Visiting the Scottish Highlands

So I finally got to tick off “the Scottish Highlands” from my Bucket List earlier on this year… This has always been somewhere that I have wanted to take Cooper – even from the day that I first brought him home as an 8 week old puppy. We had lots of missed opportunities to go over the years, particularly when COVID-19 hit and lockdowns meant that travelling to Scotland from South Wales was completely forbidden. But, roll forward to May 2023 and we finally made the week long trip!

We started off the 604 mile journey from the Rhondda Valleys and decided to drive through the night to avoid traffic. We made sure to make regular stops in the service stations, more so for Cooper to have plenty of toilet breaks and an opportunity to stretch his legs, before heading to The Isle of Skye for our first destination. We managed to squeeze in a quick whistle stop tour as we had just 24 hours to see all of the sights! We had a brief stop off at Eilean Donan Castle (just remember that dogs are not allowed in the castle itself), had some refreshments, enjoyed the sights before we continued on to Skye.

Isle of Skye

We stayed at The Uig Hotel for 1 night, which was dog friendly, of course. Be sure to book your evening meal here too – there aren’t many places nearby to eat and the food was absolutely divine (bonus, the restaurant was dog friendly too). The hotel offered free parking, the rooms were absolutely spotless and the service from the staff was exceptional. From the hotel, we were able to visit the famous Fairy Pools, The Fairy Glenn and Rha Falls. We then decided to make our way back down to Glencoe, with a few stop offs along the way. We took the scenic route through the Quiraing, stopped at Kilt Rock (although we couldn’t see Mealt Falls as the car park was currently under refurb) and we finally went on to hike The Old Man of Storr.

Glencoe

After our flying visit at Skye, we headed South for Fort William and Glencoe. Here, we stayed at the Invercoe Highland Holidays where we glamped for 4 nights. The campsite was great – with clean toilet and shower facilities, utility wash areas and plenty of bins. Parking was free and directly next to our Glamping Pod. The owners also lived on site so were easily available/accessible if needed. The campsite was overlooking the beautiful Loch Leven. It was also just down the road from The Glencoe Gathering bar and restaurant, and 10 minute drive from The Claichaig Inn, both of which were also dog friendly. There is also a Co-Op a short drive away for any groceries or last minute items that you may need to pick up.

Glencoe was our main base and we were able to travel from here to Fort William – where we were able to bag our first Munro, Ben Nevis (1345m). We also used Glencoe as our base to travel to Glenfinnan Viaduct (one for all of you Harry Potter fans), Silver Sands of Morar, Loch Ness, Steall Falls, Glencoe Lochan, The Hidden Valley and our second Munro, Stob Coire Sgreamhach (1072m). Glencoe is a quiet town around a 30 minute drive to Fort William. We were happy to drive the extra distance to some of these locations as we wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet of Glencoe. But I also appreciate that this might not be for everyone – and so Fort William might be more suitable for those of you who want to stay within a busier town. Fort William had more “hustle and bustle” feel of a busy town, with plenty of cafes and shops just on your doorstep.

Loch Lomond

Unfortunately, we only had one night at Loch Lomond! We stayed in Callander at The Waverley Hotel. Of course, this was another dog friendly hotel, which also sported a dog friendly bar/restaurant. There was free parking available on the street, directly outside the hotel. Check in was easy enough at the bar and the staff were friendly and helpful. The bar was also a great place to go if you wanted to catch some sports – like the Dog Daddy – who desperately needed to see the football that evening! It certainly was the perfect place to end our trip, with great food and a pint in hand! The hotel was also a 15 minute drive to Ben A’an, nearby Loch Lomond and just a 50 minute drive to Glasgow!

We absolutely loved our short, but sweet trip to the Highlands and we hope to re-visit again in the not-so near future!

