Wanders in Wales

 I joined Jan and a couple of others for a few hours of hedge laying at Cae Eglwys nature reserve on a bright and sunny day, moved a trio of feisty Exmoor ponies and stayed a night in Brecon to play badminton and then reported to my GP for my annual blood test where all seems well. I then spent a pleasant weekend up at Lower Chapel whilst Jan visited friends for her birthday celebrations in North Wales. Ian managed all the farm duties whilst I did a few jobs on the van including jacking up the front O/S wheel to try and trace the source of the ongoing clunk but with no success. I sorted through the items I leave up in their shed as well as cleaning the bike thoroughly.

On the Saturday I left Ian to manage alone as I returned to the Elan Valley for the day to meet Martin and a few other volunteers with the intention of repairing recent damage at LCB bothy. I arrived early enough to go in for one load of cans and bottles and we all then hefted a large number of tools across the Bog of Doom with a sheet of 8x4 ply offering an amusing photo opportunity later enhanced by AI.....

Mark had already been busy fitting a new picket gate, laundry rack and notice board so Martin and Will set to repairing the toilet door, memorial bench and toilet wall. It was a good atmosphere on a sunny day but the arrival of four illegal dirt bikers underlined the problems we face. They were made aware that they should leave and did so in a flurry of fumes and mud clods but will no doubt be back at some stage. Combined with the groups causing damage up at other bothies and around the wilds of Mid Wales this increasing menace needs tackling by the authorities as we have no such powers.

 Back at the farm we checked and inflated all the vehicle tyres, including the spares, enjoyed cosy evenings in front of the wood burner and took delivery of a replacement AED for the Welsh Area MBA group. It is a significantly smaller and lighter unit that has lower replacement battery costs and is better suited to cold temperatures and I have purchased one separately to keep in the van.

On a dark wet night we picked Jan up from Garth and the following day I returned to Brecon for two nights out on the Promenade where I was able to donate a spare set of thermal blinds to a guy living in a small panel van as I have sourced a thicker set for the forthcoming UK winter.

After an enjoyable lunch with a pint of cider at the Hop In I spent the evening at badminton followed by a catch up in the rugby club with friends I've not seen for almost a year.

I also met up with Crad and Mike for a late breakfast on the Thursday before heading west to Llandovery and then taking the road north to Rhandirmyn and on round the Llyn Brianne. My destination was the Elenydd Wilderness Trust hostel at Dolgoch where a weekend work party was planned and I arrived early to secure the most level corner of the car park. Bob was finishing up his week as a warden so I chatted to him and his mate by the fire before retiring to the equally cosy van for a good night's kip.

Colin arrived on Friday morning and had a list of tasks starting with rebuilding the collapsing logs in one shed and emptying those from shed 3 to make way for freshly cut ones. I also sorted through accumulated piles of scrap timber intended for kindling, cleared some drainage gulleys, swept up fallen leaves and removed grass and weeds from various pathways.

A 16 ton load of aggregate was delivered early on, other volunteers arrived throughout the day and that evening Colin cooked a vegan casserole for all of us. It was a cold night and with little solar gain the hostel's new panels were struggling to recharge the lithium storage batteries but given that the hostel was full it was just about coping but out at the van I was the only one enjoying a hot shower. 

Saturday was spent chopping up the scraps for kindling, tidying the grounds generally and once Andrew had arrived with his chainsaw removing freshly sawn logs to the newly emptied shed. One group dedicated themselves to repairing the track with new aggregate and a plate whacker whilst others cleaned or painted the four bunkrooms and the evening saw another excellent meal provided by Colin for all. The county road had seen a large number of 4x4s and dirt bikes heading up the Towy track - I stopped counting before lunchtime at over a hundred so no doubt Moel Prysgau will have had unwanted visitors.

After a very cold night with the temperature several degrees below freezing I was pleased to see a few mm of internal ice between the thermal screens and windscreen indicating that the former were doing their job as the Eber had been on all night.

After a few more hours on Sunday morning with a bright sun boosting both hostel and van batteries some folk had to leave as, like the MBA, many volunteers had come many miles to join us. A lesser journey was made by Barzia, a Polish lady who lived in the nearest house to the hostel and had come to find out how successful the new solar installation was working out. We got on really well and I arranged to call the following day. Numbers had thinned that evening but there was still a good atmosphere in front of the stove and I flicked through some of the various books on the local area before turning in.

