3 Peaks in 3 Weeks - Volume 1

This summer holidays we decided to go on a road trip. Not just any road trip but a camp around the UK. 3 nights here, 4 nights there, maybe a hotel overnight as a pit stop and tour the sights. This is a long tale and so I will need to break it up into bits. During this holiday we realized that it might be possible to see all three of the highest peaks in the UK. Mount Snowden in Wales, Scafell Pike in England and Ben Nevis in Scotland. Would we manage it by the end? Do you have to climb the 3 peaks to still enjoy them? Let's find out in this diary series I am calling 3 Peaks in 3 Weeks. 

We began our journey on the south coast of England where we live. Car all packed with our tent, provisions, child in tow and more electrical items than we should have really and then the car wouldn't start! Why.....just why?? Thankfully we were able to get a jump start from our other car and we were off......until I had a small panic about 20 yards off the driveway when I thought I didn't lock the front door! I mean seriously, we've been getting ready for hours, can we just go already??  It turns out I had locked the door and so with a peaceful mindset, 2 false starts later we were actually going!

Our first stop was in South Wales (well almost), our campsite was right on the border of England called Bracelands. https://bracelandscamping.co.uk/ It is run by Forestry England and is situated within the Forest of Dean. The site itself was a lovely place but very sloped, making it hard to chose a camping spot with our Coleman Vail 6L tent called David (David Tent is our tent's nickname. Silly I know but we like to give things names. Our Honda Jazz is called Jeff, after Jazzy Jeff from the Fresh Prince). Where was I? Oh yeah......Bracelands Campsite. Our tent is around 6M x 4.5M (19.5" x 14.7") and such sloped areas did prove difficult to find a good spot without feeling like we would be sleeping on a hillside. 

We settled on a spot on a hill overlooking the rest of the site. Going to the loo in the toilet block was almost a mini hike for the very unfit family but was manageable and the view was lovely. I would stay there again but I would definitely remember to get there early to make sure we have the pick of the pitches. They have glamping options here too. They have some Tipi / Teepee style tents with full bedding set up and some Safari tents which have bunk beds, a fridge, electric hook ups etc if camping with your own tent or modern conveniences is not your thing, then these could be worth trying. 

The next day we went on a walk down the hill to the River Wye as we found out that one side of the river was in England and the other in Wales with a footbridge to cross to each side. This walk was lovely as we found a troll statue, a wrong turn, a natural spring and indeed the footbridge border. It felt a little bit odd crossing a border without a passport, no border control or any queuing. It was rather pleasant and more borders should be like that. 

The bridge itself was a bouncy wire suspension bridge that moved and squeaked when walked on. It was fun walking back and forth between each country which seemed almost obligatory. The river is wide and there are places to rent kayaks and paddle boards just upstream and it was nice to watch the boats going along over the small rapids while having a bite to eat. 

The walk back however, was not as nice. Uphill all the way back (note the aforementioned comment about being unfit) and the climb just kept on going. An easily walkable gravel path with tall trees on both sides would normally be a welcome site but not this time. The incline was horrid and only got worse the closer to the campsite we got. The promise of an ice cream from the shop was the only thing keeping us going by the end. We got back and decided to applaud our efforts with a Magnum each and confirmed to each other that we really need to check the terrain map before setting off next time. 

The following day we felt better and so we set off on the hunt for something else interesting to look at in the area. We found a place called Clearwell. It was a roadside attraction (or so we thought) of a mixture of caves and mines. We didn't really think it would amount to much from the looks of things outside, but once in, it was fascinating and one of the best cave systems I've ever been in. Not the biggest by a long way but peppered with beauty both natural and man made. There is a small part in the beginning explaining the history of the area, the reason for the mines existence and some historical artifacts and then you follow the old mine cart train tracks into the caves themselves. What a beautiful place. It was an unexpected highlight of our trip and I would recommend it to anyone in the area. 

The local viewpoint was a place called Symonds Yat Rock which sounded like it had stunning views of the area but when we realized there would be a paid for car park and another long walk up a hill we decided against it, hopped into the car and got the map out. I found a, (totally on purpose from the beginning and not at all a complete accident), viewpoint where we could see for miles across the Welsh countryside with no walking involved at all. That'll do nicely. Beautiful!

 

Our stay was 3 nights short but comfortable and welcome with WiFi access as long as you stayed within 10 feet of the reception area, a nice pizza van visiting on Saturdays (get in there early or there will be a long wait) and plenty of Campsite TV* to be had and we decided on the fly where to head next. Not a brilliant strategy but one that felt more free of the structure of everyday life. 

We picked a campsite inside the Snowdonia National park for our next stop. Inside the park itself seems feasible to see a mountain but did we look at the right one and will we get to climb it?.......see part 2 for the next adventure. 

Until Next Time 

xxx

*Campsite TV is a thing we do when camping, check out this blog post all about it. https://www.justpickone.uk/2024/08/campsite-tv-what-is-it-and-how-do-i-get.html