Day 1...
My new business venture was only a few weeks away from launch and I really needed to get away for a couple of nights to test some new equipment. The children were coming to the end of their Easter holidays and I had a few days spare the following week. So, on the Saturday evening I was straight online at Campsites.co.uk looking for my next adventure. I’d already decided to focus my search to Snowdonia, an area that I’d enjoyed numerous adventures in the past. It always felt particularly rugged and wild to me, with stunning mountain views and pristine glacial lakes. Happy days indeed.
Within less than an hour I had found my campsite. It was called Cae Du near Beddgelert and the photos online looked amazing. That was it. I checked the availability for the following Monday and Tuesday nights and booked it there and then. My excitement started to build as I started to plan what I wanted to do on my trip.
I spent part of the day on Sunday packing and sorting out my gear as I was planning to be onsite for the earliest check in time, which was 1.30pm.
The drive to Cae Du was around 140 miles and consisted of mainly A and B roads. I decided to pull over half way just to check the fittings for the roof tent. All good, I continued my journey. After driving through Capel Curig the views really started to open up in front of me and my excitement grew, knowing that I was getting closer to Beddgelert and my chosen campsite.
For the last 7 or 8 miles I drove behind an old motorhome and, as we approached the entrance to Cae Du, I smiled as I saw the motorhome indicating to pull into the site. Great minds think alike, lol. The driveway from the A498 to the reception car park was quite long and spanned the Afon Glaslyn river over a large steel bridge. I pulled up next to the motorhome and got out of my car to take in the fantastic views while I waited my turn to check in. First impressions were great. I just wanted to get checked in and set up and finally begin to relax and unwind in such a wonderful setting.
The woman in reception was welcoming and friendly and I asked if there was any fishing allowed onsite. “Yes,” she replied. “You’re more than welcome to fish the river that runs through the site”. Brilliant. I was hoping to try my hand at a bit of Tenkara fishing on this trip. An ancient form of Japanese fly fishing using minimal equipment. The idea of it really appealed to me and it would be something that I could take with me on my other camping trips. She then handed me a map of the site which had my pitch highlighted and the route to it. I was going to be staying on a non electric grass pitch, H2.
I quickly found my pitch and was surprised to find that I had the whole field to myself. My nearest neighbours were in the next field around 100 yards from me. The toilet and shower block with dish washing facilities and a communal area were only 80 yards away and the river around 40 yards away. Perfect.
The whole site was surrounded by beautiful mountains and, after taking it all in for a few minutes, I decided to get on with the task in hand and begin to set up. Opening and setting up the TentBox Lite 2.0 is effortless and extremely easy. Within a couple of minutes it was ready.
Next would be the setting up of the Living Pod. This was going to be new to me and was a vital piece of equipment that I wanted to be able to offer to customers. The thought of having an enclosed living area that not only provided additional space, shelter and privacy would prove to be well worth the additional time of having to set it up. I’d intended to watch a recap video on setting up the Living Pod on the TentBox website on Sunday evening, but I had got myself distracted with doing other tasks. I continued to fit the Pod to the roof tent as best as I could remember and the remainder of the set up soon became obvious.
As a first attempt it took me longer than it probably should have, as I had wrestled for a while installing the long horizontal support pole above the entrance. I’ve since discovered a far easier way of doing this but this was part of what this trip was about. To get familiar with some new equipment and discover what works best.
After setting up camp and taking lots of photos I was ready to relax and chill out in my camp chair with a cold beer. The weather forecast for the 3 days was supposed to be mild but cloudy. On arriving in Snowdonia the temperatures were hitting the low 20s (degrees celsius) and clear blue skies. I couldn’t believe that I’d forgotten to pack my shorts. “Nevermind” I thought as I sipped on my Eazy IPA and soaked up the views.
After a while, I decided to explore the campsite and take a walk down by the river hoping to find a couple of good fishing spots. I sat by the river surrounded by mountains and became lost in my own thoughts as I enjoyed the peace and quiet of this wonderful location. I continued to walk along the river and found a good spot to try out the Tenkara rod for tomorrow as well as a good phone signal. I rang home to check in and to make sure that everybody else was OK. With everything good in my world I took a slow stroll back to my pitch with the intention of setting up the camp kitchen.
I’ve always enjoyed cooking outdoors and it’s become a big part of my camping trips, depending on what type of camping I’m doing at the time. For this camp I was planning on cooking a chicken curry for my first night at Cae Du.
As the day had progressed the weather was continuing to be exceptionally warm for this time of year, especially in Snowdonia. I opened up one side of the Living Pod to create a sheltered awning to cook and sit under. I was immediately impressed with the space that this had provided and was looking forward to cooking under there.
After successfully preparing and cooking my curry, I enjoyed two helpings and was now again ready for a couple of more IPA’s to wash it all down. By now the light was starting to fade as the sun began to slowly disappear behind the mountains. It was time to light my Feuerhand storm lantern and hang it with a carabiner from the open corner of the Living Pod. With the TentBox bar light set to a low yellow glow and magnetised to the side of my car and the Feuerhand lantern burning away, the ambience for my evening was set.
As the temperature began to drop, I decided to lower down the open side of the Pod to fully enclose my living space. Now I could get changed into my sleeping clothes and retire to the warmth and comfort of my sleeping bag in the roof tent. Cosy and full, I reflected on what a great day it had been before playing a movie on my phone and drifting off to sleep. One very happy and contented camper indeed…
