Peat spotting!

This weekend, whilst walking on the beautiful hill-tops of the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains (what we could see of them through the hail, anyway), we came across plenty of peat.  This was very exciting for me.  Sadly, it was pretty eroded in places, probably through over-grazing and drainage.  We even passed the Woollen Line.  

But then we stumbled, literally, on this raised bog.  What a beauty!

The raised bog is within the Craig y Cilau Nature Reserve, about 3 miles from Crickhowell, at the bottom of the impressive limestone escarpment.

Apparently it was also overgrazed, illustrated by an exclusion zone in the middle where sheep couldn't munch and shrubby vegetation was growing.  But it was good to see that it hadn't been cut into, and was maintaining the characteristics domed shape of an accumulating peatland.

There's hope for peat yet.