A Family Trip to Manorafon Farm

A Family Trip to Manorafon Farm

For this trip we took our whole little family;  Pete, myself, Pete's daughter and little man, it was nice to be able to go all together. 

We decided to book a pitch at Manorfaon Farm which is a place where Pete and myself had been to a couple of times before we had our little one so it holds some good memories for us and makes for a great base for exploring the local area, being situated in Abergele there are good bus links from just outside the main castle gates, yes this campsite is within the grounds of Gwrych Castle.

The site itself has an animal farm park and is excellent for both little and big kids and we all enjoyed visiting the park twice whilst we were staying. There is a small entry fee; £3.50 for adults, £3.00 for children over 2, under 2's are free and if you are staying at the site you can receive discount by purchasing an unlimited entry for during your stay. We also bought tubs of food and the kids loved being able to feed the animals, especially the goats and llama as they found them funny in with their antics. 

The farm is small enough to keep everyone together and big enough to spend a couple of hours wandering with the animals, there are also handling times where the children can hold baby rabbits and guinea pigs, this was a favourite for our two.

They also enjoyed having time in the outdoor play area and "driving" the tractor, there is an indoor area however it was too warm when we there. 

At the end of the trail there is a small gift shop were we treated both of the kids to a cuddly toy, little man choosing a rabbit and little miss a guinea pig, these were taken to bed each night and still are now that we are home. 

Our camping pitch was up on the hill this time and it was reasonably dry when we arrived given the lovely summer weather we have been having! 

It was a great spot as there is no vehicular access meaning the kids could run around on the open grass and we didn't need to worry, they had a great time playing around the trees and making horse jumps from twigs. 

Once we had set up on Friday we went to explore the grounds of the castle, we have visited here previously and had a private tour before most of it was shut off to the public due to safety reasons. The trust has renovated parts of it and re opened the lovely gardens were they hold a number of events throughout the year. We explored around the grounds taking in the scenery from the top of the hill and walking back through a small part of the wood were the kids found a big tree that had fallen, this made a great piece to climb on. 

An Adventure Walk- We May Encounter Some Hills! 

On Saturday we set off on our adventure as the weather was looking good and had made a packed lunch, map loaded on one of our phones and off we went. Although Pete and I had visited here before we never knew about this walk that heads out of the back of the camp, up the road and then into the forest. There is a map you can follow that is situated at the beginning of the trail, however we did struggle as there were not many pointers on the route and we mainly followed any trail through the woods. 

Half way up our first hill there is a bench for a stopping point and to admire the view. 

View out towards Rhyl

 Carrying on up the hill and following the winding path we headed back into the woods and found our way to an old ruined castle called Castell Cawr, here you can take one of three paths, each end up in the same place on the other side, the kids chose the middle path through the woods as little man thought it looked like a house.

On the other side you follow the only trail around, there is a sign that shows a someone falling off a cliff! We carried on with caution, the pathway is narrow and a little slippy in places, if you do ever do this trail you must wear appropriate footwear, we all had walking shoes on which provided enough grip. On one side of you is a straight drop down off the hill, something which you do not want to be doing, we held our little ones hand the whole way down this part, Pete was rather anxious. 

In the middle part of the hill it levels out and the path widens, crossing over a bridge we decided to have lunch and found a fallen tree to sit on in a clearing. Back on the trail we ended up back on the path we had originally been on on the way up, following this back down to the bottom we were back on the road. 

Checking the map on my phone we worked out our next route to get to the next hill. As we carried on down the road the sun was starting to shine through, we had to cross a main road and then onto a public footpath through the farm land. 

Yes we are heading for this next hill!

This trail starts with a steep climb up a farm road, about half way up there is a path that leads away from the main trail and we decided to investigate, we are glad we did as we had such an amazing view. 

The hill in the distance is were we had been in the morning!

As we headed up further there was another path that led away from the main trail, off we headed up through a pine forest. At the top we climbed over a sty and into a field, in front of us stood a tower which was supposedly an Elizabethan Watch Tower. You can only enter the ground floor now as the stair case and upper level has been removed. It was still great to reach here as it marked the point were we wanted to get to on our walk.

The kids trying to push hay bales, good luck with that!

