A Weekend in... The Elan Valley



Friday 31st May
Day 1

Adele had found a THS, temporary holiday site, open in Rhayader in Wales, we phoned to make sure there were places which there were, we had thought of going Thursday but due to one thing or another we didn't go till Friday, there's not an easy route from Worcestershire, the run cross country took almost two hours.
The THS was based at Gigrin Farm Red Kite Centre and was being run by the North Warwickshire DA, on arrival we were warned about soft ground at the entrance, they were not wrong, there had been an awful lot of rain the previous week and looked like some people had got stuck but luckily for us it had dried up a little although the field was soft.

We pitched and had a spot of lunch, then took Archie for a short walk around the site and farm area, we had been told by the stewards that the red kites are fed a 3pm each day and that we could get a decent view from the end of the camping field.
We have never really seen red kites before and were only expecting a few to turn up to be fed but from about 2 o'clock the birds started to arrive and by birds I mean hundreds!



We had been told by the staff at the centre that they normally get two to three hundred birds at a feeding session sometimes upto 500, it was a spectacular sight, after about half an hour or so of a feeding frenzy the birds started to drift away, truly amazing.


We Had tea, cheats paella tonight with a nice bottle of rosé, not quite warm enough to sit out but we were treated to a lovely sunset.



Saturday 1st June
Day 2

Woke around 7am, Archie woke us with his whimper, he needed a wee, so took him out for a walk, again just around the camp site and farm area but this seemed enough for him, we returned to the van, Archie had his breakfast, I had a coffee.
We put the van back into day mode and had breakfast, still not warm enough to eat outside but at least its dry.
The morning soon past, just pottering about trying to get Archie to do some basic training, sit, stay, come that sort of stuff.
It was now late morning so decided to take the short, 10 minute walk in to Rhayader. 



To our surprise Rhayader is a very, VERY busy little town, the roads and pavements are narrow, Archie was a little nervous of all the traffic and Adele almost got clipped by a passing car, we spoke with one of the locals who wanted to fuss Archie and she said that its quieter on a weekend than in the week, so I hate to think what its like then.
Our plan to stop at a local pub for a pint of ale was postponed, Archie was not happy at all, we followed a sign post to a riverside walk which according to the map took us back in the direction of the camp site.
The walk was what we all needed, peace and quiet with only the sound of birds and the water.
The walk was slightly longer that the way we came but far more relaxing. 




We arrived back at the site just as the red kite feeding session was about to begin, so had another spectical to watch.
Archies was worn out by the time we arrived back at the van, so tired he didn't want his food, just jumped on the sofa for a well deserved nap.


We had a cuppa and got tea ready, salmon, asparagus and new potatoes with a nice bottle of wine.


It had been a long day so were all retired for an early night.

Sunday 2nd June
Day 3




Woke early again after a very peaceful nights sleep, took Archie for his morning walk, its a lot warmer today, we had our usual full English but this time we were able to eat outside which is so much nicer.
We once again did a little dog training then sat in the sunshine reading, as it was so nice I went to check with the stewards when we needed to leave and as so many of these meets are, there was no need to rush off.

After a spot of late lunch we finally were packed up, as we are so close to The Elan Valley we decided to to take the short drive to the nearest dam for a walk, we had a really pleasant surprise that the first hours parking was free and only £3 after that for the whole day, really good value.




We took what can only be described as a goat path upto the to of the dam, we then noticed that there is a scenic drive around many of the dams.
We couldn't miss the chance of scenic drive in lovely summer weather, what we didn't anticipate was how long it would take, not only the drive but the amount of times we stopped for photo and video opportunities.
I have to say that it was well worth it with some smashing places to stop and have picnics, some at the top of the dams were like being out on moorland and would make a great day out.
Having driven around the dams the road took us back to exactly the same place we started, it was gone 6pm and still had a couple of hours to drive home but it was well worth it and made a lovely end to the weekend.


Miles: 

Ave MPG: 

Fuel Cost: £ / £ ltr


Nights: 2

Camp Fees: £ 

Camp Ave per night: £




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