WOODLAND CAMPING!
Here at Glyn Y Mul Farm, we are lucky enough
to own an 18 acre private woodland at the bottom of a
valley bordered by part of the River Dulais. It’s an ideal location for some
‘back to basics’ no nonsense proper camping.
There are different
terms for this type of basic camping. Bushcraft camping, survival camping, ‘shit in a pit’ or wild camping.
Our woodland is ideal for ‘Ray Mears’ enthusiasts who want to sand filter their
water and dine on woodlice, to regular campers who just want to get a way from
tripping over other peoples guide ropes on commercial fields just to get to the
loo. The great thing about this set up is that you can camp without ever
leaving the woods during your stay, or wander back for a hot power shower if it
takes your fancy. You literally get the best of both worlds.
Three recent camps. On the left a bracken
shelter, the middle picture is of a typical hammock camp and on the right a
more conventional arrangement.
In order to access
the woodland you need to cross over a single track railway line. It’s a freight
line which is the last remaining part of the old Neath
and Brecon line. It’s not busy, normally having no more than 6 trains passing a
day and often none at weekends. You can park vehicles near to the crossing.
From the crossing you need to walk into the woodland and then where you camp is
up to you. Controlled camp fires are fine and there is no objection to people
foraging for fallen wood.
Above is the railway track
which needs to be crossed to enter the woods. Then a view looking North along the bank of the Dulais with a campers fire smoke
seen in the distance. Also shown, regular visitor Karen with
stone enclosed campfire.
Facilities
There are no
facilities provided in the woodland itself, but you are welcome to use the
normal camping facilities that we provide at the farm for more ‘conventional’
visitors. Depending on how far you venture into the woods, you would normally
be no more than about 4 to 5 minutes walk from the toilets and showers. We can
provide drinking quality water for you to take over if you bring suitable
receptacles.
Access
Access normally has
to be via foot. There are a series of arterial track ways within the woodland
but some parts are boggy and get badly trashed if 4 x 4 vehicles are taken in.
Therefore you need to travel light or be prepared to go backwards and forwards
a few times carrying your kit in and out.
Woodland
Description
Deciduous
mainly broadleaf woodland with some watercourses. Some boggy areas caused by lateral springs
mainly on the lower parts. Higher areas of sandstone with
bracken in summer. Oak, Birch, Alder, Sycamore and Ash
with plenty of hazel and willow.
Above. Proper campers – A young
Courtney Morgan from
Woodland History
From what I have
been able to ascertain from older members of the community, the woodland was
probably clear felled for the Second World War effort as were many similar
woodlands in this area. It seems that many standard oaks were left in situ and
they remain today. An old map from c1913 shows an old quarry at the Northern
most part of the woods and there was probably a small railway siding. There is
evidence of a meandering path out from the woods under what is now the railway
line out to the lane where horses would have pulled stone out. We know that an
occupant from the mid 1950’s was badly disabled and never ventured into the
woodland and the next occupants from 1960 until 1999 rarely went into it and
simply let cattle roam there. It has therefore been pretty well untouched. When
we came in August 1999 it had regenerated but it was dark, damp and lifeless
having become completely overgrown. Trees were completely overcrowded and very7
little sunlight or wind could get into the place.
I carried out some
initial thinning work and put some tracks in to enable extraction of firewood
and as a side effect created some suitable camping spots. Much more woodland
management needs to be carried out in years to come and the long term plan is
to make it into a predominantly oak woodland garden or arboretum where people
can come and either visit or camp in. Campers are welcome to bring saplings
with them to plant in the woods.
The Do’s and
Don’ts
The woodland needs
to be left as it should be with no litter or other contamination. There is no
problem leaving stone ovens etc that you might make if you think someone else
can benefit from them. Rubbish should be separated for recycling purposes and
then brought back to the farm yard for disposal. If you can’t separate your
waste then please take it from the site yourself. It’s okay to leave stone fire rings in place
if they are too hot to move. No damage should be done to living trees but bracken
may be freely harvested. It’s okay to bring your own dry wood or kindling to
get your fire going but strictly nothing with nails or staples.
No vehicles are
allowed in the woodland.
Safety &
Security
You camp in the
woodland at your own risk. Although landowners cannot absolve themselves of
negligence or liability with short statements like that, we can say it’s your
responsibility to do your own risk assessment. Trees can fall down, people
drown in rivers and fires can injure. Anyone who intends to
bring children into the woodland needs to carry out a full and detailed
analysis of the risks. After heavy rain the river Dulais becomes a
raging torrent and anyone falling in wouldn’t stand a chance. Several times each year local news here carries reports of children being
swept away in streams much smaller than our river. Wind and trees present
obvious risks. There may be horses and less frequently cattle in parts of the
woodland and so gate closing and security is of paramount importance - delegating
that responsibility to children is not an option. Children should not be sent
back to the farm facilities over the railway line unsupervised. Currently, we
are burying ourselves under more and more safety legislation and ‘best
practice’ regulations and it’s killing the farm off. We’ve done our best to
make the place as safe as it needs to be, not necessarily as safe as possible –
there’s a subtle difference. It’s assumed that by coming here to camp – you
understand that.
The woodland is
private but we are in the countryside where people wander. We can’t take
responsibility for items left unattended so again you need to think about this.
We’ve never had an incident of theft or damage as yet but there’s always a
first time.
Leaving the
depressing subject of safety and security behind, many people have come here
and camped in the woods over the last few years and loved it. Some come back
several times a year and bring friends with them who go on to introduce others.
What seemed like a crazy idea that people might want to camp all alone remotely
without even a toilet has become a normal and everyday part of this farm.
Booking or
making further enquiries
Before you book,
please make sure you’ve had a good look over the rest of our web site so you
fully understand the ethos and expectations of this place. This is no normal
commercial site with kids play areas, clubhouses and on-site shops. Please make
it clear when booking that you want to go in the woodland as opposed to the
normal camping fields. Be aware that we can only take very limited numbers of
campers at any given time. You need to book well in advance wherever possible.
Call if you want an informal chat or if anything isn’t clear.
Turn by turn directions to print off
Thanks to Paul & Karen
Morgan, Nigel French, Simon Shales et al
Useful Links
http://www.campfiresburning.org/
http://www.thehappycampers.co.uk/