A Lazy Weekend in Llangollen

Over the weekend, I agreed to take LT for possibly his last camping trip of the season.   Let the record show that I OFFERED: I was not dragged.   Well, not on this occasion, anyway.  

We decided to head across to Denbighshire and do a spot of outdoor sleeping (after all, that’s pretty much what it is, no?) at the campsite at Carrog Station.  Prior to this, however, we thought we’d take a look around Llangollen and check out the aqueduct.    

The weather, although billed to be pretty miserable, was pretty much perfect all day, and we pitched up at Trevor Basin and mingled in with the masses in order to see what the views were like from canal.   Trevor Basin is such a lovely setting, with barges gently floating on the water and holiday makers and dog walkers strolling along the pathways or basking in the sunshine from the comfort of the pub on the opposite side. 

Beautiful barges on the river at Llangollen

Aqueduct at Trevor Basin

The aqueduct itself is a fabulous structure and we could see it well off in the distance as we approached Llangollen.  This is likely due to the fact that it’s the biggest in Britain.  It stands at 126 feet and was built by Thomas Telford.  We took a gentle stroll along the bridge and I soon spotted a sign with ‘coffee shop 10 mins walk’ written on it.  That in itself was all the motivation I needed to keep moving.   The entire trip couldn’t have taken more than 15 minutes and it’s pretty much a completely flat surface (you know, with it being an aqueduct and all…)

Several barges passed us by as we made our way across and we, like everyone else, stopped in the middle of the bridge and created a bit of a traffic jam as we jostled to get the best photographs of the surrounding scenery.    There’s a floating sweet shop just across the aqueduct that seemed to be doing a fair trade with passing tourists in need of a sugar fix.   I’m usually included in this grouping, but I’ve got a wedding to attend shortly, so I’m going cold turkey.  Inside, I’m crying.

We found the Fron Tea Room as we reached the end of our walk and parked ourselves in their outdoor seating area and demanded they furnish us with tea and sandwiches.  It’s a peaceful setting and the deck at the rear of the tea room offers lovely views out across the canal.    After stuffing our chops, we reversed the journey and headed back towards the car park, wondering what we could get up to next.

Fron Tea Room

Come to mama...

As it turns out, we quickly spotted a sign for the Horseshoe Falls and made our way over to take a look.  It was only a short drive away and the falls were proving popular with families with kids who were paddling around and dogs that were chasing sticks and happily swimming around with their tongues flopping out.   

By the falls, there is a woodland path which leads up to St Asaph’s Church and graveyard and is in a beautiful setting.   As well as visiting the churchyard, you can also pop your head into the building itself.   In the main foyer area before the main door, there’s a little tree and batch of labels where you can write a memorial message for a loved one.

a beautiful spot for a leisurely walk 

the beautiful Horseshoe Falls 

Afterwards, we hit up the local spar and headed on over to Carrog Station Camp Site to spend a night under the stars….in the freezing cold.   It wasn’t all that bad, but I am glad that it was my last camping venture of the season.    LT also got to test out his new hobo stove, which made him happy.   

Llangollen, Carrog and surrounding areas are definitely worth a visit and I’m looking forward to having a chance to explore Cowen in the near future.   

The River Dee at Llangollen

One of the only good things about camping is being able to catch the sunset...

Have you visited Llangollen or the surrounding areas?  What are your favourite spots? 

How To Enjoy Camping When You Don't Enjoy Camping

Now, I won't lie: camping's not really my favourite activity.  I much prefer spending my weekend nights in the comfort of my own bed after spending the earlier portion of the evening parked on the sofa.  However, camping is LT's favourite past time, and I'm generally happy enough to go along as long as a few basic conditions are met.

These are:

1. Must have wine;
2. Weather must be OK;
3. Must be somewhere fairly safe to cut down on the prospects of being murdered in the night by some crazy who's out combing the countryside for suitable victims. It happens.  I saw it on CSI.

We’ve lived in North Wales for 3 months now and I was kinda hoping, what with all the time we’ve spent settling in to a new life, a new home, and new jobs, LT might be too preoccupied to give it much thought.  Turns out, I was completely wrong.  In the same way a small child wears down their parents when they MUSTHAVESOMETHINGNOW, I was convinced*, over a period of several days, that I would love nothing more than spending a night sleeping outside.

The view from Cae Clyd Campsite

After spending a fabulous day exploring Nant Gwrtheyrn and Plas Glyn on the Llyn Peninsula, we headed up the coast and checked ourselves in to Cae Clyd Campsite.   We were shown round the facilities and left to get on with the seemingly never ending process of unloading a full car’s worth of ‘essentials’ that we’d only loaded in a few hours previous.  One of the main reasons we have so many essentials is because some of the kit we’ve bought has been purchased with the sole intention of making me want to go camping in the first place.   If you, like me, are ‘just not that into it…’, you will absolutely, definitely, need the following:

Inflatable Camping Bed:

I can’t stress this enough.   Sleeping on the ground, no matter where that ground may be, is just not fun.  Sleeping on the ground on a proper blow up mattress is much more, well…what you’re used to, no?

Automatic Pump:

No one wants to be put off the idea of sleeping on their shiny new inflatable camping bed by the prospect of blowing it up with a foot pump.  Splash out, get yourself an automatic, and sit back and watch as it works its magic.

Comfy Camping Chairs:

There are masses to choose from, but I like to have one with arms and a nice wine glass/bottle holder built in.  I also like one that’s easy to dismantle and pack away the following morning. 

Baby Wipes:

I use them at home all the time anyway, but these are an essential part of my pack – particularly if we’re wild camping and I have no access to showers and toilet blocks.  Not only are they great for cleaning humans, but also brilliant for cleaning equipment.  I hate feeling manky after camping, so these allow me to show my face in public the following day if we stop off for a coffee on the way home.  

Flint Lighter:

I’ve watched for many an amused hour while LT tries in vain to battle against the wind and light the fire pit.  I found him a flint lighter in a camping store in Glasgow, which lights regardless of the conditions (they must sell MILLIONS of these in Scotland).  Now, he points it in the general direction of some cotton wool balls, strikes it and watches it go up.    All very handy when you’re starving and can’t eat because you’ve got no fire to cook your sausages.

Sturdy Plastic Wine Glasses:

OK, so they’re not essential essential, and they’re also not made of glass, but they do make me a much happier camper.   I’ve been seriously impressed with the ranges on offer at my local supermarket, as well in many high street stores.   I’d have no problems using some of the ones I’ve found at home.  This is mainly because I’m not to be trusted with ‘real’ glasses.  

Note: always go for one that fits into the cup holder in your camping chair… also; get one that won’t be blown over in the wind.  There’s nothing more likely to harden my anti-camping stance than losing a glass of wine to lousy weather.  

Testing out how sturdy the wine glasses are.    Someone has to do it... 

OK, so I'd probably have missed this if I'd stayed at home.  

*bribed with wine

Do you have any camping essentials that you can't live without?