A slightly longer trip
now we're getting the hang of things. We found last time that having
a car as well as the van was invaluable (yes, you can drive about in
the van but it's a hassle unplugging all the electrics etc; yes, you
can take bicycles but sometimes you want to go a little further or
you need to pick up heavy stuff like a spare gas cylinder; and there
isn't necessarily a handy bus service). So I followed the van in my
car (humming "my old man said follow the van" as I go).
I lost him at the toll
bridge but had my sat nav to get me most of the way there - but
realised I had neglected to ask what the site was actually called. So
had to stop in a layby and phone. Turns out it's "Brecon Beacons
Caravan Club site" and I was about 100 yards from it.
We select pitch 17 this
time and I unload the car while Arthur goes to inform them where we
are.
The satellite dish
isn't working so looks like we might have to go back to Kendal (where
we picked up the van from) to get it fixed. I don't mind too much -
I'm spared the news for a few days. Arthur seems to like being
terminally depressed by what's gong on in the world while on holiday,
but I don't!
We walked along the
canal to the town of Brecon to find somewhere for lunch. Our path was
crossed by a creature I think must have been a water vole. It didn't
have a long enough tail to be a rat. There were houseboats gliding
serenely along, several cyclists and lots of sheep (well, we are in
Wales, after all).
Brecon has a castle and
a pretty church and a place that did Sunday lunch.
The site is similar to
the last one, except the shop is much bigger. There are also more
families (mostly people even older than we are in Hurn Lane, but
then, it wasn't school holidays when we were there.)
Ate in again, cooked
chilli and retired to the sound of some bird hooting (it didn't sound
like an owl, don't know what it was) and Arthur saying "I wish
that bird would shut up."
Next day, it rained.
And rained. And rained. We considered having sandwiches in the van
but figured if we didn't go out for lunch we wouldn't go out all day
so we went and found a little cafe in Brecon that did all day
breakfast.
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| The lowest Rainbow ever |
We visited Brecon
Cathedral and a military museum - a veritable Aladdin's cave of
military stuff.
 |
| Brecon Cathedral |
Went back to the site
and watched the new arrivals in the pitch opposite putting up their
tent in the rain; the people walking along the path with about five
small dogs on leads and a pushchair. When they get closer, we see
they don't have a child in the pushchair - it's another dog; people
driving up with no less than six bicycles strapped to their car and a
caravan which was actually smaller than their car.
The next day the
weather's slightly better and Arthur fancies doing something called
the Four Waterfalls walk he's seen on the internet. We drive to a
place called Ystadfellt where there is a nice pub which does an
amazing variety of vegan pies. Laura the bar person sold me on a
drunken mushroom pie only to come back after I'd ordered it so say
they were out of it - so I had a curry one instead. Delicious. And
you don't have to be vegan to eat them.
 |
| A standing stone in the hills |
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| The first waterfall |
We set out on the walk
which was very muddy and quite hard going clambering over tree roots
and rocks and leaping over streams. We found the first waterfall but
were put off by the fact the map classified the rest of the route as
"hard and strenuous" and we thought the "easy"
bit was strenuous enough.
Driving too and from
this place was a bit like driving in the Alps - steep, bendy, narrow
roads, only with less snow and more sheep. Luckily the sheep have the
sense to get out of the way when there's a car coming.
By now, the people
opposite had put their flag out, which, according to Arthur and
Google, was the flag for Kent.
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| View from the camp site |
The following day we
thought we'd try another walk but it was pouring again and my
waterproof jacket isn't. We stopped for a burger in a layby and mused
upon the weather. It was quite likely it would rain again and I was
reluctant to risk a two to three hour walk in a jacket that's only
shower proof. So instead we went back to Brecon and went shopping.
One of the outdoor shops had a sale on so I got two waterproof coats,
one for walks and one to wear at home since the coat I bought last
year turned out not to be waterproof, either.
The weather cleared a
little bit later on so I went and explored the camp site. Found the
dog walk, and next to that was a sign to a pub which advertised
itself as doing food all day with a phone number to book. 10 minutes
walk, it said. Arthur looked it up on Trip Adviser and it turned out
to have the best reviews of any restaurant he'd ever seen on there -
ever. We booked, probably got the last table. They could only fit us
in eating at the bar at 6.45. Bit early for us, but needs must.
Despite calling itself child and dog friendly there weren't any kids
in there and just one dog, which lived there.
It was a rather
fortunate find. A real gastro pub with the menu printed on brown
paper and served rolls with Marmite flavoured butter. Which people
either love or hate, I guess, but we liked it. Had monkfish in gin
and tonic batter (though you can't taste the g and t any more than
you can taste beer in beer batter but it was very nice all the same!)
So if you're in Brecon, the Three Horseshoes is definitely worth a
visit.
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