| Blorenge | |
|---|---|
 Blorenge from Abergavenny | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 561 m (1,841 ft) |
| Prominence | 134 m (440 ft)[1] |
| Parent peak | Coity Mountain |
| Listing | Dewey,HuMP |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Monmouthshire,Wales |
| Parent range | Brecon Beacons |
| OS grid | SO269118 |
| Topo map | OSLandranger 161 |
Blorenge,[2] also calledThe Blorenge (/ˈblɒrɪndʒ/;Welsh:Blorens), is a prominent hill overlooking the valley of theRiver Usk nearAbergavenny,Monmouthshire, southeastWales. It is situated in the southeastern corner of theBrecon Beacons National Park. The summit plateau reaches a height of 561 metres (1,841 ft).
Blorenge overlooks themarket town ofAbergavenny and the villages ofLlanfoist,Llanellen andGovilon in the Usk Valley to the north. At the foot of the hill lies theMonmouthshire & Brecon Canal. It drops away steeply to the northwest into Cwm Llanwenarth. To the south, gentler slopes fall away toBlaenavon at the head of theLwyd valley. Prominent peaks seen from the Blorenge include theSkirrid to the east of Abergavenny and theSugar Loaf to the north. The high moorland ridge continues to the south of the minor road at Foxhunter car park and assumes the name Mynydd y Garn-fawr. The cairn referenced in the title of this southerly shoulder of Blorenge may be that now known as Carn y Defaid which sits on the county boundary at a height of 503m. It is the most prominent amongst a handful ofBronze Age burial cairns.[3]
Blorenge is composed in layer-cake fashion of a number of rock types. Its lower slopes are formed from the sandstones and mudstones deposited during theDevonian period and known collectively as theOld Red Sandstone. Its higher reaches are formed from a suite of mudstones, limestones and sandstones ofCarboniferous age. The summit plateau is formed from coarse sandstones that lie at the boundary of theMillstone Grit and theCoal Measures. All of these beds tilt south-westwards into theSouth Wales Coalfield basin.
The shape of the hill was modified during the ice ages as the Usk Valley glacier flowed past it to its north. A small glacier nourished by windblown snow from the plateau excavated the hollow on the eastern side of Blorenge which is known as The Punchbowl. Cwm Craf on the hill's north-eastern slopes has a cirque-like form though probably never harboured a full-grown glacier. Small landslips affect Blorenge's slopes, the most well-known of which is the Tumble through which the B4246 climbs towards Keeper's Pond.[4]
Blorenge is situated within both theBrecon Beacons National Park and theBlaenavon Industrial Landscape, aWorld Heritage Site. Much of the hill has also been designated aSite of Special Scientific Interest principally for its heather moorland which is important for breedingred grouse. The Punchbowl is owned and managed by theWoodland Trust as a nature reserve.
Most of the hill is open access for walkers and there are a number of footpaths and bridleways which run to and over it. There is ahillwalking trail that runs around Blorenge and is a very popular destination for tourists and walkers alike. The ascent on foot to the summit from Llanfoist / Abergavenny via Cwm Craf is very steep but the effort is repaid by the panoramic views from the summit across the valley of theRiver Usk toAbergavenny and theBlack Mountains, Wales. Easier access both to the summit and the northern edge of the plateau can be had from the Foxhunter car park.
Most visitors are walkers and sightseers. Some come to see the grave of SirHarry Llewellyn's famousshowjumpinghorse,Foxhunter, who won Britain's onlyGold medal in the1952 Summer Olympics. Foxhunter is buried near to theBlaenavon toLlanover road on Blorenge. A car park here is named in his honour.[5][6]
Paragliders and hang gliders regularly take off from the summit. Paragliders performing 'top to bottom' flights often land in Castle Meadows beside the River Usk at Abergavenny.
Every November a 'category A'fell race takes place on the mountain starting and finishing at St Faith's Church atLlanfoist. The race route passes under theMonmouthshire and Brecon Canal.
There is also aGreat Taste Award winningpale ale named after this hill and produced not far away in Llanhilleth.
The remains of atramway, built about 1796, linking alimestonequarry on the north side of the mountain with theironworks atBlaenavon can be seen near51°48′25″N3°03′36″W / 51.807°N 3.060°W /51.807; -3.060.[7] Hill's Tramroad extends around the western flanks of the hill and drops steeply down to Llanfoist by means of a series of inclines beneath Cwm Craf. There are extensive abandoned workings for limestone around the northern and eastern rim of Blorenge and in the vicinity of Foxhunter car park and to its south, abandoned sandstone quarries. Traces of the former practice ofhushing forironstone can be seen near to Keeper's Pond.[8] TheMonmouthshire and Brecon Canal, formerly theBrecknock and Abergavenny Canal, wraps around the foot of Blorenge to the north and east.
It has been suggested that the mountain's name may derive from the Welshplor ('pimple') and relating to Middle Englishblure ('blister'), or else fromblawr ais ('grey ribbed').[9]
Blorenge is believed[by whom?] to be a source of inspiration forCecil Frances Humphreys Alexander's hymn "All Things Bright And Beautiful". The fourth verse starts "The purple headed mountain, the river running by". "The purple headed mountain" is believed to be Blorenge, "The river running by" the Usk beneath.[citation needed]
"Blorenge" is one of very few words in the English language which is aperfect rhyme for "orange."[10][11][12]
The Tumble / Y Tymbol | |
|---|---|
 The summit of The Tumble | |
| Start | Govilon |
| Gain in altitude | 347 m (1,138 ft) |
| Length of climb | 4.1 km (2.5 mi) |
| Maximum elevation | 482 m (1,581 ft) |
| Average gradient | 9.0 % |
The western edge of Blorenge is crossed by the B4246 road betweenLlanfoist andBlaenavon which passes over the climb known as "The Tumble" ("Y Tymbol"), which reaches an elevation of 482 m (1,581 ft) close to Keepers Pond (Pen-ffordd-goch Pond)[13] (at51°47′19″N3°04′57″W / 51.78861°N 3.08250°W /51.78861; -3.08250). The climb is regularly featured in cycle races,[14] and has hosted the finish of the final stage of theJunior Tour of Wales since 1989.[15] It is listed as one of the 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs in Britain.[16] The signs at the summit indicate incorrectly that the elevation is 512 m (1,680 ft).[17]
FromGovilon, the climb is 4.1 km (2.5 mi) long, gaining 347 m (1,138 ft) in altitude, at an average gradient of 9.0%.[18] Stage 3 of the2014 Tour of Britain finished at the summit on 9 September 2014, when the stage winner was the Italian rider,Edoardo Zardini.[19]
The path should be fairly obvious from the car park as it is well worn, and there are usually some other people around who look as though they know where they are going. Look out for the Foxhunter memorial as you leave the car park.
Foxhunter car park in 1952, Sir Harry Llewellyn rode Foxhunter to take Gold in the Helsinki Olympics. The remains of the horse are buried near the car park, with a small memorial dedicated to him. Sir Harry Llewellyn himself died at the age of 88 in November 1999, at his home in Abergavenny. His ashes were scattered over the Blorenge mountain.
51°48′00″N3°03′41″W / 51.80005°N 3.06148°W /51.80005; -3.06148