Black Mountain South Top

Mountain / peak

Explorer Tom

Black Mountain South Top is a blunt name for a broad bit of Hatterrall Ridge, where Wales and England meet without bothering to build a reception desk. The Offa's Dyke Path runs across this 637 metre top, and the little summit cairn seems to be guarding the border with the authority of three patient sheep. The hill belongs to the Black Mountains at the eastern edge of Bannau Brycheiniog. It is the southern top of the Black Mountain ridge, distinct from the higher Black Mountain farther north and from the Black Mountain range in western Bannau Brycheiniog. That distinction matters: follow the wrong grand name and you can end up with a different day. The ridge opens views towards the Vale of Ewyas, while the named trail gives walkers a public line over the high ground. A documented circuit from Llanthony Priory climbs out of the valley, follows about two miles of Offa's Dyke Path to this South Top, then returns by a steep zigzag descent. It is an exposed upland walk, with uneven ground and a descent that can turn slippery after rain. The path continues north along the ridge if you have planned a longer route, but the little cairn is this record's destination. Stand there in fair weather and decide which country gets custody of your sandwiches; the border has remained tactfully silent. Take a proper map, enough time and the Met Office mountain forecast. If wind, cloud or rain makes the exposed ridge unsafe, postpone the outing instead of treating a named national trail as a weather shield. Black Mountain South Top can wait for a day when the view is worth the climb.

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Height: 637 metres above sea level

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More pictures of this place

black mountain · Photo: Gabby77 (talk) · Public domain

Cambrians · Photo: Jim Roberts Gallery · BY-ND 2.0

What is recorded here

Map note: Look up Black Mountain South Top, a mountain or peak near Capel-y-ffin, Powys, Wales. The name does the climbing; the map shows where to look.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n9764940168