Walks and the outdoors - Swim Sky Breathe

August 3, 2020December 2, 2020

A little corner of zen in Wales – Nantgwynfaen Farm

You know your happy place, the place you go to in your head when all around you is stress and noise and worry? From now on I think my new happy place will be the beautiful, peaceful glade that we had all to ourselves for three days when we camped at Nantgwynfaen Farm, a beautiful organic farm in the Teifi Valley in South Wales.

The farm, situated in rural Pembrokeshire and about half an hour from the Pembroke coast, offers BandB, glamping in the wonderful Glamavan, and camping in one of five private pitches. We stayed in Love at First Site, a gated glade enclosed by hedges and trees, about 300m from the main farmhouse.

Run by the very lovely Amanda and Ken, the farm offers facilities including WiFi at the farmhouse – though not on the campsites – showers, wood, and an organic farm shop run on trust, so you take items and fill in a ledger to be added up at the end of your stay. There are also toilets – ours was a compost toilet which we were initially a little reticent about having never used one, but it was surprisingly airy and odour free! Ken, who makes wooden furniture in his spare time, will also bake his delicious flowerpot seeded bread to order for guests.

Jam and marmalade from the shop with Ken’s flowerpot bread for breakfast

Our site was so secluded and quiet and felt as close to wild camping as its possible to get on a campsite. Our shower was on the site – an outdoor shower that also doubled as a tap for the sink and dishwashing station. There was a picnic table and benches where we ate meals and played board games, and a fire bowl for campfires at night, over which we toasted marshmallows and corn on the cob. We had so much space – enough for a tent, the van, our camping chairs and plenty of room left for yoga and ball games.

Nearby Nantgwynfaen Farm is the Pembrokeshire coast, with all it has to offer. We had a surfing lesson with Outer Reef Surf School at Freshwater West, one of Wales’ top surfing beaches (also the setting for Dobby’s final scene in Harry Potter). As beginners, we were all a little nervous but within half an hour were all riding waves lying flat on our boards, as well as falling off more than once and getting a few mouthfuls of sand! Nearby Cardigan and Aberaeron are beautiful with shops, cafes and views, and we also spent a beautifully sunny afternoon at Penbryn beach with its golden sands and caves to explore.

Stay at Nantgwynfaen if you want to truly get away from it all. You’ll leave feeling restored and full of inner zen with beautiful memories to cherish.

3 nights in July on Nantgwynfaen Farm cost £96 for two adults, a teenager and two children – more information here.

July 21, 2020December 2, 2020

Camping in Shieldaig – our first trip in our van Irene!

The July weekend we spent camping in Shieldaig was extra special as it was so long awaited. We timed the purchase of our campervan a little badly, not that we could have known this at the time back in the pre Covid days of 2020 January! It took a few weeks for the van to be converted, so by the time it was ready it coincided almost immediately with lockdown and we were only able to enjoy a couple of days out in it before leaving it to sit forlornly outside our house. In that time we decided to name her Irene, after Colin’s grandma who sadly died last year.

Once it was announced that we could go somewhere with Irene, we knew we wanted to head north west for the fresh clean air of the Highlands. We’d never visited Shieldaig before, a tiny village on the north west Highland coast, and the newly renovated campsite there overlooking the sea looked perfect.

Shieldaig is well known for Shieldaig Island a short distance from the shore, on which a pair of newly reintroduced to Scotland white tailed eagles live with their chicks. We didn’t see the eagles, but the island is a popular spot for local swimmers and kayakers to circle around. We also spotted the local war monument, which shows amongst the village men who lost their lives in both wars the name of a local Shieldaig woman – newly wed Margaret McKenzie – who tragically died aboard the Lusitania in 1915.

There’s a well stocked village shop and two restaurants that overlook the shore, all two minutes walk of the well appointed campsite. The Shieldaig Coastal Kitchen has a roof terrace overlooking the bay, though the menu is meat and fish heavy with very little for vegans and vegetarians. The campsite owners, locals Ruairidh and Hazel, are very friendly and accommodating and were really helpful and responsive in the run up to our trip. The hard standing electric pitches had grass next to them for a pup tent, and there are also grass pitches and two glamping cabins, as well as showers, toilets and a laundry and washing up room.