We will follow up with another blog post highlighting our Scotland Day-by-Day Itinerary. But for now, I think it’s best to leave you with a few of our top tips:

• We went mid-May and thankfully we were lucky to miss most of the “midge” season. I have heard that midges can be rife in Scotland, so be prepared and pack all appropriate essentials.
• Pack a tick remover for your dog. The ticks love the Scottish highlands!
• Remember all of your essential items for big hikes – food, water, first aid kit, clothing for all weather (including waterproofs), appropriate footwear, maps (phones don’t always have signal!). And be sure to tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
• Research dog friendly places, particularly in the more remote areas. Some restaurants were dog friendly, but needed reservations as they become so busy! So be sure to research where you plan to stay and eat.
• Look up your nearest vets and any emergency numbers you might need.

** Note – none of these hotels are ads/affiliated links. We stayed there ourselves and are recommending purely based on our good experiences there. **

Pen Y Fan sunrise

Given the write off of a year that was 2020 – we managed to squeeze in this epic walk in-between lockdowns at the beginning of December.

As I’m sure you can all imagine, chasing sunrises at Pen y Fan called for a very early wake up call. But, I can hand on heart say, it was worth every second. For those of you who don’t know, Pen y Fan stands at 886m above sea level and is the highest summit in South Wales… and we wanted to reach the top before sunrise!

We headed to the Brecon Beacons and parked by the “Storey Arms Education Centre” car park where we started our ascent for Pen y Fan at around 5.30am. Needless to say, be sure to wrap up warm and pack some torches – as it was pitch black and bitter cold. It would probably be useful and safer if you have already practiced the route first in the day time before attempting the sunrise walk – as the entire walk is in darkness as I’m sure you can imagine. Between us, we had walked Pen y Fan a number of times and so we had a solid route in mind and so we knew exactly where to go and what we were doing.

As it happened, we had totally misjudged the timing of our hike (it turns out we were a lot fitter than we gave ourselves credit for and got to the top far quicker than expected), which resulted in us having a pit stop at the top for over an hour whilst we waited for sunrise. Something I always do for a longer than usual hike, is pack some snacks – you never know when you’re going to need them. A hot drink would have been a good idea too – it was minus 2 degrees before we had even reached the summit, but hindsight is a wonderful thing!

There was lots of waiting around at the top, and for a moment, we thought our walk was going to be ruined by the clouds! But we were pleasantly surprised when we were met with the most spectacular views! (I’ll leave the pictures do the talking). After lots of photo’s, posing and simply admiring the views, we started our descent back down the mountain – but this time greeted by far more people who had only started to make their way up after the sun had risen.

To finish off a cold, but unforgettable morning – we went to Sgwd Gwladys, a dog friendly restaurant, just a 25 minute drive away from Pen y Fan. We made sure to book in advance, which I am glad that we did do given how full it was when we arrived! Sgwd Gwladys is located right next to Pontneddfechan waterfalls too (if you fancied another adventure) and also give you the option to make your own breakfast too – just what you need after an early morning wake up call and a morning spent in freezing cold temperatures.

So to summarise:

• Check the weather before hand. The weather can change quite quickly whilst climbing the mountain, and you want to try and plan for a clear morning. You also want to dress for any occasion, rain, shine, frost, or snow! Anything can happen.
• Know your dog – there are often wild ponies and sheep wandering the Beacons, so be sure to keep your dog under control. There are also a few unexpected drops and cliff edges the higher you climb, so it’s probably a good idea to keep your dog on a lead here. As expected, there aren’t any bins as you climb the mountain, so be prepared to carry your poo bags with you!
• Be organised! Remember to tell somebody where you are going and when you plan to be back. You don’t always get signal up mountains and you never know when you might need the help!
• Dress sensibly – as mentioned, a good pair of hiking boots, and clothes for all weather is the best way forward.
• Pack your essentials – torches, a compass and map if needed, hot flasks, snacks etc.

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Llyn Mawr

Some of you may be wondering what Llyn Mawr Means. You will be pleased to know that it is the Welsh translation of “Big Lake“. And the reality of it is, the Llyn Mawr is indeed a Reservoir. This walk is set right in the heart of the South Wales Valleys – at the bottom of the Rhigos Mountain to be precise. The nearest postcode that we could find to get you to this location is CF44 9UF.

