On Cefn Hirgoed ridge

Visiting South Wales today and tomorrow on prison business. Travelling today, inside tomorrow.

Fine journey from Paddington along Brunel's Great Western Railway "billiard table" with some superb skyscapes  and dramatic scenery bathed in sunshine but backed by ominously dark clouds. There was even snow on the ground west of Cardiff.

I'm staying at a Premier Inn which calls itself Central but is in fact two miles from the centre of town. I didn't mind the walk and in fact went out for a further 5 miles to the north of the M4 in some rather pleasant countryside as you can see.

Skies continued to be dramatic but clearing to give a clear, sharp late afternoon light. Passed some landforms called Pillow Mounds which I wondered were some sort of burial mounds as they were labelled on the map in that ancient feature font.

Turns out Pillow Mounds are man made but were artificial rabbit warrens constructed to rear rabbits for food. Seems like rabbits were natives of Southern Europe and were introduced to the UK by the Normans to help supplement their diet. Pillow Mounds can be found all over the country from North East England to Dartmoor.

Now waiting for my dinner in the Harvester next door to the hotel. A half hour wait, surrounded by a hoard of young children shouting, screaming, running and wrestling on the floor while their mothers try, ineffectively, to get them to behave.

Hooray, they've gone!