Brecon Beacons

The Brecon Beacons National Park is in Wales. There are some smaller mountains to climb (under a thousand meters) and some stunning scenery. Jamie and Jack decided to stay there, on their way to and from the camp that Jack went to this summer.

We booked him into a Christians in Sport camp as sport seems to be such a major influence in his life at the moment and the one he feels to be his mission field. He already attends monthly meetings in Oxford which help youth witness to their team mates by a combination of Good Sportsmanship, Prayer for their Friends and Testimony. Play, Pray, Say. That's the CIS motto.

This turned out to be the best move possible for Jack. Their days at the camp combined specialist coaching in their first sport (Athletics, for him) and plenty of team sports for fellowship along side training in Biblical concepts and evangelism. Oh and good food and great fun! This is one of the many activities the children have been able to participate in this year as a result of the slight, but significant increase in our income, for which we thank the Lord.

Here is Jack saying goodbye to Grace as he and Jamie head off to Wales.

They stayed in a Youth Hostel just outside the town of Brecon. This one is converted from a Victorian farmhouse and popular with walkers and climbers.

This blasted oak is where they ate their lunch.

See that mountain? I'm going to climb that.

Actually, I don't know which one they climbed. It was the highest peak in the Beacons, but it may not have been that one in the picture. I wasn't there, but have been empowered to make this blog!

Go on, boy! Up you go!

Climbers going down. Sheep going up. The sheep in Wales are excellent climbers! They don't need ropes or anything!

Careful there, Jamie! You might slide right off that mountain!

Dad leads the way!

I'm quite sure these photos are not in the right order, by the way!

Triumph! Another peak conquered! Pen y Fan.

It's traditional to throw a rock onto the cairn when you get to the top.

Our green and pleasant land.

A wild Welsh hill pony.

And now they're back, I read in wiki that:

"Pen y Fan has claimed large numbers of casualties ranging from inexperienced hill walkers and climbers to highly trained special forces troops who utilise the area as part of a special forces selection training area (See "Fan Dance"), due to rapidly changing weather conditions. Pen y Fan has earned the infamous title of being the most dangerous peak in Wales."

Aaaaargh!

Mind you. If I was in sole charge of raising my son he would be the most molly-coddled, namby-pamby kind of boy a mother could keep indoors. So, it's a good job he has a daft father who doesn't read anything in advance about the mountains he plans to climb with his son.

I think that was a compliment, Jamie. Just accept it graciously, dear.