If you head over the Rhigos Mountain, you will find a small lay by just opposite the turning to the Llyn. Here, you can park for free for as long as you want. You won’t be able to drive into the actual turning of the Llyn unless you have, to my understanding, a fishing permit and/or access to allocated keys for the gate.

The walk begins with a gentle ramble on the forestry road until you reach the reservoir itself. This should only take you around 5-10 minutes. Once you get to the Llyn you will see plenty of fishermen along the banks and be able to enjoy the picturesque mountain views! I personally wouldn’t swim, or allow your dog to swim in the reservoir though – as there are a number of signs warning against this. And to my knowledge, it is still a working reservoir.

If you continue walking past the Llyn, you will reach a narrow footpath where you will have the chance to enjoy the view of the Brecon Beacons in the horizon If it is a really clear day, then you will be lucky enough to see the peak of Pen-y-Fan. You can continue on this footpath until you reach a forestry road. Here you can continue your venture further up the mountain or turn back around and return to your car if you decide.

Once on the forestry road, you can walk for as long or as little as you like. Along the way you can continue soaking up the views! And eventually, you will reach a fork in the road. You can either keep going and follow the forestry road. Or you can continue up the mountain path and you will eventually reach a second lake, locally known at Llyn Fach! Here, we have seen people wild camping and having picnics. Although, this isn’t necessarily legal here in Wales. A lot of people do it, and it usually isn’t a problem – as long as you are respectful of the environment.

Needless to say, it is recommended that you wear sensible footwear and unfortunately, this route is not suitable for prams or wheelchair users. For those of you walking with your hounds, there are not any doggy bins in the vicinity either. This truly is a mountain walk, so be prepared to carry your poop bags with you, and to take plenty of refreshments to keep you and your dog topped up along the way.

Berth-Y-Beili Sunflower Field

Now that we are slowly getting into September, it felt that this was the best time to post this blog – to try and hold on to the summer for as long as possible.

One thing that has been on my bucket list for some time has been to visit a Sunflower Farm. We came across some photographs of the beautiful Berth-Y-Beili “Pick Your Own” Sunflower Field and we knew immediately that we had to visit. You can find the field using the postcode LD3 8NB, right in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The car park is readily signposted and is situated in the field directly next to the sunflowers. Be warned – this is Brecon, and so you will need to be prepared to conquer the narrow country lanes to get here. This sometimes means reversing back down them in order for cars to pass!

You pay a small entry fee and you can spend as long or as little time there as you like. There are basic refreshments on offer too, such as your teas and coffees that you can purchase on entry or exit. You can also pick your own sunflowers at a small price of £1 a stem! Well-behaved dogs are allowed too – which is an added bonus!

I will keep this one short and sweet… And leave the pictures do the talking.

Camping with Dogs: The Checklist

If you are anything like me, then camping is a totally new way of life for you – especially when it comes to camping with your dog. One thing that I noticed when planning the entire trip was that I could not find your useful “do’s and don’ts” or a “take your dog camping checklist” anywhere beforehand. Luckily for us, we had some really helpful advice from our friends on the Facebook and Instagram communities.

First thing’s first, consider the space you have in your car (and/or van). It’s important to consider how close you can park to the actual campsite itself too – you don’t want to be lugging tonnes of camping gear with you if the carpark is miles away!

Find a local and emergency vet – Just a quick and simple google search will bring up plenty of vets that are local to where you are staying. This is essential! Hopefully you will not need to use them, but it’s always best to be prepared, just incase of any unexpected accidents. It’s useful to have a day time number, as well as any emergency helplines you may need to access out of hours. Jot down the vets address and postcode too, so you’ve got it to hand should you need it. Check how far away it is from your campsite.

Tent Trial – Pitch your tent in the garden first, try this out with your dog. Use treats to reward your dog so that they associate the tent as being a positive and safe place. We also found it useful to buy a windbreak. This not only protects you from excess winds and noise, it is also a good way to hide other distractions from your dog. For example, if the campers next to you have a dog with them, it could be useful to put the windbreak up in-between you and “next door” if you have a nosy pup!

