The forecast was not particularly good for hill-walking, but Aranka, William, Liam and Mike joined Stephen C from Cardiff Ramblers, who was leading a circular route around Llangorse Lake for Penarth and District Ramblers.
Situated between the Central Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains within Bannau Brycheiniog, their route originally planned for 11.5 miles turned into an almost 15 mile hike because of flooding, and they climbed around 2,200 feet in total.
They left a lay-by beside the A470T all kitted out for the drizzle rain that fell and followed a bridleway to join the old Roman Road and travelled eastwards to Bwlch village.
With no vowels in its name, translated it means 'a pass or a gap' and anyone wanting to pass through the village in the 1700's had to pay a toll.
A quiet lane led them to join part of the long distance Beacons Way or Ffordd y Bannau, turning northwards over Cefn Moel with its Bronze Age cairns and burial mounds.
They hunkered down out of the wind for mid-morning break taking shelter from some large boulders before moving on to cross boggy and grassy areas on Mynydd Llangorse.
Standing at 515m above sea level in open country, the low clouds and persistent misty rain overshadowed the long distance views, as they made the steep descent down the hillside to view the stone bothy which is known as the Shepherd's Cottage, situated above the Llangorse Activity Centre at Gilfach Farm.
Renovated in 2000 as part of the Millennium, it stands as a memorial to Kevin John Thomas (1962-1998) who was an instructor at the activity centre and sadly perished at the age of 35, after trying to rescue a teenager who was in difficulty in the river.
A memorial stone reads 'Action was the life of his soul as well as that of his body' and this stunning spot is a well-earned resting place and a chance to reflect on the surrounding beauty of the area.
A bank below Mynydd Llangorse gave them shelter for their lunch break during which the rain stopped, and the skies grew lighter, with even a glimpse of the sun as they packed up and continued across fields to the village of Llangorse, somewhat overshadowed by Mynydd Troed. Llangorse has a huge natural lake created by glacial action and it is one mile across with a circumference of five miles and stands at 154m above sea level, making it the second largest lake in Wales.
Prehistoric man lived there and in 1868, an Iron Age Crannog was discovered on a small man-made island of stones just off the north shore.
Legend has it that a city is beneath its waters and in 1925, a well-preserved dug-out canoe dating to 800AD was found and is housed in Brecon Museum.
Unfortunately on the western side of the lake there was considerable flooding, making it impossible to get through, so a hasty detour saw them cross the Llynfi River and tramp on towards the disused railway line near Llanfihangel Tal-y-llyn.
Then re-entering fields they made their way up to the hamlet of Pennorth.
A welcome stop was made at the Tabernacle Chapel, built in 1841 and opened in June of that year, with a burial ground opposite and a minister's house erected to adjoin the chapel.
It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1893, and services were conducted in Welsh in the morning and English in the evening, because with the advent of the railways more people were being housed and employed in the surrounding area, with many of its trustees being recorded as labourers, railway workers and blacksmiths.
Refreshed they moved on following a bridleway which was originally the Roman Road from the hillfort Y Gaer at Brecon to Abergavenny and past woodland at Allt yr Esgair, situated at 393m, simply known as 'The Allt' by the locals and translated as 'the wooded slope of the ridge'.
It has grand views over Llangorse Lake and the Black Mountains to the north and the Usk Valley to the south and west and contains an Iron Age hillfort. Both William and Mike had made purchases from the Welsh Venison Centre which they passed near the start, so no doubt what was on the menu for their supper, after what had been a long but exciting adventure and in much better conditions than expected.