Daisy Bank
After a relatively trouble free journey we arrived at Daisy Bank – Daisy Bank, just outside of Montgomery. Check in was simple, and we were provided with loads of information as to what was on in the area. Our pitch was level so within a few minutes we had the kettle on. One of the things that I asked about when we checked was ideas on places to run. An easy 3 Miles would be along the road, down a track and then pick up the path to Churchstoke, turning around when I’d I felt like it. Easy!! Well the run along the road was, but then it turned somewhat eventful. As we (Rolo and I) started running down the track we got chased by a herd of cows, mothers and their calf’s, as well as I presume ‘dad’. The nearest bail out point was the farmer’s garden and we stood there until he shoo’d them away enough for us to get through the gate into the next field. Before I knew it were running through chest high oil seed rape, trying not to twist an ankle, then through a wood that had plenty of nettles. On the way back I wasn’t keen on trying to outrun the herd so I opted to try and run along some hedgerows to end up back at Daisy Bank. Great idea until I found out there there was lots of barbed wire between the field I was in and the campsite. Got back to the van eventually – phew!!
That evening we had a BBQ and sampled some of the beers that we’d brought with us.
The following morning we woke to rain…. It won’t last for too long we thought (hoped!) and so popped off to visit Montgomery. A lovely little town but the rain dampens your enthusiasm to explore. After the obligatory cup of coffee, we set off for Bishops Castle. Loads of interesting shops and houses painted various colours. Really nice, even if it was still raining (have I mentioned that it was raining?). That evening, after much research on Tripadvisor we went to the Crown Inn in Wentnor for a bite to eat. Their speciality is pies so Sal was in seventh heaven. Me? As ever I look for the fish options. Overall a nice evening meal.
Next morning both of us were either feeling guilty that we hadn’t yet been for a walk or looking on the positive side, we were missing a decent hike. In some of the information that we got as we checked in was a walk that took in some local viewpoints. Off we set through wet fields (it wasn’t raining though 🙂 ) and were slowly gaining height. Neither of us was walking though at our usual pace, only Rolo out scouring every blade of grass in every field. After being ‘approached’ by a horse in one field, he wasn’t amused, we both agreed that for some reason neither of us was enjoying the walk. Back to the van. In the afternoon we went back to Bishops Castle to find a pub to watch the rugby.
Did I mention rain earlier on? Just after midnight it starts to rain heavily accompanied by lots of thunder and lightening, and I mean lots of thunder and lightening!! This finally eased sometime before 7am the following morning.
Overall Daisy Bank is a great campsite with really good view with caravans on the majority of the pitches. The facilities (wet rooms) are really good and the owners can’t be helpful enough, even popping by on our last morning to let us know about the traffic conditions.
The Castlefields
All the way from Montgomery to Hay it rained hard. When we got to Castlefields we decided that as it was raining we’d take the opportunity to have
Sunday lunch and a few beers. The food was really good for the price and the beer went down well. As we came out of the pub the sky cleared and out came the sun.
The campsite at The Castlefields is not far from Hay, and again has good facilities.
The following morning we got up and set off to do a walk (Hay Bluff and Twmpa) that I’ve wanted to do since we stopped at Clyro last year. From the Black Mountain View campsite we could clearly see Hay Bluff and in the distance Twmpa (or as it is also known, Lord Hereford’s Knob).
Simples, get to the car park at the bottom of the Hay Bluff and set off up the mountain. There’s no real time to get warmed up as you are soon climbing quite an incline, and this time in low cloud. When we got to the top we could see about 20m in any direction.
From there stick to the path along the edge of the escarpment, down into Gospel Pass, and then up to Twmpa. When we got to the top, the clouds had lifted and we had some great views. Rolo was getting quite frustrated as we couldn’t let him off his lead due to the proximity to sheep and horses. After cresting Twmpa, we worked our way down and then picked up a road parallel to the Gospel Pass road. As we got close to the car park we noticed that the side door on the van was open! Trying not to panic too much we quickened our pace to get to see if anything was missing. Nothing!! The conclusion that we came to was that I probably didn’t close the door properly. We can be thankful for the many many honest people who will have parked their cars there.
Riverside
We set off from here to drive to our last stop, Riverside @ Crickhowell. What can I say? This has to one of the top 5 campsites that we stayed at. A very laid back and friendly welcome, choice of pitches, fantastic facilities and close to the village. Too many times we have stayed at a campsite that was a short hike or drive to the nearest civilisation. Here you’re in the village, and it’s a very nice village indeed. Lots of interesting shops, loads of pubs and everyone is very friendly.
The following morning I got up and went for a run alongside the canal to a redwood tree and back; far less eventful than my previous run. After a shower and breakfast we wandered into the village. Whenever we go somewhere we have to find a place to have coffee. Sal had spotted a dog-friendly place that advertised Brownies and Brunch. All sorts of flavours of brownies with the guest being Marmite and soft cheese. And yes the flavours really work. They also only serve one coffee, no americanos, lattes, cappuccinos etc., no milk, cold milk or hot milk are the choices, and with coffee as good as that that’s all you need.
In the afternoon, we went for a walk, retracing my run of earlier in the day. The last photo is Rolo posing alongside the canal
There are some great walks from the campsite, one of which is up to Table Mountain, shown below at sunset.
The Riverside and Crickhowell are definitely on our ‘must return’ list as there are so many things that we didn’t get to do and enjoy. A great place and you can see why Crickhowell was mentioned recently as a top place to go to in The Times.
A campervan called Betty 