After taking a moment to find our trail back down we were on our way, this was a short path before it opened out on to the road and 20 minutes later we were back in Abergele and only a short walk back to the camp site.
On returning to site we checked how far we had been, 8.3 miles up and down hills! The kids did so well, it wasn't an easy walk though we all enjoyed it and found some amazing views.

No trip to North Wales is complete without a visit to Llandudno!

On Sunday I had noticed that there was an RNLI and Emergency Services demonstration day which looked to be a good day out. Outside the castle gates you can catch the number 12 bus and this take approximately 40 minutes to get into Llandudno. Once there we headed to the promenade were the open day was being held. Set out were the Fire Service, Police, Ambulance, RNLI, Mountain Rescue and the Coastguard. The kids got to go on an inland RNLI boat and both of them loved it. 

After we had looked around we headed for one of our favorite places, the arcade! There is a great variety of games for everyone to enjoy and our personal best ones are the 2p machines and hook a fish. 

 As we were on the pier we decided to watch the demonstration from here and we had a brilliant view out over the bay. As the coastguard helicopter arrived everything got underway with various exercises being shown; rescuing using both the in shore and larger lifeboats with the helicopter to show how they all work together. It was fantastic to watch and the kids liked the helicopter the best

We grabbed a quick lunch after watching and as we have previously been up the Orme on the tram we chose to walk up to the half way station as we were going to visit the Copper Mines, something that the kids haven't done before. 

It is a steep climb, even the cars struggle! There is a stopping place for a quick rest before continuing up and you can also watch the trams pass and give a little wave

At the Copper Mines you have to wear a hard hat for safety and the tour is self guided with boards a long the way that show information.

Once inside the pathway is quite narrow as you head down to the 2nd level. The caves open out inside at places and show how stunning they are when they are illuminated. 

There is a lot of history here and at one point before the mines were discovered the area was going to be turned into a car park, now that would have been a travesty as they are filled with so much of our past and still hold secrets even today!

On exiting the mines there is a small gift shop were the kids found the treasure stones were you can fill a little bag with as many stones as you can fit in for only £2.00, a great idea for the little ones as they enjoyed picking their stones in all different colours and sizes. 

Heading back down into Llandudno we finished the day back on the pier earning more tickets which you can trade in for prizes, both little ones did well with their tickets today earning 985 and were very happy with their prize choices! 

Back at the tent it was time for a surprise for everyone, not even Pete knew about this one! I handed an envelope to little man and after he had opened it little miss read it out - we were staying for an extra night! I think it is safe to say everyone was happy about this surprise!!

Our Final Day- A Visit to the Aquarium

As we had the extra day I had picked up our Tesco Clubcard Boost vouchers that we can use in Rhyl Aquarium. Again the number 12 bus from outside the gates takes you straight there in about 20-25 minutes. 

We have been here many times, little man since he was only 6 months old and now he is older we thought to make it more interesting on the way around he could do the explorer quiz with little miss, for this they have to follow clues and find different fish then stamp their sheet. If they find all of the clues they win a prize at the end. 

This kept them entertained and little man found it interesting and liked finding all the different fish and sea creatures. 

After watching the sea lion demonstration we continued around, this is a great aquarium were you can spend a couple of hours so great for a morning or afternoon trip. The kids found all of the creatures on the quiz sheet and handed it in at the end, little man chose a pencil set as their prize. 

After lunch we headed back to the camp site as the kids both wanted to go in the farm park again and feed the animals. They were treated to an extra hold and cuddle of one of the baby rabbits which made their day, both of them love animals and I think they would stay in the farm all day if they could! 

We also managed to find the worlds smallest rooster! 

Our stay at Manorfon Farm was as expected; brilliant! The facilities are always clean with hot showers and there are laundry facilities and an undercover shelter with sinks to wash dishes. The staff are helpful and very welcoming. We would recommend this site to families and couples as it is a great base for exploring North Wales either in a car or by public transport. There are various sizes of pitch to suit all tent types and also areas for tourers and caravans. 

Before leaving we stocked up with home made sausages and burgers (We have now tasted the pork and apple burgers and tomato sausages, both are very tasty and it certainly makes the difference being home made with 85% meat!)

This is somewhere were we will return to, it makes it easier for ourselves as neither of us drive. We know we can also get a bus to Conwy,  Betws-y- Coed and Caernarfon. 

This was a nice getaway for us all as we got to be together and do things we haven't done before, having only just got home we are busy planning our next adventure!! 

