1st Wildcamp soonish

general advce needed

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david pickard 2
21/05/2012 at 17:27
Hi all,
A friend and myself will be attempting our first camp at the end of June. We've came up with a route that takes us from Rhayader in the Elan valley over the Cambrian mountains to Devils bridge and then on to Borth(for a game of Frisbee by the sea).
We were thinking of camping near llyn teifi on the first night.
I was wondering if anyone knew what the ground conditions were like around there?
The second day we intend to do the bulk of the distance and hopefully clear the devils bridge area.
Does anyone now off some where to camp in that area that's nice and secluded etc?
Any tips or suggestions please
david
Peebz
21/05/2012 at 20:29
I would say that don't underestimate how much the extra weight will slow you down. Thats a good 10 miles as the crow flies from Rhayader to Llyn Teifi and some of that ground will be hard going tussock and bog. That a bit negative though isn't it ! Just enjoy it !
Andy Mayhew
21/05/2012 at 20:38
I've not walked it, but I understand the 'Monk's trod' - marked on the map as an ancient road - is an easy track.  It runs from north of Rhayader to the north end of Llyn Craig Coch and thence over the high ridge SW to the head of the Claerwen Reservoir.

It's a route I've long intended to follow but not done yet.  I think it'd be good.

'Fraid I don't know about  things further west.
david pickard 2
21/05/2012 at 21:12
Cheers for the advice guys.
Andy i'll have a look at the Monks trod.We picked this route as it was just a case of joining 3 different LDPs:The elan valley way,The Hope house way and the Mal Evans way.
Do you think that hoping to manage 20 to 25 miles in a day is a little to ambitious?
rob dixon 3
21/05/2012 at 22:33
If this is your first wild camp, I assume you may not be used to carrying heavy packs - and they may contain gear that is heavier than it might be.  So I suggest reducing the distance to perhaps half that, maybe a little more (10 - 15), but I don't know how fit you are, nor what the ground is like.  I suggest, too, that especially as this is your first such camp, you should try to enjoy it as much as poss!  Don't be over-ambitious and curse the whole thing.
Metric Kate
21/05/2012 at 23:44

Hi David, that is a heck of a long way! Hope you're fit! In case you're not aware, the hills of mid Wales tend to be very wet and boggy, and though there are tracks, they're not always the same as those you find in the Beacons or Snowdonia. Monks Trod is a clearly defined path, but can be very boggy.

I agree with Rob about not overdoing it and spoiling your first wildcamp. But the Elan Valley and Pumlumon are wonderful places for wildcamping - but absolutely no fires, there have been serious damaging upland fires there in the last few years.

david pickard 2
22/05/2012 at 09:59
I understand that this is an epic task, but that's what happens when the beer is flowing .Originally we thought about going from our front doors to the coast but that was nearer 80 miles.Rhayader is only about half an hour from where I live so we can get an early start on the Friday .It's roughly 15 to 18 miles walk to the pools from Rhayader itself.I feel that would give us a good indication of our speed over the ground.The plan is for us to reach the coast lunchtime on the Sunday where the families will meet us.To get to borth from mine you have to pass though devils bridge on the way or you can take the mountain road, thus gives us plenty of scope for being picked up from anywhere on Sunday.Enjoyment is our top priority and if we have to be picked up after only getting half way then so be, I'm not killing myself in the name of adventure
david pickard 2
22/05/2012 at 10:04
Kate-thanks for the info about conditions underfoot,I thought as much.Hopefully the weather that's outside my window now will continue for the next few months.
Metric Kate
22/05/2012 at 11:13

Yeah, isn't it fantastic? Proper spring at last! I'm going up to the area over the Jubilee BH so though we probably won't be going as far as the Teifi Pools, I'll let you know what it's like underfoot.

Grumps
22/05/2012 at 13:17

These longer days I tend to do about 7 or 8miles before lunch and a snooze, then a little less before finding a spot to pitch. Probably 15 miles in all over 10 hours would be my top with a 50 ltr pack. That's fair weather and long days, just bimbling along and enjoying it. Boggy ground, poor weather, too much up and down would all reduce that. But I'm getting on a bit now.

I reckon you might want to allow a bit mre time, or less miles - but given that you're young, enthusiastic, and generally up for it you'll do fine. Report back!

Edited: 22/05/2012 at 13:19
John Gregory 3
10/06/2012 at 08:59
Good luck with the walk. There's some good advice in this thread and elsewhere on the site, so if you have a read at that you should have a really good time. Don't forget the camera.
Jake
10/06/2012 at 09:50

Some good points about not being overly ambitious on distance but if it's your first wildcamp, are you going to have at least one trial night using only the kit you intend to take? 

The Cambrian mountains isn't a very good spot to discover that you can't actually get a good night's sleep on your chosen mat or that cooking with a single burner on a windy hillside is a lot trickier than on a stove in a kitchen.

david pickard 2
02/07/2012 at 17:41
Well we made it, although due to the weather and the wanting to actually get to the coast our wild camping didn't materialise.Unless you call the campsite at cwmystwyth and the garden of the White lion in Taly bont wild. .But nearly 46 mile and 14000 of ascent was plenty wild enough for me.
Now need to start lightening my pack, with out banking the bank of course!
rob dixon 3
02/07/2012 at 18:17
Crikey - was that over two days?
Metric Kate
02/07/2012 at 18:18
Well done, David, hope it was enjoyable as well! There must have been some pretty boggy sections on the way too.
david pickard 2
02/07/2012 at 20:37
Rob- it was over two and an half.We did an eight hour day on the Friday 13.7 miles.Saturday we had a monster, starting at 8.30 and finishing at 12.30 Sunday morning 27 miles, which thankfully left us just I've 5 miles for the Sunday.

Kate-we revised the route a little due to all the rain recently so there was a but more marching on the road than originally planned but in hindsight I'm glad of it.And yes on top was boggy, but the views down into the Valleys were superb and well worth the effort.
rob dixon 3
02/07/2012 at 21:26
As I said - Crikey!!! Well done. Wish you'd camped?
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