We decided for our Summer holidays this year we would head off in Betty to explore the Welsh countryside. We had ventured to Pembrokeshire before and knew we wanted to trek more of the coastal path so knew part of the holiday would be back there, meaning we needed spots either side of it. We settled on heading into the hills to Snowdonia and pootiling to Hay on Wye after, with a good stint of Caerfai Bay in the middle.
We arrived in Snowdonia late in the evening, as usual Sam went to on his usual research of finding us a camping spot that had an essence of wild camping but toilets and showers. Sam is great at this, he always finds a real rustic spot for us to enjoy and it's aces as it gives the feel of a wild camp but also allows me to feel clean and have a proper loo (signs i am definitely getting old!!).
Garth Farm in Snowdonia http://www.snowdonia-wales.net/acc/camp/garth/default.asp is a real wilderness spot, it has views to Snowdon and onto the lakes and is a real gem. The farmer that owns the land is a proud Welsh man, it's a working farm and the dogs didn't approve of Socks being there so we had a few barks and hilarious encounters. We arrived on a stormy evening but with the joy of the van and a hilarious attempted bbq from Sam we nestled down to a tasty meal and some bed time book reading, Socks settled herself on the bed and we were ready for a cosy but stormy night ahead.
We woke the next morning with the sun shining and decided to take a ramble to the next village around 6 mile away. Sam and I always laugh (and struggle) when away as when we come across stiles in the country Socks has no idea what to do, so it ends up with us carrying her over, which as you can guess isn't always the easiest! The walk went through various terrains with beautiful waterfalls and strong green Summer colours, the sun broke through the woods and i couldn't help but take a seat on the hill down to rest and enjoy what was in front of me. The walk ended in betws y coed, which is a base town for people heading off to hike Snowdon. It was pretty intense after a ramble with no one around, however we got some tasty food and wine and settle down for a nice after walk feast.
We had two days in Snowdonia NP, the sites were breathtaking, the walks were harder, more strenuous especially the 2nd day when we headed for a smaller summit. The views as we walked to the summit were so beautiful, the mountains had colours of purple and various green hues which were breath taking, i found myself stopping and taking photos on so many occasions, wanting to capture it all. Both walks had such difference but both were incredible, being in Snowdonia NP and being able to experience it from two different perspectives was really special. I hadn't know what to expect but felt really in the wilds where we were staying and even on both our walks we hardly seen anyone. It was amazing feeling lost in the heather on the mountainous paths.
We headed off to Pembrokeshire the following day, we were meeting Beth, Cian and Jacob at Caerfai Farm http://www.caerfaifarm.co.uk/camping/ a campsite we visited two years ago on our last jaunt around Wales. It's an aces little site where the pitches are all around the side of the field and overlook onto Caerfai Bay which is a cute little seaside bay. We booked in advance to ensure we got some good pitches and we were not disappointed, as soon as we got there we knew we wanted more time, we settled into the evening content with the week ahead.
The holiday took on a mixture of walking, beaches, eating, exploring and so much sunshine. We had already planned to complete more of the Pembrokeshire trail, however we were mindful that we were with good friends and wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. It worked perfect as our friends are great walkers and had Jacob walking with them or strapped on in his carrier, we played numerous games of searching for things and lots of treasure trails to keep the little dude walking. Some days we stuck together others Sam and I carried on venturing off further on the trail. We covered old ground and new and i especially loved the walk from Solva to Newgale, there was some steep inclines but it was so rewarding espicially when we climbed high coming across another incredible peak along the coast.
My Mum and Step Dad were also in Pembrokeshire so we met with them which was lovely, we took them on a good ramble to St Justinians from our campsite. I could see the enjoyment in their faces with the views ahead and to top it off we came across a herd of seals.
I have totally fallen in love with the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and we are even planning to head back next year. Sam is always against going back to the same place but for me i just think we have found somewhere so nice, why not go back. Were both so happy and content when there and every walk just brings outstanding beauty and breathtaking views. We have been lucky both times with the weather, but i guess the joy of the van is that even when the weather turns we have the warmth to rest down and cosy up with a good game or book. Socks is also great in the van, she has a super long lead she is attached by which lets her roam around but also hop into the van and jump onto the bed when she is ready for snoozing.
One of my favourite days was a tasty walk from St Justinians to Whitesands, we then carried on to Porthmelgan Beach, some of the beaches on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path don't let dogs on however Porthmelgan does and it is a tranquil little bay. We found some shelter for socks and perched ourselves with the sun on our faces, we had a good hour of reading, toe dipping and (sand) sandwiches and even a rescue helicopter landing close by as a walker had sprained her ankle. It was pretty magical few hours, we met back with the gang and we then headed back to town and went to a delish pizza pop up restaurant called Dusty Knuckle, The pizzas and ciders in the sun was just what we needed after an afternoon at the beach and we ravished them down quickly. Walking back to camp the air was cooling and Jacob and Socks were getting snoozy, once the 'kids' were settled we rested down in front of a fire with marshmallows and fireworks game (hanabi).
The rest of the week was much of the same, us all wanting an extra night and having to move camp to enable us to do so. Next year we agreed 5 days just wasn't long enough - i think we may double it!