Coleman Darwin 4 Plus Review

Coleman Darwin 4 Plus Tent

It's Waterproof!

We have recently returned from three nights away at Hafod Hall in North Wales using our tent for only the second time and can safely say it is waterproof!! 

The Darwin 4 Plus is easy to pitch, two poles for the dome part and one pole for the porch area. The inner bedroom clips onto the main poles with the outer tent over the top, this is then secured to each pole with a velcro loop. There is a sewn in groundsheet in the bedroom area and in the porch the groundsheet has toggles that attach to the outer tent to create a 'bathtub' which helps to prevent water coming in. We are still mastering this area of the tent, as in the heavy rain there was some water that was let in, we think this is due to how we pitched the front part of the tent and are aiming to have this corrected on our next trip in just over a week. 

Plenty of guy lines to help keep the tent secure in all weathers and are in a bright orange colour to help stand out in the dark for other campers. 

We have found this tent spacious inside for the size, the bedroom area has so far accommodated two adults and one child with all of our belongings and we will be using it for two adults and two children next time. The porch area is an added bonus and means we can store our insulated food bags, cooking equipment and muddy walking boots! 

 

During our last camping trip we had continuous heavy rain for six hours on our second night and four hours on our third night, the tent did not leak once! It is rated as 3000mm Hydro-static Head and definitely lives up to this, our only problem was condensation which dried out quickly once we were able to open the front door again. 

After the rain had stopped it didn't take long for the tent to dry out, great when the next rain cloud could be on its way! 

There are four ventilation flaps that you can open and are held up with a velcro support, these are handy during the day to allow some airflow if you have gone out. 

The front porch also has a window each side, these are covered by a piece of material that you can roll up or have down for privacy. 

The bedroom area has a separate door, this keeps the tent warmer at night and also has a small fly/ventilation flap on. There are also two pockets inside this area to store some belongings. 

This tent is advertised for weekend and festival campers but we think it can be used for much more than this, it is very sturdy and keeps the rain out whilst remaining warm in the bedroom area. Plenty of space for people who pack light and need a quick pitch tent that packs away small and reasonably light - 6 Kg, we can fit this tent in one of our rucksacks and still have space for clothes and a sleeping bag! 

We are still perfecting getting the outer part in the right place so as it comes far enough forward at the front, this will then enable the porch area to be pitched correctly and stop rain coming in onto the groundsheet. 

We would recommend the Darwin 4 Plus for couples or a small family who travel light, we have purchased the tarp that goes with this tent to allow us to extend the porch area and cook even if there is rain! (Review to follow) 

So far we have no negative comments and are looking forward to our next adventure! 

Our Semi-Wild Adventure

Our Semi-Wild Adventure!

Day 1 - Our Adventure Begins!

Dropped off to Hafod Hall, we were immediately given a warm welcome by Sue who gave us some great advice on the perfect spot to pitch up that was close to the toilet block for our little one and also said that if we needed anything, to just ring the bell and ask.  When I say bell, I mean an actual bell and not a electronic door bell!  This place became more awesome by the second and the above picture is the view that greeted us every single time we opened the tent or sat down for dinner.  A wide open landscape that perhaps is best demonstrated in the following image (the blue circle is where we stayed).

We unloaded our packs and got ourselves set up whilst little man ran straight over to meet the resident rescue owl named Boots. 

A few minutes passed and we were pitched up and gear packed away into our tent, all set to enjoy our time here.  The Mrs and I just looked at each other smiling away and noting how peaceful and beautiful the landscape is, we just sat looking out over it all...perfect!  So peaceful that it took us three hours to count 4 cars passing down the country road that's a kilometre away!

 After finishing dinner and relaxing for a bit, we decided to go for a short walk around the area we'd pitched just to stretch our legs and were pleasantly surprised when an abandoned cat (we were informed had found and adopted the place) also decided to join us for our little stroll!

Returning from our little wander we sat to enjoy a gorgeous sunset and settled ourselves down for the night

Day 2 - A Look Around the Grounds

We started the day with chocolate brioche and a nice brew. The weather looked reasonable so we headed for a little wander around the grounds of Hafod Hall, coats with us just encase. We strolled down the short drive and on to the private road that leads up to the site.

Our little one was loving the freedom to be able to walk without having to hold hands, the only things you have to watch out for here is the occasional farm vehicle and sheep! 

