My son & his best friend (both 10 yrs old) have been badgering me to take them wild camping, ever since I told them of my time in both cadets (ATC) and TA (5th Bn Royal Anglians). Well having tried camping in the back garden, letting them sleep under a tarp on our annual 'normal' camping trip, they were adamant only the real deal would do!
So, I proposed a trip to Llyn Caseg Fraith, near Trefan, in May this year. We set off early on a Saturday morning and headed to Betws Y Coed and arrived just in time to catch the end of the Lions Australia game. After a quick mooch around the outdoors shops for some last minute shiny things, we set off to Capel Curig and found somewhere to park next to the Joe Brown climbing shop. Once loaded with all our gear, we set off up the path and on to the ridge that would lead us to Trefan, we started in sunshine but as is typical the weather changed and we entered cloud, making navigation trickier. After a couple of hours walking and climbing through varied terrain we eventually started to descend towards the lake, but due to the cloud we couldn't see it until the clouds briefly parted and a stunning vista appeared before us. There was Llyn Caseg Fraith and behind it rising majestically was Trefan! Just as quickly though the clouds closed up and we headed down to the lake to look for a suitable spot to camp. For anyone who doesn't know the area, let's just say it's boggy and leave it at that! The kids explored the plateau whilst my friend and I set up the tents etc on a little bit of raised ground in the shelter of a little knoll. After eating tea, the weather started to deteriorate with rain and a wind that was increasing in ferocity. I was debating about bailing out and descending to lower ground, but the wind steadied and remained hard with gusts up to approx. 45~50 mph and I decided it was better to remain and batten down the hatches rather than trying to navigate in the dark and negotiate steep terrain. After a rough but exciting night we awoke to some stunning views and had breakfast before packing up camp. Shortly before heading down to the Ogwen valley the weather, once again closed in and with the wind at our backs we headed down along the flanks of Trefan. As we descended groups of people passed us on there way up with quizzical looks, as if to say where the heck have you come from this early. We just smiled and carried on down, walking back up the valley to Capel Currig and an early brunch in the café before the long drive back to Warwickshire.
So what did I learn? Well kids have far more stamina than we give them credit for. Lightweight tents and bivies are tougher than I thought (Alpkit Delta's, whilst not perfect are amazingly tough). In future I'll take dehydrated food (less weight and pack size). My son needs to get older and bigger (so he can carry more and share the work) lol.
I'll try to add some pictures of the trip!
So, I proposed a trip to Llyn Caseg Fraith, near Trefan, in May this year. We set off early on a Saturday morning and headed to Betws Y Coed and arrived just in time to catch the end of the Lions Australia game. After a quick mooch around the outdoors shops for some last minute shiny things, we set off to Capel Curig and found somewhere to park next to the Joe Brown climbing shop. Once loaded with all our gear, we set off up the path and on to the ridge that would lead us to Trefan, we started in sunshine but as is typical the weather changed and we entered cloud, making navigation trickier. After a couple of hours walking and climbing through varied terrain we eventually started to descend towards the lake, but due to the cloud we couldn't see it until the clouds briefly parted and a stunning vista appeared before us. There was Llyn Caseg Fraith and behind it rising majestically was Trefan! Just as quickly though the clouds closed up and we headed down to the lake to look for a suitable spot to camp. For anyone who doesn't know the area, let's just say it's boggy and leave it at that! The kids explored the plateau whilst my friend and I set up the tents etc on a little bit of raised ground in the shelter of a little knoll. After eating tea, the weather started to deteriorate with rain and a wind that was increasing in ferocity. I was debating about bailing out and descending to lower ground, but the wind steadied and remained hard with gusts up to approx. 45~50 mph and I decided it was better to remain and batten down the hatches rather than trying to navigate in the dark and negotiate steep terrain. After a rough but exciting night we awoke to some stunning views and had breakfast before packing up camp. Shortly before heading down to the Ogwen valley the weather, once again closed in and with the wind at our backs we headed down along the flanks of Trefan. As we descended groups of people passed us on there way up with quizzical looks, as if to say where the heck have you come from this early. We just smiled and carried on down, walking back up the valley to Capel Currig and an early brunch in the café before the long drive back to Warwickshire.
So what did I learn? Well kids have far more stamina than we give them credit for. Lightweight tents and bivies are tougher than I thought (Alpkit Delta's, whilst not perfect are amazingly tough). In future I'll take dehydrated food (less weight and pack size). My son needs to get older and bigger (so he can carry more and share the work) lol.
I'll try to add some pictures of the trip!
