
Back from camping and the Green Man Festival, it was a wonderful opportunity to camp on the site a few days before the festival started properly , despite it being the 4th time I have been to Green Man you never get the chance to explore the area.
The festival is held near Sugar Loaf Mountain on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, Wales , the mountains around dominate the festival but I have never climbed them.

During the three days we managed a walk-a-day but the most major of which was a walk was up Sugar Loaf Mountain.
At the foot of the moutain is the Sugar Loaf Vineyard, well worth a visit they do tours, and wine-tastings with welsh cheese. 
Apparently the grapes grow well, so long as there is no heavy rain before the grapes fill with juice since at this point the grape-skin becomes thin and easily bruised.
We bought a couple of bottles an Abergavenny, a medium dry fruity wine and a Rose , which is a new wine for the vineyard but is thriving in Wales. While there I heard an ansaphone message placing an order for a few cases of the sparkling wine, so business is good.

We enjoyed the Abergavenny on the campsite it was delicious and nice to be having something so unexpectedly local.

Some other delicious little berries to be found this time growing wild on Welsh mountains are Billberries, a little like Blueberries or Blackcurrants they are tart little berries growing close to the ground, flame red and yellow leaves and the season wears on. Plenty still available on the hillsides though it is coming to the end of the harvest.

They take some gathering without a proper tool but are delicious in pancakes should you inbibe a little too much Welsh wine

Pancake Recipe
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups milk
butter for frying
Make a well in the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar, beat in the eggs, melted butter, and milk, and transfer to a jug
Leave the batter for 20 minutes before using it
Add a dot of butter to a hot pan , once the top begins to blister add the billberries and turn the pancake cook for a few minutes















Oh wow bilberries. We used to collect these when I was kid on the hills of North Wales (Mold Famau and around I think). I haven’t had them in years but remember them as tasty but very tart – good in crumbles and the like.
Interesting set of photographs – I wish now we too had gone to this festival.
We always go somewhere new in Wales for a weekend every year. There are lots of fabulous restaurants and hotels to keep us busy.
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Fantastic post and I had thought of this before