Dog Bed – If your dog has a bed, blanket or crate it is particularly fond of, it is always useful to pack this along with you. Remember, your dog will be in a new environment and may feel a little anxious or unsettled. At least then, your dog will have a safe spot to retreat to and associate their bed with sleeping and settling down. The last thing you want is a noisy pup awake all night whilst you try to camp.

Dog Food and Collapsable Bowls – Pack enough dog food for however long you are going away for. I would personally stick with what your dog knows best, you don’t want to be swapping and changing foods which may lead to an upset stomach. We also found that collapsable dog bowls were super useful. Small and compact to pack, and useful to carry with you anywhere. We made sure that we had two with us – one for water and one for food. We also took an additional dog water bottle with us, so that we could carry this on our walks with us and keep Cooper hydrated along the way.

Tether – Be sure to buy a tether/stake so that you can secure your dog’s lead safely to the ground whilst on the campsite. Remember, most campsites require dogs stay on leads at all times and remain under control. The tether gives you a peace of mind that the dog is safe, but isn’t too restricted either. We also purchased a “cable” online as our Cooper can be a “chewer” and so we didn’t want to risk him chewing through his usual, rope lead and escaping! The only thing I would be mindful of, is that you don’t buy too long a cable! Ours was way too long and Cooper kept getting tangled up in the tent and on the guy lines!

Harnesses, Leads (including long leads), Collars and ID tags – We made sure that we had plenty of these. Harnesses were important to attach to the tether, just incase your dog saw something of interest and went to pull away towards it. I find that harnesses are a lot more secure and less likely to slip off, and are less likely to damage your dogs neck in these instances. We also took a couple of collars with ID tags so that your dog can be easily identified if they were to make a run for it! Remember, ID Tags are also a legal requirement here in the UK. We made sure to pack plenty of leads, including long lines. As we were unfamiliar of the area, the live stock and the walking routes, we found the long lead really useful in this instance to keep a close eye on Cooper.

Towels – Remember, you do not want a mucky pup inside of your tent!

Treats (including long lasting chews) – Take plenty of treats to keep your dog happy, focused and rewarded for their good behaviour! We also found long lasting chews like Bully or Pizzle sticks useful – especially if you need to keep your dog busy whilst going out for pub lunch or for a picnic!

Toys and Enrichment Activities – We took a variety of toys and games for Cooper. This was important so that he didn’t get bored and/or destructive around the tent and campsite! We took plenty of tennis balls and frisbees to play with. We also took a Kong, Kong Wobbler, and Licki Mat. Again, same principle here – these keep your dogs brain busy and even help tire them out!

Cooling Mat and Blankets – Consider how you are going to maintain a comfortable temperature for your dog. It may be a scorching hot day, whereby you will need to keep your dog cool. In these instances, a cooling mat may be useful. However, it is important to remember that no matter how hot it may be in the day, it is usually pretty cold by night (well, it is in Wales anyways!). We packed plenty of blankets and dog coats too, this meant that Cooper was never freezing by night. It also helps if they cwtch up to you by night – that way you can share body heat! (Here in Wales, cwtch means to cuddle!). For our next camping trip, we will probably invest in a doggy sleeping bag.

First Aid Kit and Tick Remover – These are essential. You can buy a majority of first aid essentials online. Tick remover’s are really important to ensure that any ticks are safely removed from your dog. Our first aid kit includes plenty of bits and bobs for both human and hound! Things like foil blankets, paracetamol, hay fever tablets, plasters, a small scissors, dressings, bandages, micropore tape, gloves, sterile water solutions, alcohol wipes… the list could go on forever!

Poo Bags – This goes without saying really. Clean up after your pup and you won’t go far wrong.

Dog walking bag or rucksack – When camping, there are going to be periods where you are away from your campsite and/or car for long periods. We found our rucksack useful to take with us. This kept our hands free and meant we had plenty of room for all of our dog walking equipment, camera and more!

And something worth remembering…. our clever little pup soon worked out how to open the tent from inside! Make sure that you take precautions of this whilst camping. Whether this is securing the tent differently, or securing your dog by night. Consider different solutions as you do not want your dog to escape unknowingly!

