Picws Du at The Black Mountains

HIEGHT: 749m/2457ft

LOCATION: 4miles south of the Usk reservoir

DIFFICULTY: Hard, ~1700ft ascent

WALK: About 5.5m, round trip

Picws Du is a striking peak at the eastern end of the march of Bannau Sir Gaer, and the highest point along this ridge. The northern slopes are very steep, whilst the southern slopes are typically smoth and rolling. I am unable to decide the meaning of Picws, maybe it’s a proper name. Du means black or dark, appropriate as this area is known as Black Mountain. There is a cairn at the summit, a bronze-age barrow.

The Walk

This is exactly the same as the walk I have detailed for Bannau Sir Gaer.

About Picws Du

As with Bannau Sir Gaer, the prominent strata of Picws Du is layers of red sandstone, mudstone and brownstone. The whole area is common ground and can be walked freely, and is the centre of the Fforest Fawr geopark, which encompasses Black Mountain (black mountain in this case referring to the cluster of mountains in this area, not the Black Mountains, which are at the eastern end of the south Wales mountain ranges.)