The Brecon Beacons await on our 'Big Local Adventure'
Despite being permitted to travel further under new government guidelines, we opted to stay local for our first proper trip in the new Adamo 75-4I, a decision made easier by the fact we are fortunate enough to live within touching distance of the Brecon Beacons. Famed for its mountains, wide open spaces and dark skies its somewhere we have spent many happy days before, and had pined for during the most recent lockdown.
In a bid to avoid the bigger, busier campsites we had seen various pictures of on social media, we opted for a Caravan and Motorhome Club Certified Location, and were pleasantly surprised to arrive and find we were in fact the only people staying there. Located on the banks of the Tarell river on the outskirts of Brecon itself, the site at Rhydywernen Farm is one of the best Certified Locations we have had the pleasure of staying at. It didn’t take Harrison and Dorothy long to find the great barn filled with lambs, a brace of noisy donkeys and a group of playful goats, affording us some time to get set up, get the kettle on and savour the first moments of being back on a campsite.
As is often the case when travelling with small children the peace was short-lived, and before long I found myself wading through the aforementioned river in order to carry Harrison and Dorothy onto a small island that the icy waters flowed around. Shafts of late afternoon sunshine penetrated the canopy above, covering the rippling water’s surface with flecks of magnificent light. As we sat there throwing pebbles downstream, the wider world faded away, gone were the thoughts and concerns that had filled my mind about the state of the world, replaced by a simply joy and freedom that I, and so many others, had so desperately missed in recent months.
We learnt very quickly that when travelling with young children it is best to not have too many plans, something we took to the extreme with this trip by not having any plans at all. Instead we were content to let the days unfold, act on a whim and enjoy just being away and, unlike most of our trips, not being on the move for some crazy adventure or cycling challenge. This approach soon paid dividends, as by exploring the campsite fully we found that a public footpath ran through the back, leading up through a quiet woodland strewn with wildflowers to the most majestic waterfall.
This enchanting little corner of the Beacons, tucked away in the woods, would become a focal point for us during our stay, with a daily walk up to its mesmerising cascades a part of our simple routine. A hard frost greeted us every morning, bringing a chill to the air that would take a few hours to disappear under the glow of the sun, by which time we would have had breakfast, cleaned up and got ourselves ready to venture up the forest path to play by, and in my case in, the waterfall. There’s nothing quite like an icy dip, in in mid-April, to get the adrenaline and endorphins flowing. Despite my best efforts to convince them otherwise Kim, Harrison and Dorothy rather wisely opted to stay on the edge of the water, content to dip their feet every once in a little while.
Whilst there was not a cycling focus to this trip, my one excursion on the bike to explore a few of the smaller lanes in the vicinity of the campsite unearthed a wonderful location to while away an afternoon. The children ran free across great stretches of open grassland, whilst Kim and I sat happily admiring the views of Pen-y-Fan, and keeping a watchful eye on Harrison and Dorothy to make sure they didn’t roam too far. We were again reminded of how often it is the simplest of activities that bring the greatest enjoyment, evident from the fits of laughter we could often hear from Harrison and Dorothy.
Our three days away reminded us how much we love to travel, as well as reaffirming something that we learnt during the past year and the need to explore more of our local area; there’s adventure and enjoyment to be found all around, it doesn’t require us to drive for hours and cross borders. We will eventually venture further on our travels, but for now we are perfectly happy making the most of Wales.
