Short But Sweet - Our Final Camp of the Year

Platts Farm Campsite

Llanfairfechan

As this was our last trip this year and only for two nights, we decided to stop on the way in Llandudno and went to the West Shore Beach Cafe as it was their pie week and we wanted to indulge in some homemade food. 

Arriving at the cafe it was a busy afternoon and we could see lots of people tucking into various pies, checking out the menu my Dad and I decided on lamb and leek, Pete chose steak and mushroom and little man had his favourite fish fingers and chips! 

We eagerly waited for our pies and were not disappointed when they came, large slices with lots of filling and just what was needed. Full of flavour, packed with chunks of meat and nicely cooked pastry we tucked in.  Afterwards we went for a short walk down towards the beach to take in the scenery. 

A short drive from here we arrived at the campsite and were greeted by Jim who was looking after the site. He showed us to our field were we had the pick of pitch as there was no-one else there! A fire basket and wood had also been left for us which didn't take long to get going! 

Our field was in a good position and we could hear the stream at the bottom tucked away behind the wall. The site has good amenities with a toilet and shower block, under cover washing area and a barn on each field that can be used in bad weather with picnic tables and lighting provided, this made a great addition to our normal camping, somewhere to sit is a bonus!

We pulled one of the picnic tables out so that we could sit near the fire and little man could play with his toys, this time some Lego and Zomlings

Pete got the fire going whilst I cooked some tea, a nice tuna pasta. After tea we toasted some marshmallows as this is one of little mans favourite parts of camping. 

On Saturday we headed to Conwy on the bus as it was Gwledd Conwy Feast. We started off in Bodlondeb Park were we received a warm welcome by the stall holders. We visited stalls run by the local college where we learnt how boats are made and little man got to start an engine and rev it up, which he loved. 

In the next tent we found a digger simulator, much to Daddys excitement! Little man took a little persuasion to get on but once he was sat on Petes knee they were off like pros digging and moving dirt. Mission completed they next had to move pallets using a forklift, again a simulation which turned out to be for the best since on the first go they managed to tip it over! The final task was to walk around a site and look at how everything is planned and the process for building houses. Technology like this is helping our young people in class get used to site work and machinery whilst in a safe environment. 

Little man then found the animal tent which is no surprise given how much of animal lover he is. We were greeted by a couple of cows

Lots of different sheep in pens and little mans favourite animal, an Alpaca which he was excited to see and he got to touch some of their wool and found out how soft it is. 

We continued round and little man found something he hadn't seen before, turkeys! They looked like they were doing a little dance around their pen. 

Before leaving this tent little man got to meet a very big horse! 

Back outside we grabbed Pete grabbed a coffee and I indulged in a hot chocolate, we also treated ourselves to a homemade sausage roll from one of the stalls whilst little man had fun chasing some big bubbles! 

He had some money so we put towards it and he bought himself a big bubble set! 

After lunch we headed back through Conwy town and down on to the Quayside were there was a huge food tent and lots of street food stalls, the smells were amazing from all around the world. 

As we had tickets for the Feast they entitled us to half price entry into Conwy Castle which we has promised little man we would visit as he likes playing with his swords and shield. 

We had a little picture that little man needed to colour in by solving clues so off we went to explore the castle with little man leading the way. We headed down and then up a tower, steps not too bad as it was only a small tower, we then had to head along the wall and little man decided we had to go up the next tower and this one was taller and the steps narrowed towards the top. Once at the top the views are stunning and you can see all around from the hills down to the sea. 

If little man had his way we would have been up every tower! We did go up one more that looked over the Feast on the Quayside and could see the hustle and bustle, it looked to be continuing to be a great festival. 

Back down on the ground we found some more clues for the colouring sheet, we could tell what the picture was but we were struggling to find a couple of clues. 

Once back in the shop I asked at the counter and the man explained that there was a map on the back showing where the clues are! Oops

We headed back to the campsite from here with the evening drawing in. Tonight's tea was a nice warming stew, a new camp favourite on the colder nights. 

A short but sweet stay at Platts Farm as we packed away the next day. This site makes a great base for getting around, especially if like us you don't drive as the bus stop is just outside the gate and there is also a train station in the town. 

We enjoyed it here as the site is clean and well kept, this is one that will be on our list for next year. 

Thank you to everyone who has been reading our blog over this year and we look forward more to come. Over our winter break we will be adding reviews of some more of the products we have bought and used. Until next time camp safe and enjoy the outdoors. 

Rainy or Quiet Day On Camp....

No Problem! 

We have done four camps so far this year with one more to come. Next year we plan to do more and as our lovely British weather is rather unpredictable we need activities for little man to do on the rainy or quiet days on camp. (Little miss is older and is easily occupied with a book or magazine)

A simple activity to take with you is a small colouring book and some pencils. For us little man isn't occupied for long by this as he is very much an outdoor child and being stuck in he gets bored easily. 

If you are feeling more adventurous you could make a small wooden sword like the one Pete has made. Little man loves this and spends lots of time when we are on camp running around with it pretending to be a knight or bopping away using it like a guitar! 

