Instead of walking along the Mendips (sketched here, and here) last weekend we went walking in Crickhowell, South Wales, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. Here’s a quick sketch from the ruined castle shortly after we arrived, rain threatening…

Saturday was dry so we walked up onto Pen Cerrig-calch. Here’s the view from the top, looking across to the distinctive peak of Pen y Fan top right, with the Usk valley narrowing towards the hills. The pencil was perfect for slowly feeling out the contours, patterns and details of the landscape, hedges tracks and trees gradually giving way to open moorland.

Sunday was very wet, but during a break in the rain I sat in the graveyard of St Edmunds, my eye caught by the cottage gable and the telephone pole. Inevitably I was joined by pigeons, the one on the right watching me while grooming itself. Crows gathered and wheeled overhead, the bell chimed five and the drizzle returned…

We left the next day, here’s a gouache sketch as we sped from Abergavenny to Newport…