WILD CAMPING

WILD CAMPING IN THE CAMBRIAN MOUNTAINS: aUGUST 29TH/30TH/31ST 

Over three days this week, Helen Menhinick (Bryn Walking) and I headed into the remoteness of the Cambrian Mountains as part of her planning before offering "Wild Camping with Bryn Walking For Women" as a new event for her members in 2024.
Our primary objectives were to test suitable routes and campsites in a wild environment and undertake risk assessments for such an activity.
Additionally we'd review the equipment we used and assess it's suitability for journeying in such remote terrain where there isn't any phone signal so self-dependency is essential.

day 1

Helen and I met in Llangurig at the Blue Bell Hotel where we'd arranged to leave my car for the time we'd be in the hills and also enjoyed lunch there. Travelling on along westwards on the A44  we turned northward on a minor road to a roadhead north of Pumlumon.

A word of caution to those reading this would be that several Public Rights of Way on the map simply don't exist on the ground and in these areas, the ground is hard going.

Heading north on a track below Fainc Ddu Uchaf/Isaf we reached the "stream" which was deep but Helen knew the area well  and so we used our alternative footwear (Crocs/Teva Flip Flops) and carried our boots and socks across safely. Rucksack chest and waist belts undone as standard procedures for crossing water features!

​Beyond the "stream" we reached the footbridge and continued on the south bank, eastwards, of the larger river on a restricted byway but soon abandoned this idea as the going was so difficult. Back at the footbridge, which we crossed, we continued eastwards on a very faint path (along the 380m contour) which was very wet in places to the old ruins of Lluest Newydd and Hengwm-annedd farms where we decided to camp for the night. In this remote area, there were few suitable areas for camping, mostly because the vegetation is so tall and the ground so uneven.

day 1 - campsite

It's important to select an overnight campsite with several factors to take into account, for example:

1. Is the ground fairly flat and not too lumpy to prevent good sleep quality?
2. Is there a suitable nearby appropriate water supply?
3. Where is the prevailing weather coming from so that tent doors are downwind?
4. Be sensitive to latrine requirements and carry a trowel or trenching tool and be at least 50m away from water features.
5. Carry a rubbish bag to take out what has been carried in.
6. Comply with the "Leave no Trace" guidelines.

Our water supply was 175m away across rough ground along the line of the non-existant bridleway towards an old ruin on the far river bank (seen on the header image). It's therefore very important not to allow a single person to venture that far on safety grounds in case they fall into the water feature. Helen and I struggled across the rough ground but filled up our water bottles and our Ortlieb 10L Water Bag - essential for wild camping. Sigg food containers are also useful on these trips.

day 1 - tea/dinner

As we'd both enjoyed a cooked lunch back at the Blue Bell Hotel, we'd decided to enjoy a simple evening meal of cheeses (Cathedral City Cheddar and St. Agur) with biscuits and olives. There had been a plan to enjoy a pork pie as well but this somehow didn't appear from Helen's share of the food being carried. 

tents:  Eiger trekker single + ​TERRA NOVA POLAR LITE 3 +

Cooking equipment (gas): msr pocket rocket + msr reactor

MSR equipment is highly recommended by Helen and myself
MSR REACTOR 

• Integrated System: State-of-the-art stove and high-efficiency cookware are combined into a compact, self-contained and easy-to-use system.
• Unrivaled Boil Time: Outperforms the competition in head-to-head lab tests—boiling .5 liter of water in just 1.5 minutes—with an even greater advantage out in the real world.
• Unmatched Wind Protection: Heat exchanger completely encloses radiant burner head, virtually eliminating the effects of wind to maintain outstanding boil times and save fuel.
• Maximum Efficiency: Patent-pending radiant burner, heat exchanger and internal pressure regulator produce best-in-class, fuel-sipping efficiency in all conditions.
• Compact: All systems are self-contained, fitting the stove and fuel inside the pot. 

MSR POCKET ROCKET

• Consistently Fast: Pressure regulator maintains stove's fast boil times even in cold weather & with low fuel.
• Ultralight: Just 83 g (2.9 oz) and ultra-packable; expands the menu options for ultralight backpacking.
• Push-Start Ignition: Fast, reliable piezo lighting; spark igniter is protected inside burner for maximum durability.
• Broad Burner: Improves wind resistance and combines with simmer control for excellent cooking versatility; wind-blocking burner lip.

day 2

Breakfast: Bacon and egg rolls with freshly brewed coffee. The coffee was prepared on my MSR Reactor stove with the optional MSR Coffee Press which proved to be an amazing piece of equipment. Helen was very impressed with the speed the MSR Reactor boiled water.

With the ground being so difficult to cross, we thought we try to follow the line of a bridleway (not visible on the ground) northwestwards, across the open hill into another valley to camp for the night. The distance wasn't far and we'd set up camp by midday so that we could explore the area and continue with planning discussions for 2024. Our campsite was out of sight and well above the restricted byway in the valley with a nearby stream for our water.

day 2 - campsite

day 2 - lunch + tea/dinner

Lunch: More of the two cheeses and biscuits. There was still no sign of the pork pie sadly......
Tea/Dinner:  Steak baguette sandwiches.

day 3

Breakfast: Bacon and egg rolls with freshly brewed coffee.

​It was a morning with overcast weather and drizzle from the time we broke camp until the time we reached the car.

food & beverage arrangements

As we were never intending to cover vast distances, we agreed that food and beverages could be a level up from hard core wilderness backpacking......

MISCellaneous

• Preferred expedition meal packs: Expedition Foods (Freeze-dried) + Wayfarer (Boil in the bag) - I've used both over many years and can highly recommend both brands. Note that these were not used on this recce. Expedition Foods come in different sizes which is useful. Pros and cons are that Freeze-dried foods are light to carry.
• Mattresses by ThermaRest
• Rucksacks by Deuter: 65L minimum size
• First Aid kit by LifeSystems
• Torches by Petzl
• Sleeping bags by Mountain Hardwear and Aldi.

concluding thoughts

It had been an interesting recconaisance and planning exercise ready for 2024.