequate precautions.

Hope you enjoy!