Tag Archives: Fforest Fields

First Camping Trip of the Season

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Tuesday 3rd May we headed off to our favourite campsite in Wales, for our first camping trip of 2022. It looked like the weather would be reasonable, and it was. I managed several walks in sheep country, following various tracks across the moors using the Outdooractive app to navigate. It’s like Google Maps for the walker, it uses open-source maps, or, if you pay, OS maps, for navigation. It can find a route for you automatically, or you can plan a route, or just wing it. You can also follow routes which other hikers have contributed. At the end you can also see how far, how much up and down, and your speeds. Just love it.

So, we had several fine days, and the evenings, though cool, were a photographer’s heaven with some glorious sunsets lighting up the hills in a golden glow. During the day, the birds of prey and Red Kites could be seen soaring on the ridges. We managed to get above a kestrel for a photo opportunity. Cuckoos sang morning & evening.

Still being off season, the cafe bar was not fully open, which was a shame as I had forgotten to bring any wine or beer. But, in the end, I was able to purchase a few bottles of beer and a bottle of wine for our evenings. When Friday came along it was pizza night. The first time we managed to be there for the event. Big mistake – we ordered gluten free pizza; the base was a bit soggy.

Several brave and intrepid swimmers took to the lake, I think I will delay swimming until September, when hopefully the water will be warmer.

Our last day there, Saturday, was a sunny day with a Northerly breeze. This had been predicted for numerous days, and low and behold a group of people started walking up the hill with large bags on their backs. Yes, a few paragliders had come to fly the hill. They were flying until early afternoon when the lift disappeared. No one managed to get away from the hill. It was lovely seeing these gliders and I don’t apologise for placing them on my blog.

Sunday, we had to leave early, so we packed away the awning on Saturday evening, in the dry. Sunday we quietly finished packing the van and left the campsite at 7.45, heading south for St Brides Major where we had a shooting match in a quarry.

Morrison visits Wales

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Coots

Another predicted warm week, so we were away again by 10 in the morning to drive to Wales to one of our favourite campsites, Fforest Fields. We arrived by 13.00 on the Monday and checked-in. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the sun and walking around the larger pond trying to photograph some wild life. There were damselflies and Four Spotted Chaser dragonflies in evidence. The pond also has the largest number of tadpoles I have ever seen in my life.

In the evening we were entertained by a couple of Paramotors who performed some aerobatics over the field and even the pond. It was quite spectacular.

Yes, this was a relaxing away stay, because on Tuesday we wandered about the pond again, and around the campsite grounds and woods.

On Wednesday we headed into Hundred House for lunch at the Hundred House Inn. The path crosses some fields and goes through various woods with ponds and ditches alongside. We noticed that this time the fairies have installed at least one window in one of their woodland homes. The fields were in uproar as sheep were being moved around.  They are definitely very noisy when they are disturbed and herded. We had hoped to see other odonata on the walk. It seemed to be damselflies and not a lot more. Though we did spy a few banded demoiselle.

Ate at the Hundred House Inn, good basic pub fare and beer. Wish they would import some Adnams.

Rosemary found some crosswort(a weed) near our pitch and proceeded to tell George, the campsite owner, so he could note it down for their next botanical inspection.

In the evening we tried out the bat detector. Not a single squeak. We were though entertained by wagtails performing their mating dances. I had earlier been confused by a bird fluttering around, it seemed to fly more like a New Zealand fantail than a native UK bird. Turned out it was a wagtail.

Thursday our time was up, and we headed back. First tried Builth Wells, but could not park. Their parking machines have not gone cashless yet ☹.  So next we went to Bettws where R had spotted a nice house on Rightmove. Not sure we found it, but she did decide it might not be the best place to move to at our age. The roads were steep, narrow and probably impassable in winter.

A stop at Shobdon to look at the St John Church, and the arches which had been removed from the church and erected elsewhere. Nope, we never did find the arches, and the Church, though accessible, is on private land. The church is very white inside with white painted pews; v Strawberry Hill-like (I am told). There was meant to be a visitor centre, but that too eluded us.

It was then on home again, with a quick stop at Starbucks where we crossed the A49. We had used the place as a loo break before, and this was no exception.