Unfortunately during several hours of shovelling old sawdust and earth I have twisted my left knee rather alarmingly which led to an uncomfortable night. I called at Barzia and Peter's quirky off grid home where they have lived in splendid isolation for over twenty years. At times it must have been a real test of stamina and endurance and now seems to be overwhelming them. They have constructed a charming little annexe with bedroom and ensuite and hope to attract an artist to live with them and help out which would really suit the right person.

I left for Tregaron only to find 100 yards short of the village that the sole road was totally closed for the day. I turned back, shared the good news with a couple of other cars and ended up leading a small convoy through the forestry from Nantymaen to Strata Florida meeting a group of eight Dutch off road enthusiasts en route. 

Remarkably still in Powys I spent the Monday night in Machynthlech's main car park and had a go at resolving the loose wire that is stopping the fridge from running on 12v and the split charge from topping up the leisure battery : the system has worked perfectly over the last year and 22,000 miles but is in need of new connections and relays when I get the time. I was away early on the Tuesday for a train to Pwhelli. This line is included in my OAP bus pass and is a real gem as once out at the coast it follows it north all the way round towards the Lleyn Peninsula, often just yards from the waves. The modern DMU had power, WiFi and heating and with a table to myself I enjoyed the experience immensely. I had arranged to break my journey at Porthmadog to collect the old MBA AED from Paul, the MO for Cae Amos bothy who, bizarrely, I had met almost a year ago on the ferry from Rosslare to Santander as he was heading to Morocco and I was off to Asia. After a meal in a trendy cafe in Porthmadog I caught the train on to Pwhelli but returned immediately as the AED was heavy and my knee complaining. The two and a bit hour return offered great views of the Rhinogs before passing through Barmouth and over the long wooden viaduct once more. Once back at Mach I picked up fish and chips for a comfortable evening in the van as it rained steadily.

Wednesday dawned much brighter as I moved a few miles east to Aberangell where I had booked to stay on the simple grassy field of Dyfi Adventure Campsite. There was water, two rather basic loos and two even more humble showers so for £10/night it met my needs. There was enough sunlight to justify getting the panel out and then despite my protesting knee I set off to investigate a new potential bothy project locally. Outside the village adjacent to the spring was a sign describing a 6 mile walk that passed by the old farm but I took a forestry track that passed an old and derelict sawmill before climbing up on the opposite side of the valley. Before reaching some forestry contractors a right turn took me down to a bridge and round to the farmyard area. A quad was parked up and some sheep were segregated in pens but there was no sign of the farmer so I quietly entered the yard and had a look in the old sheds. Some were full of sheep husbandry equipment, others just an accumulation of junk and wood and there were other semi derelict buildings forming what would once have been a working upland farm.

The farmhouse was substantial but locked, however a magic key saw me inside where a large open downstairs room had a ceiling supported by a single and evidently crucial wooden pillar. A bizarre oil drum stove occupied one fireplace and an old range the other. A couple of other downstairs rooms had been rudimentary loos and even a shower but were in generally poor condition whilst upstairs was divided in to a number of bedrooms.

On leaving I followed the footpath out which has been slightly diverted to use two new footbridges and arrived back at Aberangell by late afternoon. Whilst certainly a very appealing prospect I felt that the building was too large and would be difficult to heat leading people to source wood from other structures to their detriment as has happened elsewhere. I also felt that with our limited volunteer numbers, many of whom live far away, we might let our existing bothies slip a bit given the increasing number of antisocial visitors.

Thursday saw me heading across Wales, through the West Midlands and lastly round Derby to meet Mandy off the train at Ambergate after I had given the van a good jet wash. Up at Dethick Mick had kindly agreed to us staying two nights as he is closed for the winter and with low overnight temperatures forecast we put up the insulation and left the heater running as Pete picked us up as arranged. They have moved in to a smart and well insulated 'park home' just across the fields having sold their Winnebago and seem very happy in a more permanent solution. 

We caught up over a good pub meal locally and on Saturday whilst Mandy and Nina went shopping Pete and I put in a few hours on his current project, a large decking area that will be easily accessible to Nina.

Yesterday we had planned to cycle on the High Peak Trail but my knee was beyond painful and additionally I felt, unusually, under the weather so we returned to Sheffield where a hot bath and a lie down improved matters.

Today I have cleaned the fridge in the van, sorted out the gas cylinders with a change to Calor for the UK, vacuumed throughout and dealt with paperwork including this humble missive which ends now...... with no extra pics this time.