Crossing over a cattle bridge, a novel occurrence for our little boy as he has never come across one before.  He exclaimed "I can do this myself, you just have to stand on the pipes to cross"! 

Carrying on down the road, it bends around to the right and you can start to see even more of the amazing scenery surrounding the area. 

As we were admiring the view, one of the workers, Sam, drove down in a Landrover from the site to take the rubbish to the top of the road. He stopped to ask if we were okay and where we were off to. Explaining we were only going to the top of the road, he said he would keep an eye on the weather and should it rain he would come back to pick us up, a kind gesture you don't often see nowadays. 

We continued on, crossing another cattle bridge we could see a farmer in the distance on a quad bike with his sheepdogs, they were herding the flock into the next field, amazing to watch how quickly and effectively they work and how fast the sheep are moved. 

We reached the top of the road, a mile from the main camp site. After admiring the view but noticing a turn in the weather, we decided to turn back before the rain set in. With a little more march in our step we could see we were not going to make it back, not to worry our hero would be back with the Landrover!

This was now our view ahead....

The rain started, a fine drizzle at first, then steadily became heavier, our little one kept insisting that the man would be back. Over the second cattle grid now and we had very wet trousers, our coats keeping the rest of us dry! Upon reaching the site, Sam was coming out of the house, he stated that he was just coming to get us but alas the rain had reached us before it had reached him!! We all found it pretty funny!  Sue had come out to check that we were okay, inviting us in to get dry if needed. We found everyone there so friendly and helpful. 

Back in the tent we got changed and wrapped our little one up in his sleeping bag to warm up, the rain had now fully set in and we spent the rest of the day warm and dry, relaxing, playing card games and enjoying the sound of the rain pattering against the tent and the wind rustling through the trees.

As the rain eased to a drizzle, Claire quickly shot outside and got the dinner going, hotdogs in the rain! We also had some visitors coming through the site on their evening stroll. 

After dinner we decided to try and get a camp fire going, it was £7.50 for a large box of wood with some tinder to get you started, we decided to use the fire basket as it was our little ones first time. 

Pete was enjoying being able to put into practice what he had been learning about in his bushcraft books. (With a little help from the cat!)

Our little boy wanted to help Daddy with the chopping of the wood, he gave it a good go...

Happy with his fire it was time to start toasting some marshmallows, a campfire favorite, Pete had carved a nice pointy stick for the gooey marshmallow. 

We settled for the night around the fire, enjoying the tranquility, only the quiet crackle from the wood and occasional baa from the sheep. Day two had ended as it had begun, looking out over the beautiful landscape. 

Day Three - A Short Walk!!

For our last full day we decided to go down to the reservoir which we had heard was a nice walk around it. We packed a lunch, water and our trial mix, following the easy directions from Sue, off we went for our adventure! 

Once on the main path there are signs pointing you in the right direction, this was most helpful as at some points on the route there are multiple paths to choose from. Further down, the path opens out on to the reservoir, beyond it a hill to climb. 

We crossed a long bridge, one that is evidently used by the sheep too! Our little one loved going over and being able to see the water underneath. Once on the other side we started our climb up the hill, this was now looking larger than it did earlier! Little man was wanting his lunch, which we promised would be at the top. 

The path twisted up the hill, allowing us to take in the changing views as we got higher. Along the way we spotted a nice little stream, a great spot to try 'Pooh Sticks' :-) 

Over the top we found a nice spot for lunch, sitting on a sty and a rock we tucked in to our lunch. We saw a man jogging, being helpful we opened the gate to allow him to continue on without stopping, he thanked us on his way past. 

Carrying on after lunch we saw a map and decided to see how far little man would walk before he wanted to turn back. 

The path then took us down into the woodland and in the distance we could see another bridge, this was where our little boy wanted to get to! On we went, enjoying the coolness of being in the trees, little man loving being able to run free, us taking in the changing scenery walking along forest roads and the well sign posted route. 

After the longest stretch we opened our trail mix, something we were excited to try and contained little bites to pick us up including M&Ms! 

Whilst walking down the forest roads we noticed some large puddles at the side, little man nearly stomping in one before I shouted to him to stop and look whats in the puddle! In these small areas of water, there were many tadpoles swimming about and little man made it his mission to stop at each and every one in order to investigate them all! 

