Q:
A: I grew up in Merthyr, so they were a relatively constant background feature. The Beacons are many things. The SAS has been known to train on them because they can be outright miserable b*stards in the wet and the cold. When, in the 1980s, Doctor Who needed to set a story in a place so utterly devoid of redeeming qualities it was known as the Death Zone - somehow, only the Beacons would do as a location. However, if you're up for the challenge, and have ankles like those of a mountain goat, they can be breathtaking. Perhaps the funniest thing I can tell you about the Beacons relates to my wife, who's American. As I say, I grew up close to the Beacons, and when I took my wife home to meet my folks, my mother insisted on driving her around to show her "the sights". Every time we came to the top of a hill, you could see the Beacons, and Ma, bless her repetitive soul, would say "Ooh, look, there's the Beacons." This was all very well - if you knew what the Beacons where before some poor demented Welsh lady was trying to enthuse you about them. Later on, my wife cornered me in our bedroom and gently hissed "OK, I've seen them from every conceivable angle now...will you PLEASE tell me WHAT the hell I was supposed to be looking at??? WHAT are these Beacons your mom keeps pointing out??!" I'll tell you the same as I told her - they're the bumpy bits that stop the horizon from getting boring ;o)