Camping in Wales – camp fires and river swimming in the Brecon Beacons

There was once a princess who lived in Bristol with her travelling mother and father and her stay-at-home brothers, who longed for adventure with her friends. Because she was dearly beloved (although she never kept her room tidy) her parents granted her heart’s desire to go camping with her fellow princesses, and waved a magic wand to make it so.

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And so it was that the ten princesses set off in the palace minivan, driven by the king (the chauffeur was on holiday) and arrived at their fairy dell in the kingdom of Welsh Wales. They found a friendly miller and his wife who had an old water mill with a bunk house and an orchard that was perfect for camping. Here it seemed the perfect place to experience the joys of Welsh camping (damp grass, fresh air and camp fires). They took with them provisions for the finest spaghetti bolognese, tinned tomato soup and bacon and eggs (for everyone knows that you must have bacon and eggs for breakfast when camping).

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The king and queen watched over them as they frollicked in the river and chatted around the campfire about things that interest princesses. Soon the next day dawned and the real adventures began. They found a leafy glade and tiptoed barefoot and bikini-clad through the ferns and the beech leaves that surrounded the mill. There in seclusion they bathed in the river, even jumping bravely into an icy plunge pool to prove their daring. No frog princes were seen, kissed, or even thought of, for these were independent minded young princesses.

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Then shivering deliciously, they made their way back to warm up with cups of tomato soup and hot showers.

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In the afternoon, when they’d had their fill of leafy glades, they visited the nearby town of Hay-on-Wye where people came from far and wide to buy and sell books. There was even a festival held there once a year, where bards and prophets, such as Bill Clinton and Desmond Tutu could be heard to utter wise words. They sought out yet another bathing spot nearby in the river where canoeists drifted past and spent an afternoon relaxing and sunbathing. Naturally they kept their sunglasses on at all times, in order to remain incognito. During the evening they toasted marshmallows over the camp fire and sang songs of friendship.

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All too soon the adventure was over and they returned to their kingdom of Bristol to resume their princess-y duties, vowing that their little adventure was not one that would show up in any paparazzi book of fairy tales, although they might graciously give permission for it to appear on some obscure little blog.

If you would like to take your princesses (or princes) on a camping adventure in mid-Wales, we can highly recommend Trericket Mill, where Alistair and Nicky Legge will offer you a warm welcome for B & B, Bunkhouse or Camping Accommodation, and vegetarian home cooking.

Trericket Mill, Erwood, Builth Wells, Powys, Mid Wales, LD2 3TQ
Tel 01982 560312

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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