Oh and for the humans… of course, a tent is essential (along with pegs, guy lines and a mallet). Sleeping bags and some warm clothes for the night are a must have. Remember you can take layers off if you are warm but you cannot add anything that you don’t have with you. Lights are handy – unless you want to sit around the camp in the pitch black by night! Water coolers save you from going back and forth to top up your water bottles every half an hour. Cooling boxes allow you to keep foods chilled in readiness for your much anticipated BBQ’s. Disposable BBQ’s and camping stoves are really handy and useful. And don’t forget – toiletries, that is if you want to keep your teeth cleaned and your self smelling sweet!

And on that final note… remember, you cannot leave your dog unattended in the tent whilst camping. You need to plan your entire trip around your dog. Search for dog friendly locations, beaches, pubs and activities. You’ll be surprised how many places will accommodate dogs.

I hope this has been somewhat of help to you all. Happy Camping!

Camping with Cooper: Llangorse Lake

Cooper has definitely brought out the more “adventurous” side in us all. We had never even considered a camping trip before Cooper had sprung into our lives. And given everything that has happened with the lockdown and travel restrictions this year, we thought, why not? If there was ever a time to try out camping, this was definitely it.

We were unsure how Cooper would take to the tent initially, so we tried this out in our back garden first. We then decided to make the jump… and book a two night stay on a fairly local campsite – baring in mind, if there was a worst case scenario of the entire camping trip turning into a total disaster – we could return home fairly easily and quickly.

We opted with going to Llangorse Lake – where we stayed on the ‘Lakeside Campsite’. This was just a short drive away from us and the site is located directly in the heart of the Brecon Beacons. The postcode for the site is LD3 7TR. This takes you directly to Llangorse Lakes itself. Once you get on site, the different campsites are all clearly signposted. We opted to stay in Elwyns Meadow Camping Field. This was a camping only site, but you could park your car on your pitch which was helpful and convenient. There were toilet and shower facilities nearby as well. Needless to say, the site was dog friendly – pending all dogs were kept under control and on lead. There were also other facilities on site, including electric pitches for campervans and actual caravans to hire.

We visited in the early days post-lockdown and so the whole situation was a little strange still, with social distancing measures still in place, with restrictions on eating indoors and certain aspects of the site still closed down. But we did manage to grab a picnic table outside the Lakeside Cafe whom were open to serve hot and cold drinks, as well as hot meals or a smaller bite to eat. They also served the dog friendly Utterly Mutterly ice cream, which went down a treat with Cooper! There is also a shop directly next door to the cafe, which allowed us to re-stock on doggy bags and also purchase a guide on the best walks around the local area.

Llangorse Lake itself is the largest natural lake in Wales. You can hire boats, kayaks and pedalloes to take out onto the lake. You can also take dogs out onto the row boats too – however this is at your own discretion! Cooper enjoyed his boat ride, but be warned – the Lake is swarming with ducks, swans and other aquatic life that Cooper was just itching to chase! We made sure he was all geared up in his Hurtta lifejacket beforehand – pre-empting that it would only be a matter of time before Cooper took to the water! We also kept him on lead at all times – just incase he decided to swim out further than expected.

There are so many walks you can take around the Llangorse area too. Given our short stay and the fact that Cooper is still growing – we opted to do the most local, and less strenuous walk “around the Lake”. This starts directly on the main area of Llangorse Lakes itself – just over the common – and this route takes you through endless fields of beautiful meadows, with plenty of wild flowers, majestic horses, and a huge farmhouse overlooking the landscapes. There are ample of other walking routes that you could take though, and these were just a short drive away. Some of the most popular ones are the “Three Peaks” and “Up and Over the Allt”.

It’s fair to say that we survived our first ever camping trip to tell the tale. And that this camping trip was a total success! Taking into account that Cooper has just turned one, and this was his first camping trip – he was an absolute angel and we cannot believe how well behaved he was throughout, even sleeping through both nights whilst in the tent.

A successful camping trip most definitely means that there will be more to come next summer. But for now, Happy Camping everybody – Make sure to make the most of this August sunshine!

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