We went to Pencelli near Talybont Brecon in November 2020 and this was our first trip outside of the summer season. Luckily when we set off it was sunny and the forecast looked quite promising. At this time, COVID restrictions had just been relaxed for Wales but England was still locked down although hardstandings were fully booked so we had a grass pitch (never again in winter!).
After a smooth but strictly controlled outside check-in, we were directed to a pitch towards the trees. The proper pitch had been sealed off to let the grass restore itself after the summer season so we had to pitch just in front of it. We immediately had a problem in that our EHU cable would not reach the post but the owner promptly provided an extension at no extra cost.
As we had arrived quite late, we stayed in the campervan that evening and cooked a meal. It was much more comfortable than we had imagined for that time of year although we didn’t venture into the awning much. We do not have on-board facilities apart from a Fiamma Portaloo which is strictly for nighttime number one’s only. Although it started to rain and rain we quite enjoyed the night and the boys loved hearing the rain on the poptop.
The next day (Friday) was wet but not the quagmire that it was going to be as the weekend progressed. We do not mind taking the van on excursions but there was a bus stop outside that takes you into Brecon so we chose to have a day there. We caught the X43 TrawsCymru Connect and it took 18 minutes to reach Brecon which is a lovely Welsh town and looked more prosperous than many of the Welsh towns near our home.
We had already planned two things to see in Brecon – the Cathedral and the Military Museum as well as grabbing a pub lunch somewhere. The Cathedral was difficult to find and after asking a few people we trudged up some very steep steps – each step representing one moan from Samuel and Thomas. To our dismay, the Catherdal was closed although the coffee and gift shop were open.
We returned to the town for lunch and after exploring the outside menus of several pubs decided on a sit-down fish and chips in the Tad Cod. The food was as expected in a chip shop and we had the unusual request to prove that we were from Wales before they would serve us (England was in Lockdown at the time).
After taking advantage of a sale in Millets where the boys were treated to new half-price coats we then proceeded to the Royal Welsh Museum which was of particular interest to us because both our late fathers were stationed there before being posted overseas. The boys were surprisingly fascinated by this gem of a museum and liked the section about the Battle of Rourkes Drift in which 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded and is portrayed in the film “Zulu”.
We returned to the campsite as we had a table booked in a nearby pub – The Royal Oak in Pencelli. We had booked a week earlier which was just as well as it was full to capacity and seemed very organised with screens between the tables. It was our first meal out since lockdown had begun and we thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and the food.
It was quite a dark and cold walk back to the campervan past a house that seemed to have pet deer in the garden. Just as we arrived back the heavens opened and the wind picked up considerably. It was to continue like this for the rest of the weekend. We had a restless night as we could hear the awning being battered by the wind although we had secured it with storm straps and had endured worse.
The next day the grass all around us was drenched and the more we walked on it, the muddier it got. However, we decided to press ahead with our plans to go to a waterfall that you can walk behind – Henrhyd Falls which is the highest waterfall in South Wales. There was one problem – the dreaded wheel spin in the mud despite trying all the usual tricks the van would not budge. To avoid damaging the grass further we contacted the site owner who seemed to be expecting it and he towed us out using his pick-up truck.
The drive to the falls through the Brecon Beacons was stunning only spoiled by the low clouds. The access road to the falls was very narrow with few passing places so we were very lucky that we didn’t need to pass anybody. We parked in the car park which had plenty of room but we did wonder if it could cope with more traffic in the summer months.
We followed the footpath to the beginning of the descent into the valley where it became extremely slippery due to the continued torrential rain and our umbrellas were more useful as walking sticks. The National Trust website says: “Plunging into the wooded Graig Llech Gorge, Henrhyd is best seen after a heavy downpour” and they were absolutely right – we could hear the waterfall long before we saw it.
We were met with a white wall of water with the spray soaking us much more than the torrential rain It was far too dangerous for the boys to venture behind the fall but I could not resist it and it was well worth clambering down the precarious path.
We arrived back at the campsite early evening and it felt strange to drive onto a pitch knowing that we would have to be towed out again. Since then we have always booked hardstanding pitches outside of the summer.
The rain continued throughout the night and we had the dread of packing away a soaking awning. It was difficult to walk out into the rain to start packing up – actually, it was miserable!
Despite the rain, we really enjoyed our stay at Pencelli. The facilities were excellent and they even had a drying room. The location is perfect with the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal running very near the site where you can hire motorboats to take you into Brecon. We would definitely return and the site has just been awarded the prestigious “AA Campsite of the Year Wales 2021”. Hugely deserved!