There are plenty of things to do in the surrounding area. We decided to drive to Skye, which is around an hour away over the Skye Bridge. Colin used to live in Skye and claims partial responsibility for the waiving of the bridge toll after he protested paying it back in the nineties. His 2020 wife and children were very grateful for his teenage protest! We headed to Glenbrittle to swim in the fairy pools, then visited the lovely capital of Portree, where we had some of the best chippy chips ever at the small harbour – fried in vegetable oil and just the right combination of greasy and crispy.

Crossing the stepping stones on the way to the Fairy Pool. Wear sturdy shoes – don’t be like me who ended up with soaking wet Converse!

Closer to Shieldaig, there are the Torridon Hills of Beinn Alligin, Sgurr Mhor, Liathach and Beinn Eighe which vary in difficulty, as well as countless hill and shore walks for all abilities. To the south is the town of Applecross, which can be reached on one of the most breathtaking drives in the country; with its tight bends and spectacular views, it’s the steepest road in the UK. You can also go for a swim in the clear waters off Shieldaig shore if you want a morning pick me up – the village and shore are two minute’s walk from the campsite. Shieldaig is also a great place to stop for those touring the North Coast 500. If you’re lucky you might spot a red deer, and we saw a baby red squirrel as well as fields of iconic Highland cows.

The view from the campsite – waking up to this was pretty unbeatable!

As our trip camping in Shieldaig was our first outing in our van, it was definitely a learning experience. I expected to forget more things than we actually did – which were a scourer for the dishes and a small dustpan and brush for the van floor. The van was so comfortable to sleep in, and the view that we woke up to each morning was breathtaking, despite the typically Highland weather – when you’re holidaying in the west of Scotland, good weather is a bonus but never something to be relied upon, so pack good shoes and a waterproof coat! I really recommend this lovely tranquil place at the edge of Scotland for those who want to disconnect from all the noise and reconnect with nature. You won’t want to leave, and we will definitely be back.

https://www.shieldaigcampingandcabins.co.uk/

July 16, 2020December 2, 2020

De’ils Cauldron and Comrie Walk

This walk to the De’ils Cauldron waterfall has to be one of my favourite Scottish walks. It has everything – a pretty Scottish village, woodland replete with nature, dramatic waterfalls, cool dark forests and a stunning panoramic view at the end.

Start off in the lovely village of Comrie, which is about an hour’s drive north from Edinburgh, from where there are also buses. Comrie has won awards for its horticulture and beauty, so a stroll through the village is definitely worthwhile. Once you’ve taken in the sights, including the White Church with its ancient churchyard, park up at the De’ils Cauldron car park. From there, take a right through the woods towards the waterfalls. This is a fairly easy walk on a slight uphill.

You’ll notice I said waterfalls, as the first waterfall you come to is the Wee Cauldron. It’s just as pretty as its bigger sister, though less dramatic, with a calmer view of the River Lednock.

From here, press on along a path and walkway to the De’ils Cauldron, where the River Lednock cascades out dramatically into the falls. The Gaelic for the falls is Slocha’n Donish, and the legend goes that they were inhabited by a mischievous water elf called Uris-chidh who would entice victims down into its lair. There are stairs down to a wooden platform from which you can admire the view and take photos.

Carry on from here along the walkway to the forest, which was as beautiful and still as you can hope a forest to be on the day we went – so cool and still and peaceful. There’s a walk uphill for about 20 minutes, which gets a little steep towards the end.

You’re rewarded for your hard work by an incredible view of Perthshire and the surrounding countryside, as you emerge next to the Melville Monument on Dun More hill. If you’ve brought a picnic, now’s the time to stop and enjoy it!

This walk is tiring in places, so don’t forget your water like I did, and be reduced to quenching your thirst with your eight year old’s Barr’s Bubblegum juice!

We rewarded ourselves with some millionaire’s shortbread at the end of what is definitely one of my favourite Scottish walks. I’d like to do it again in a different season, and am looking forward to returning again in the autumn, with water this time!