MY FAVOURITE VIEW
Kate Humble climbs up the Skirrid whenever she can
Living in the Wye Valley, I am incredibly spoilt as far as views are concerned, but there’s something extra special about the world from the summit of a little mountain called the Skirrid, or Ysgyryd Fawr in Welsh. Also known as the Holy Mountain, there are lots of lovely myths and legends around it, and Owen Sheers wrote the most beautiful poems inspired by it.
Whether I’m with friends, my husband or just my dog, I tend to walk the same way up, winding my way through the woods at the base of the mountain, rather than going the more popular direct route. This way, I get a backwards helter-skelter view of the landscape as I start to climb, and I get to see it changing as I get higher. It’s the gateway to the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons, so I look out over very green land, often dotted with fluffy white sheep. Then on the skyline as the land starts to rise, and the shades change from green to brown as the trees run out, there’s this perfect triangle right on the horizon – the Sugar Loaf Mountain. It’s so beautiful seeing this little peak coming out of nowhere, and in early summer I often hear cuckoos in the woods
– a wonderful soundtrack to walk to.
The whole of the Monmouthshire countryside opens up around me as I climb higher, and there’s this wonderful sense that I’m almost taking off, like one of the kites or ravens that soar in the sky around there. And when I finally get to the top, there’s the whole world in front of me! It’s enough of an effort that I feel I’ve earned the reward of the view and the cold cider that awaits me at the bottom. It’s especially impressive on a summer evening when I can have the whole mountain to myself. It feels as though the view has been put on as a wonderful private show. There’s also something that happens to the light at the end of those long days – there’s this softness, which makes the landscape feel especially verdant and luxurious. I can stand up there and sometimes the wind is howling, other times it’s absolutely still, but whatever it’s like, it makes me feel so small and insignificant compared to the majesty of the landscape.
Kate Humble has helped launch the Dettol Trigger Project, inspiring people to make small changes to reduce household waste and trigger a cleaner world. To find out more, visit dettol.co.uk/dettol-trigger-project