Continuing along the trail we noticed a man was jogging towards us in the distance and as he got closer we realised that he was the same jogger that had passed us earlier, he said hello to us again and quickly explained he was on his last lap!! Last lap!  We hadn't even completed one yet! 

Now we could see the bridge in the distance, it looked like "Dragon Bridge" from the game Skyrim, this brought great joy to our little one as he loves this game, and now our walk turned into a Skyrim adventure, we must keep a look out for the guards, giants, mammoths and dragons! 

This was a half way point, we were amazed at how well little man was doing, he hadn't asked for a piggy back at all and was just enjoying being able to run around carefree. 

Proud to have made it to the "Dragon Bridge"! 

Once across the bridge we continued on for the second half of our adventure. Most of this side of the reservoir was through the woodland and forestry area. 

There was a long swoop around an inlet and along here there had been a lot of trees cut down which had been laid in large piles ready to be collected. We explained to little man about the rings on the tree and how you can tell the age of a tree from them, he was amazed by all of the huge stacks of logs.  The fragrant smell of the pine was quite uplifting. 

Further along we were lapped yet again by the jogging man who laughed a quick farewell as he was finishing his last lap.  We later found out how long the trail around the reservoir really was and we were impressed by what he had achieved. 

Now over half way back we entered more pine woodland, all neatly lined in rows. Having read about it, Pete had gathered some silver birch bark from a fallen log that he could use to start our campfire that night. 

Leaving the woodland, the path opened out once again with stunning views back over the reservoir. Set back from the path stood the remains of an old dwelling, still full of character so we decided to stop and take a few photos. 

Further along the trail, the path once again led away from the reservoir and back into woodland.  This time a long, 'spooky' and dark path led through moss clad trees and dotted with the occasional break in the canopy above, allowing rays of sunlight to shine through. It was damp, cool and a little bit mystical which also gave a nice contrast to the hot, sunny day we were having. 

As the path led out through one final gate, we walked back down towards the reservoir to complete the round trip, little man was extremely proud when he realised he had completed the walk. 

After a brief rest we started back to the camp site and half way there we heard the rumble of thunder behind us. Turning round, we were greeted by the sight of a large storm cloud, looming on the horizon and steadily making its way towards us! We quickened our pace as we did not want to be caught outdoors in a storm, especially as were still surrounded by trees and quite high up.

Arriving back to the site, we checked the distance. We had walked 10 miles!!! Not exactly the short walk we thought it would be and amazed that little man had walked the whole way without being carried once!  Well done little man! 

Making a hasty brew as the storm continued to roll in, then ducking into our tent as the inevitable rain began to fall.  All snug inside, we relaxed and looked back on the tranquil, picturesque and invigorating walk we had just been on. Something none of us had experienced previously and one we would definitely recommend. 

The thunder was getting louder and the rain heavier, lasting for about three hours until 7.45pm.  Now it was time for dinner, a nice tuna pasta to fill us up after the superb walk! 

The storm subsided and the night stayed dry so we were able to start another little camp fire using the salvaged birch bark from earlier in the day and sat down to enjoy our last night. Little man took himself off to bed and was asleep in moments, we don't blame him. We enjoyed the evening, the night drawing in with the mist coming up the valley, our fire burning brightly. Pete took time to start whittling a small wooden sword for little man under the night sky whilst we sat talking about the amazing adventure we'd experienced.

Our Final Morning - Taking down our camp

On our final morning I was greeted by chickens who invited themselves for breakfast...

We set about taking down our tent, allowing it to dry off enough before packing it away. With our bags packed we had time to sit and enjoy the last couple of hours in our surroundings before returning to the city. Little man was having an adventure around the rocks, chopping his wood and getting annoyed when it wouldn't stand up.  One piece did get thrown and many were told off!! 

We had a brilliant time at Hafod Hall, a truly unforgettable experience were we made many memories in the short time we were here. This is one place we'd love to come back to, and we don't think we will ever tire of the views and relaxing surroundings. Little man had the time of his life and is very much an outdoors child, getting him to come into the tent at night was a mission! 

We would recommend Hafod to those wanting to get back to basics and enjoy nature, they have a great ethos here that is focused around freedom.  Nothing was too much trouble and they were always happy to help.

Until next time, happy camping adventures from Tents and Pegs!

Co written by Pete and Claire