The activity that has proved the best is taking a small tub of Lego with us. I selected various people, some blocks and some small base plates. We all had lots of fun making different vehicles and buildings and was great when we were stuck inside for most of the day due to rain. The tub is small enough to fill a gap in one of our rucksacks but contains enough pieces to be imaginative and make different things. 

 Little man took his tub outside on a mat when it was dry, this allowed us to start our campfire whilst he was having fun building another space ship! (Little Star Wars fan!)

We have the power bank so if it is going to be a long rainy spell we do allow little man to play some games on my phone as it can get boring and frustrating being stuck in for a number of hours, especially when you want to go exploring or toast some marshmallows! 

As you have seen we don't spend much time around camp during the day and as such don't need to carry extras, we aim to be able to carry all of our equipment as we don't drive. This year we have been lucky and have been dropped off and picked up however we do want to go on more wild camps in the future so want to keep the weight down in our bags.

With little man now in school we will be encouraging him to read more, at the moment I am on the look out for children's books about camping that we can read together and hopefully this might sway him away from using the phone as much for games!

Our next camp is in October Half Term and we have been busy buying some Autumn/Winter clothes to make sure we stay nice and toasty, we are hoping for some good weather so that we can have a few more campfires before closing our season for this year. Keep a look out over the next few weeks for reviews on our new sleeping bags and how well the tarp performed! 

Happy Camping, hopefully you can still get to explore some more this year, even if it it is just for a day out :-) 

Return to Hafod Hall - Llyn Brenig Awaits!

Return to Hafod Hall

Llyn Brenig Awaits! 

We always knew we would return to Hafod, it feels like a calling to home for us now as we feel so relaxed and under the magic of its charm, no matter what the weather!! 

Arriving on Saturday to lovely sunny weather we set up camp and now with the addition of the Coleman Tarp, this proved very useful during a rainy "spell". We wanted to go for a short walk whilst we had good weather and set off down the lane to the main road, turning left there was a short walk along the main road before turning off up a farmers lane. 

Little man decided that he can now do the cattle grids on his own and after negotiating the pipes we continued on down the lane with open fields each side and roaming sheep. 

In the distance we could see a small reservoir, we had already decided it was to just be a short walk and we stopped further down the lane to get some pictures. 

Turning back for camp we had to admire all of the views around us with rolling hills and Alwen Reservoir further down ahead of us, this area just speaks freedom at every turn with minimal traffic and plenty of public footpaths and access routes. 

Heading back down the lane to the campsite there were so many birds swooping around in front of us and dancing through the long grasses. On our next adventure here I want to spend more time photographing the wildlife, there are some beautiful birds and especially the birds of prey. 

Little man and Pete had gone looking through the small woods to try and find a piece of wood to make a bow, unfortunately it is the wrong time of year as most of the wood was dead meaning there is no flexibility. 

Back at the tent I set about making tea, a camp favourite - Hot-dogs!! Pete started to build our camp fire and little man was enjoying playing with his Lego that we had brought, this is a definite hit and he happily played allowing us to get on with other things. 

Another camp tradition is toasted marshmallows but we needed a good stick first so off little man and me went to find one, making sure he told everyone on our way where we were going! He came back proudly holding his pointy sick ready for big, fluffy marshmallows and presented it to Daddy to carve the end. Stick in hand we got toasting.....

The Moon had an amazing hue and mist around it, making for some lovely photogrpahs

Sunday morning and we woke to rain, however we had the tarp with us so we could still get up and make a brew whilst staying dry. It rained on and off all day and we got outside for a run around with little man when we could, we realised we now had the whole campsite to ourselves! 

Pete spent some time carving a small sword for little man as although it was raining it was a nice opportunity to relax and not have to worry about the next thing to do or dishes to clean! 

Little man definately loved his new sword, although I don't quite think he got the idea of it.....

Little man decided to rock out with his new sword :-) We tried to light the campfire with my ferro rod however everything was just too wet and then it started to rain again, booooo! 

After our unsuccessful attempt we called it a night and settled down with a hot chocolate and untoasted marshmallows

Monday came with some sunshine and looked to be promising weather wise. We packed our lunch and off we headed to have our adventure around Llyn Brenig, knowing it was a long walk we left early in the morning, passing Sue on the way out and telling her to give us 5 or so hours as we had little man. 

This walk starts off from Hafod and leads through the Hafod Elwy Nature Reserve were you have to watch out under foot as there a lot of sheep droppings making the path slippery and as it had been raining the day before, very water logged with plenty of large puddles to navigate around. Reaching the tree line at the other end we looked like we had been on a walk across he marshes! 

Onward through the wooded area you can see a number of felled trees which are brought down by the winds and because of how dense the area is. 

Continuing on you have to cross over a main road to the next path, from there on you are on paths and forest roads so there is minimal traffic. Little man decided he was already tired and insisted on having his trail mix, I think he just wanted his M&Ms! 

