The other day I calculated that during my lifetime I have driven, or in my younger days been driven, through the Brecon Beacons almost a thousand times. But never have I stopped to take a look at this magnificent National Park.
Brecon Beacons view (28 August 2011)
Alas at this present moment it is not the time to put the walking boots on and head for the hills, but I did spot that this past weekend the National Park Mountain Centre was hosting the Brecon Beacons Summer Fayre. This seemed like a good place to at least dip a toe in the water of the Beacons (although that idiom might be best reserved for the sea-bounding Pembrokeshire Coast National Park).
The Summer Fayre was organised by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority and billed as ‘family friendly’ with over 50 Welsh food and craft exhibitors showcasing their beautifully crafted items and delicious produce.
For an art and craft loving wife and three children, and for myself as a budding foodie, this sounded like an ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon and to take our first tentative steps in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons.
Candwr Cider Makers at the Brecon Beacons Summer Fayre
And we were not disappointed.
The Fayre was busy and buzzing as soon as we entered. With Candwr Cider Makers (and an attendant army of wasps) on one side and Falconry UK’s hands-on display of owls and birds of prey on the other there was plenty to catch everyone’s attention from the start.
The bulk of the stalls were in a large marquee – food producers in one half and craft makers in the other.
There were a lot of stalls and a lot of people.
The food producers seemed rather more alive to the event than at one or two of the smaller food festivals we had attended earlier in the summer. They were coming forward to engage with customers and many more seemed to be offering samples. That made the ‘food hall’ an altogether more tasteful experience…
Welsh Cheeses at the Brecon Beacons Summer Fayre
The craft stalls were diverse in their offerings and all displaying a high standard of work. Leatherwork, knitware, lovespoons, jewellery, paintings were all well represented. For me the standout items were some particularly splendid hand-woven coats from the Designer Weaving Company.
Paintballing at the Brecon Beacons Summer Fayre
While trawling round food stalls and craft displays may not always keep the youngsters happy (although ours are just reaching the age where the handmade jewellery caught their eye) the Fayre did live up to its promise to be ‘family friendly’. The children could have a go at paintballing, archery, rope climbing and mountain biking as well as throwing pots and getting their faces painted. To top it all Falconry UK were offering the chance to hold some of their magnificent collection of birds – this was a real hoot for our youngest.
After a couple of hours we were all stalled-out and rather peckish so we headed for the cafe in the Mountain Centre. This was the only slight downer of the afternoon. The cafe is located under the main Centre and a little too dark and cramped. It also didn’t seem to have geared up for the extra numbers that the Fayre had brought to the Centre. There was a long queue and only a basic range of cakes left by the time we were served (about 3.30pm). The National Park Authority might want to take a look at this – I’m sure more much needed revenue could be generated with a pepped up cafe.
All in all the Summer Fayre was a good day out – and with the sunshine offering an enticing and inviting view of the mountains from the Centre’s large windows – this was indeed a pleasing first step into the Brecon Beacons.