It’s been a long time in the making and it seems even a longer last few months of waiting but the time was finally upon us to get underway. Our 2024 travel has been in the planning for nearly three years yet at the last minute we still seemed to have too much to organise. But at 5:15pm on Friday March 1st, St. Davids day for those who are in the know, we locked the apartment door, climbed into our van that had been waiting patiently through the last 5 months of Winter in Austria, and set out for the first leg of our two planned trips this year.
First stop after a few hours was a gas station north of Salzburg, not too glamorous a start, then a tortuous drive north through very bad weather to the border with France. And finally after a calm ferry crossing and another 5 hours drive we were at my mothers home in South Wales.
We stayed with her for a few days for her to get to know Leela a little as it was the first time they had met. I spent some time cleaning and fixing things around the house and we took a few runs in the rain around my old village and area that I grew up. As well as a cider in the local bar where I was still sticking to the same carpets 20 years later.
Leaving for our small tour of wales on the first dry day of our stay, we first headed into the Brecon Beacons and hiked to Llyn-y-fan Fawr lake. This remote and difficult to navigate hike was my favourite spot in the Beacons and maybe even the whole of Wales. We were very lucky as the weather held for us and we could enjoy the beautiful surroundings and actually see the lake which is not often the case!
After a quick bite to eat we set off to Dinas Rock and had a wonderful afternoon walking the waterfalls of the Neath valley. The highlight being able to walk behind Swyd-y-Eira waterfall when it was in full flow. We were soaked through but it was worth it!
After a quiet night in Dinas Rock we headed through Penderyn, where the Welsh whiskey comes from, to the storey Arms at the foot of Pen-y-fan, the highest mountain in South Wales. The weather was absolutely ridiculous with winds knocking us of our feet but we headed out and made it to the summit. We didn’t hang around for fear of being blown off it and also we couldn’t see a thing so we returned to the van to warm up and have a coffee. Then a quick stop and walk around Brecon town before heading to Nant-yr-Arian mountain bike area as we had hoped to bike the following day.
We had a beautiful park-up but unfortunately the wind threatened to tip the van over. So after no sleep and no chance of biking we headed North, by-passing a few days of plans, straight to Beddgelert.
Staying at the old forestry Commission campsite was really disappointing. I had used this camp in Snowdonia my whole life and it was amazingly natural and cheap. But with the new camper and instagram boom it has been taken over by a private company and was now only for the rich weekend warrior. So after apologising to Leela for building it up so much we headed out at lunchtime to try and climb Snowdon via Rhyd Ddu. But the wind and bad weather were hounding us and we had to turn back to the campsite.
Leaving early the next day we headed toward Anglesey as there was a dry and bright day forecast there even though the wind was still not letting up. First stop was Caernarfon Castle and town which was lovely then across the Menai bridge to:
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Stopping at the train station of the longest town name in Europe and second in the world, we then headed to Holyhead south stacks for a lovely afternoon walking the coastline.
As the weather, and especially the wind was too bad to stay there, we returned to the mainland and a lovely location just below Caernarfon and directly at the sea. We had some dinner and settled in for the night but at 1:00am the wind was battering the van so badly we had to move a few km down the Coast to a more sheltered location. Waking to a moderately calm day we went for a very breezy coastal run and as the rain came in we settled in for a day in the van with some TV and computer planning!
The following days forecast was for dry weather and manageable winds, the only one in the next 7 days forecast, so we headed back to Snowdonia this tine near pen-y-pass and got ready to try Snowdon again. And this time we were successful having an amazing day even though there was snow, zero temperatures, and zero views at the summit!
Leaving early evening we were once again hoping to have spent longer in Snowdonia but the weather was so bad we made the decision to just head south spending the night in mid Wales near Aberystwyth and waking once again to cloud, horizontal rain and 50 kmh winds. Just how I remembered Wales living here the best part of my life.
With no let-up in sight over the next 7 days our patience was wearing thin and all of our plans were gone. But we gave it one last go and drove to the gower to look at the coast. This also did not go well and after a failed attempt to walk the coastal path in torrential rain and wind, we walked along the beach and decided that it was time to move on.
Driving back to my moms we spent the night with her and enjoyed a nice meal together then the following day headed back to Folkestone and on to the channel Tunnel for our journey back to Europe. Saying goodbye to Wales for maybe the last time.
It did not go as planned and the Welsh weather had beaten us up badly. But I think that Leela had had a good feel for the country and its people in the 10 days or so that we were there and at least now she believes me when I have spoken of how terrible the weather was growing up an outdoorsman in the country.
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