Pen y Fan mountain summit sign sells for £2,100 at auction

A sign from the top of a mountain in the Brecon Beacons has been sold at auction for £2,100.

The weatherworn sign from the summit of Pen y Fan went under the hammer in Cardiff, after the National Trust replaced it.

It was thought the sale would raise £600.

Auctioneer Ben Rogers Jones said: "We had more bids on that lot than anything else - bids from all over the country, there was a lot of competition for it."

Mr Rogers Jones said the buyer "looked like an outdoorsy kind of guy" who wanted to remain anonymous, but said the sign meant a lot to him and was "going to a good home".

The National Trust said the omega sign had witnessed marriage proposals and many personal accomplishments.

"The Brecon Beacons, in particular Pen y Fan, has a special place in many people's hearts," said a spokesman.

The trust estimated more than 350,000 people climb the 886m (2,906ft) summit each year, double the number five years ago.

When the time came to switch the old sign for the new, lead ranger Rob Reith expected the job to take a couple of minutes.

Instead it took him three hours because the familiar mountain top queue to take selfies had started to form.

Mr Reith said he hoped the sale "gives someone as much pleasure as I have got from maintaining the land it's called home".

The sign was part Rogers Jones & Co Auctioneers' Welsh Sale on Saturday.

It joined items including a number of pieces by Sir Kyffin Williams, rare Swansea pottery and a Cardiff chimney sweep's bicycle.

The National Trust said "the much needed funds will allow us to continue the repair work needed on our mountain paths".