With goodbyes had and a few tears we moved on to our next stop Hay on Wye, it was really hard moving on, missing our little holiday gang, however arriving at Walkers Cottage Camping we felt pretty rested and ready for the last few lazy days of our holiday. Walkers is a gorgeous campsite with lots of produce to purchase and a really relaxed field looking onto the hills of the Welsh countryside. We spent the next two days, watching the chickens roam, reading in the sun, bbqing, snoozing and some haphazard walks being chased by cows.
The 2wks in Betty was just perfect, i didn't want to go home, i am already planning next year - is that bad? Who else knows their holidays for 2018, it's what we go to work for hey? That next holiday in the sun!
Claire x
We arrived in Snowdonia late in the evening, as usual Sam went to on his usual research of finding us a camping spot that had an essence of wild camping but toilets and showers. Sam is great at this, he always finds a real rustic spot for us to enjoy and it's aces as it gives the feel of a wild camp but also allows me to feel clean and have a proper loo (signs i am definitely getting old!!).
Garth Farm in Snowdonia http://www.snowdonia-wales.net/acc/camp/garth/default.asp is a real wilderness spot, it has views to Snowdon and onto the lakes and is a real gem. The farmer that owns the land is a proud Welsh man, it's a working farm and the dogs didn't approve of Socks being there so we had a few barks and hilarious encounters. We arrived on a stormy evening but with the joy of the van and a hilarious attempted bbq from Sam we nestled down to a tasty meal and some bed time book reading, Socks settled herself on the bed and we were ready for a cosy but stormy night ahead.
We woke the next morning with the sun shining and decided to take a ramble to the next village around 6 mile away. Sam and I always laugh (and struggle) when away as when we come across stiles in the country Socks has no idea what to do, so it ends up with us carrying her over, which as you can guess isn't always the easiest! The walk went through various terrains with beautiful waterfalls and strong green Summer colours, the sun broke through the woods and i couldn't help but take a seat on the hill down to rest and enjoy what was in front of me. The walk ended in betws y coed, which is a base town for people heading off to hike Snowdon. It was pretty intense after a ramble with no one around, however we got some tasty food and wine and settle down for a nice after walk feast.
We had two days in Snowdonia NP, the sites were breathtaking, the walks were harder, more strenuous especially the 2nd day when we headed for a smaller summit. The views as we walked to the summit were so beautiful, the mountains had colours of purple and various green hues which were breath taking, i found myself stopping and taking photos on so many occasions, wanting to capture it all. Both walks had such difference but both were incredible, being in Snowdonia NP and being able to experience it from two different perspectives was really special. I hadn't know what to expect but felt really in the wilds where we were staying and even on both our walks we hardly seen anyone. It was amazing feeling lost in the heather on the mountainous paths.
We headed off to Pembrokeshire the following day, we were meeting Beth, Cian and Jacob at Caerfai Farm http://www.caerfaifarm.co.uk/camping/ a campsite we visited two years ago on our last jaunt around Wales. It's an aces little site where the pitches are all around the side of the field and overlook onto Caerfai Bay which is a cute little seaside bay. We booked in advance to ensure we got some good pitches and we were not disappointed, as soon as we got there we knew we wanted more time, we settled into the evening content with the week ahead.
I have totally fallen in love with the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and we are even planning to head back next year. Sam is always against going back to the same place but for me i just think we have found somewhere so nice, why not go back. Were both so happy and content when there and every walk just brings outstanding beauty and breathtaking views. We have been lucky both times with the weather, but i guess the joy of the van is that even when the weather turns we have the warmth to rest down and cosy up with a good game or book. Socks is also great in the van, she has a super long lead she is attached by which lets her roam around but also hop into the van and jump onto the bed when she is ready for snoozing.
One of my favourite days was a tasty walk from St Justinians to Whitesands, we then carried on to Porthmelgan Beach, some of the beaches on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path don't let dogs on however Porthmelgan does and it is a tranquil little bay. We found some shelter for socks and perched ourselves with the sun on our faces, we had a good hour of reading, toe dipping and (sand) sandwiches and even a rescue helicopter landing close by as a walker had sprained her ankle. It was pretty magical few hours, we met back with the gang and we then headed back to town and went to a delish pizza pop up restaurant called Dusty Knuckle, The pizzas and ciders in the sun was just what we needed after an afternoon at the beach and we ravished them down quickly. Walking back to camp the air was cooling and Jacob and Socks were getting snoozy, once the 'kids' were settled we rested down in front of a fire with marshmallows and fireworks game (hanabi).
With goodbyes had and a few tears we moved on to our next stop Hay on Wye, it was really hard moving on, missing our little holiday gang, however arriving at Walkers Cottage Camping we felt pretty rested and ready for the last few lazy days of our holiday. Walkers is a gorgeous campsite with lots of produce to purchase and a really relaxed field looking onto the hills of the Welsh countryside. We spent the next two days, watching the chickens roam, reading in the sun, bbqing, snoozing and some haphazard walks being chased by cows.
The 2wks in Betty was just perfect, i didn't want to go home, i am already planning next year - is that bad? Who else knows their holidays for 2018, it's what we go to work for hey? That next holiday in the sun!
Claire x
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