As I leave my car parked all by itself in the middle of nowhere, I feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. The last farm house was about two miles back and I am heading into a pathless valley another couple of miles further on. There isn’t a single other person around and all I can hear is a skylark singing away and a stream tumbling down towards Nant-y-Moch Reservoir. This is properly wild territory and I love it all the more for it. I am here to enjoy some wild camping in The Cambrian Mountains in the middle of Wales.

I have visited this area of the country many times and I keep being drawn back. It offers solitude like very few other places and has affected me in a way I can’t really put into words. It’s just very special. One area had eluded me until now though and I’ve been eager to explore it for months. This is Pumlumon, the highest mountain in the region. At 752 metres ( just shy of 2,500 feet ) it is certainly no Everest, but the pictures I’ve seen of it and articles I’ve read online all promise incredible views, scenery and peace. Just what the doctor ordered then!

With the luxury of the school half term, I decided to afford myself two full days to explore the area. My first day would allow me to venture into the remote valleys sitting to the north of the mountain. As a geographer, I enjoy any excuse to pour over an OS Map and I had noticed that the area to the north of Pumlumon looked craggy, wild and dramatic. One particular valley stood out with waterfalls marked at the head of it. That was it then. Wild camping in The Cambrian mountains would hopefully prove to be a good choice in this location.

The Hike Begins

My journey to it was fairly straight forward for the first kilometre or so. The road gave way to a clear rocky track, which descended gradually towards a valley floor. These are The Cambrian Mountains though and it can never stay this easy for long. Sure enough I rounded a bend and was met by my first obstacle- a river crossing. I crossed my toes inside my gore-tex boots and hopped across the boulders, which were slippery in places. Thankfully I stayed upright and remained dry.

Then I noticed that any evidence of a path had vanished. I knew I had to stick to the south of the river and follow its meandering path east along the valley floor. The site of purple moor grass greeted me, which signaled that the any progress was going to be slow. It certainly was. This grass has blanketed much of the area and is known by many as dancing grass because of the body movements you often make trying to negotiate it. Thankfully nobody was around to witness me showing off my moves and swearing occasionally as my boots sunk into the saturated ground. It was a nightmare to cross. I’m just thankful that my quality walking boots kept me dry and protected my ankles from being twisted or worse. An accident out here is not what you want.

Common sense told me to climb a little. The ground would be less boggy and I would have better views of where I was heading. This was a wise move and my mood lifted as the going became much easier. I was now able to fully appreciate and enjoy where I was.

Just below me was the beautiful Afon Hengwm river sitting in a wide flat valley floor, with steep craggy slopes either side of it. Little while dots showed hardy Welsh sheep grazing away in all directions. It was stunning in a way that is hard to explain. It didn’t offer the grand heights or Instagram opportunities you might find in The Lake District for example, but it was still every bit as beautiful in my eyes. The greatest thing is that I had it all to myself. Such a valley in a national park may well have you sharing the views with others.

Ruins, Waterfalls and Bouncy Ground

Soon enough the going got much easier. I could see the waterfall in the distance, which marked the entry point into the valley I had planned to camp in. Other than the nearby sheep who amused me on the walk towards it ( they all stopped and stared at me as I passed ) the other thing that tickled me was the ground I was now walking on. I seemed to sink into the thick grass covering the ground with every step, yet it was bone dry. It was like I was walking on a big sponge. In some ways it would have made a great spot to sleep on. No air bed would have been needed that’s for sure.

I then stopped to take in the sight of an old ruin, which looked that of a building of some sort. I marvelled at it, wondering who might have lived in it and what life might have been like for them in such a remote spot. If they had been after the rural idyll, then they’d clearly picked an amazing spot.

Finally I scrambled up the rocks beside the waterfall and entered what I liked to think of as my secret valley. There was no path and once more could only see rocky valley sides, a meandering stream and the lower slopes of The Pumlumon Massif in the distance- a cascading waterfall making its way down its tough gradient. It was every bit as dramatic as I hoped it would be and I just stood for a few moments taking in the incredible scene.

Wild Camping in The Cambrian Mountains

It took a while to find a suitable spot to pitch the tent as the ground was covered in thick grass and was uneven as a result. My watch showed it had already gone eight O Clock though and my tummy reminded me of this fact too as it grumbled away. Thankfully my pitching skills have improved massively and twenty minutes later I had it sat close to a bend in the stream. I was finally all set to enjoy some wild camping in The Cambrian Mountains. Once again I’d be able to drift off to the sound of a babbling brook. Bliss!

I enjoyed a vegetarian daal on my trusted Jet Boil and washed it down with a refreshing Brewdog Punk IPA. If you haven’t tried it before, then I highly recommend you sample this delicious drop. I’m sure beer tastes better when you’re wild camping. Not only are you sipping it in an incredible beer garden but you’ve worked hard to hike to the spot and set the tent up. It’s always well deserved and what better way to reward yourself. It went straight to my head though, which perhaps suggested I hadn’t been drinking enough water earlier.

Darkness Falls

The rest of the evening was spent sitting on a rock just watching the sky darken. The sun was now setting and the rain clouds were starting to fill the sky. There was hardly a breath of wind though and it was still pleasantly warm being early June. When the sun did finally set after ten, I experienced darkness like I haven’t seen for a long time. It wasn’t just dark. It was pitch black dark. Despite this, I wasn’t afraid. I felt comfortable in my surroundings and knew that the chances of a wild yeti or mad man being in my valley were practically nil. I drifted off to sleep at just gone eleven. Rain pitter-pattering on my roof made this very easy indeed.

A Dip In The River

I don’t usually sleep well when wild camping and this trip was no exception. I felt a bit groggy eating breakfast and even the coffee struggled to hit me like it usually does. There was only one thing for it. Close to where I was camped, I noticed that one outside bend offered a slow moving, deep and clear section. It looked very inviting and perfect for a quick dip. I knew it would be very cold, but it would make me feel fantastic afterwards and I’d feel clean after a rough night’s sleep.

Figuring there was nobody around for miles, I stripped off and went in naked- a first for me. It was a liberating if slightly nippy experience and I was in for less than a minute. I loved it though and it felt primal and incredible to do something I guess all our ancestors once did. It also made me appreciate my shower at home.

By just gone nine, I was packed up. I made sure I had truly followed the camping code of leaving no trace. Other than a bit of flat grass where my tent had sat for the night, there was no other evidence I had had been wild camping in The Cambrian Mountains. I re-traced my steps from the previous evening, enjoying some morning sunshine as I did. I felt relaxed and alive after the dip and just drank in the rest of the views. It really was an incredible spot and I’d recommend you visit before it perhaps becomes more popular.