 

Fforest Fields and Croft Castle

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We decided to visit Fforest Fields again, after our March trip had been curtailed by the rain. Monday we set off in sunshine and arrived at Fforest Fields in sunshine.  Yes, it was warm even enough for people to swim in the lake and take out canoes.  It was also warm enough for Dragonflies and the hundreds of Azure Damselfly sitting in the reeds.  Despite the swimmers, and dog in the lake, there were Coots, Moorhens and Ducks with their broods swimming at the other end.

Soon Van the Van was parked, and after a struggle, the pod was inflated and attached.  I have issues with positioning the pod, this time it was far too close to the van.  I should have driven off and driven back a foot further away from the pod and re-attached. Dinner sorted, we were happy campers sitting out in the evening sun watching the House Martins & Swallows.

Tuesday morning we decided on an epic walk to the Seven Stars in the River Wye valley.  Unfortunately the campsite had run out of copies of their map, added to which they were not sure if the pub was open because there was a rumour that the actual licensee, had walked out the day before.  We decided to set off, we walked up the hill and on the path leading across the ridge.  Mixture of bracken, rough grass and (what R calls) winberries. Nothing could possibly go wrong, but, of course, it did. We alas went the wrong side of a marker, came across a fortress of a farm, where the only way through was down a terribly steep hill to the road with no guarantee of access.  We decided to give up and retrace our steps.  I took a detour and did find the gate which would have taken us on the correct course.  We did not continue to the pub, it would have been closed by the time we reached it, anyway.  The walk back was tiring, it was hot, we had done more than eight miles and had not taken water with us, expecting to find a pub at the end. Water bottles have been added to Van the Van‘s inventory.

Back at the campsite we bought a few bottles of, what proved to be very good, Welsh lager & beer.  There were now a hundred copies of the map to the Seven Stars, and we were also informed that Will (one son) had gone out to paint a big arrow at the place where we had gone wrong.

Wednesday we decided on a short walk to the local Hundred House pun for lunch.  The walk took us through the enchanted wood.  The chickens and turkeys were still at the house where we exit to path onto the road. (Interestingly the turkeys had disappeared when we retraced our route after lunch.  Rosemary suspected a turkey burger stall at the Royal Welsh Show next week.) We arrived at the pub before twelve, bought some beer and order our lunch.  Outside where a couple of riders and their horses.  They were doing a circular trip from Hay-on-Wye.  They left after one horse destroyed a wind vane and shat outside the garden gate.  The two horses and their riders were replaced with another six horses who I think were part of the same group as the other two riders.

After an enjoyable and good value lunch we walked back, but this time going by way of Telephone Mast Hill.

Thursday was spent lazing around the campsite examining the ponds in greater detail and watching the Final Cut of Blade Runner on DVD, and the making of Blade Runner.  The making of Blade Runner DVD was more than three hours long!  Before we started anything, we took down the pod in the dry, tomorrow our leaving day was forecast to be wet.

Friday the predicted rain had arrived and we packed away and left.  The further east we drove, the drier it became.  We stopped off at a National Trust house called Croft Castle.  Croft Castle was one of many old homes that were nearly destroyed in the ’50s, and saved by the National Trust.  Some of the home is still lived in by the Croft family.  This house stands in a 1500 acre estate, and has numerous walks.  I chose the one which took me to the highest point where there is an Iron age fort.  This walk took me through various landscapes of grass, mixed woodland and bracken.  Well worth the walk, and the rain just about held off. Lunch and tea were at the National Trust cafe.

 

Fforest Fields Campsite, Hundred House

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Our second campervan trip was to Fforest Fields in Hundred House.  This was the campsite where I had stayed when I learnt to paraglide at least seventeen years ago.  The same family own the site, though they no longer teach paragliding.  The site has improved immensely since I was last there.  Large ponds have been dug which you can swim in.  The shower block is magnificent with under floor heating all run from a log burner and a huge store of hot water.   We arrived and were met by owner George.  We set up camp for the night.

The following day we went for a brief walk on the hills above the campsite.  The Welsh weather brought a drizzle, but not enough to destroy the walk.  In the afternoon we drove over to Llandrindod Wells to visit Tesco to buy some food.  The route we took was over the hills along some very narrow roads and cattle grates.  That night it rained heavily.

Sunday the weather had eased off, so we walked over to the pub at Hundred House.  This was a lovely walk along a stream, through woods.  The walk back was by a different route which took us over higher ground.  The pub was good, lovely big roast lunch with proper meat that had been carved off a joint, and good value.

Monday came, pouring with rain, forecast more rain, so we called it a day and drove home.