At the end of this path you can navigate around Llyn Brenig to the left or the right, if you do this walk the Visitors Centre is to the right and is a welcome stop off point. 

We took the right turn and walked down the forest road, as we were walking something caught our eye on the ground and investigating further we saw a little frog jump across. Little man was very excited because on our previous trip we had found tadpoles and now we had found the frogs they had grown into. This led to us stopping for every frog so that little man could check him and name most of them, a favourite was Jumpy! 

Look how tiny!!

Further along the forest road there is a path to the left that leads down to the reservoir and we decided to have a look at the view and little man had a stone throwing competition with Daddy. 

Carrying on, the path twists and turns around the reservoir and then the boating club, further around you pass fishing areas and we decided to stop at one for lunch as there are picnic benches. We tucked into our sandwiches whilst admiring the view, from here you can see Duck Island were they also have Osprey nesting areas, unfortunately on our trip we only saw a seagull having a rest in one! 

After lunch we headed towards the visitors centre stopping to check the map. As we are always looking out for the frogs we came across a lovely painted stone at the side of the path

Just further on from here is the visitors centre were we stopped for a lovely hot drink and snack. The centre also serves hot and cold food if you haven't brought a packed lunch and has a play area outside.

There are also a few gifts on sale and maps of various walking routes around the local area. I have picked up a book and OS Map to plan our future adventures around North Wales. 

After a quick rest we set off to walk over the long dam that stretches over one end of the reservoir. 

As we were crossing we could look up the reservoir and see how far we had to walk, it was far! Reaching the other side, the path twists along and finds its way into the woods. 

We strolled on through the woodland which looked to make up most of this side of the reservoir, we occasionally caught glimpses of the water. 

Eventually the woods opened out and we were alongside the reservoir again, little man was starting to get tired and we didn't blame him, this was a big walk that wasn't just along the flat. A few pick me up M&Ms and snacks, we pressed on as we could see the weather was starting to move in and looked like rain which thankfully had stayed off. 

Further a long you can take a separate path that forms part of the Archaeological Trail however we were not taking this path as it adds another few miles. We did get to see some of it as there is a stone circle and various burial mounds along the main path. 

At the end of the path here you come to a car park, from here you can either head out to the bird hide or continue on the main trail.
This part of the walk is on a road although it is only used to go to the car park so again there is minimal traffic. Once you reach the top of the road you head to the path on your left and onto the main road. It is safe as the path only follows the road for a short distance before branching off and back towards the reservoir. There are some lovely views from here and we could see the sea! 

We needed a rest at this point as there is a bit of a climb up a hill, we did find this side of the reservoir harder as not only were there more inclines there were no benches or picnic areas. We did manage to find a place to take a seat for a short stop, little man was doing so well. 

As we were walking up the next part of the hill, a sheep decided he wanted to photobomb! 

Once over the hill the path leads back down towards the trees and back to where we started around Llyn Brenig, although we still had a few miles to go back to camp. The path back is the same one we had come down in the morning and knowing that we had to negotiate the puddles and sheep poo was not filling us with much glee! 

We collected some wood along the way in the hope that we would be able to get a fire started when we got back. We picked up the pace as the mist was now setting in, we were on the home straight and we were looking forward to our well earned dinner - a nice hot bowl of Tuna pasta mmmmmm. 

As we got to the entrance of the camp site we checked my watch and were surprised to see how far we had walked - 15 miles!!! Well done little man. 

Our excitement was short lived at this point as out of the house comes Sue in all a fluster as she had seen the weather and as we had been out for longer than we planned she was concerned something had happened, so much so that she had been out in her car twice to look for us and missing her own turning on the way back ending up in the next village over!! We were very apologetic and reassured her that we were all fine. Sue was ok and it was nice to know that she cared, we have never been to anywhere like Hafod were it would be noticed that we weren't back and the site owner would come looking for us.  (There is no phone signal in this area for us to contact one another).  To be clear, the weather here can creep up on you very quickly and even mist can potentially disorientate you if youre not careful, not to mention can cause you to become wet and cold which is a dangerous situation best avoided but fortunately, the bulk of it was running parallel to us about a mile away.  Sue's concerns were understandable, she lives here and knows the land well.

As we were making tea our camp fire plans were put on hold once again as the wind was up, making it too dangerous for a fire. 

On Tuesday we packed up to head for home having had another brilliant adventure here. This is one place we will continue to return to, there are so many walks around the local area it makes for a good base. This was our last trip to Hafod for this year as the weather can be harsh during late autumn and winter obviously, Sue had previously told us that there can be no snow down in Denbigh and they can be dealing with 5-6 inches up at the farm. 

Until next year, thank you Hafod for another amazing adventure filled with some great memories, no matter what the weather! 

Before we go, we would like to explain why Boots the owl was not mentioned this time, unfortunately he died over summer due to someone, who should know better, entering his aviary and frightening him, so much so he passed away the next day. Owls normally only live 5-6 years, Boots was 13 and had a good life at Hafod, he will be very much missed and touched little mans heart who loves animals.