BRECON BEACONS
Ever wished you could come down off the hills and climb straight into a cosy, all-terrain bedroom? Turns out, you can. Intrigued, we hired a camper truck and pointed it towards the BRECON BEACONS for a road trip to remember.
I downshifted and knocked the truck into low range. It hauled itself out of a rut and bumped onwards down the track, bouncing us around in the cosy heated cabin. On either side, lush green bracken stretched into the distance, interspersed with the occasional gnarled, scrubby tree. Up front, looming ever larger in the windscreen were the northern foothills of the Black Mountains. Reaching the middle of the deserted common, I cut the engine. The throaty diesel died, replaced by blissful silence, save for the whistle of the wind and the occasional bleating of sheep. This seemed like the perfect spot to stop. In reality, we weren’t far from civilisation, but compared to most places that you can park a campervan, this felt nicely out of the way. Then again, this was no ordinary camper.
Now, I love wild camping as much as the next intrepid Trail reader. I’ve had some unforgettable adventures carrying a tent on my back. But, now and again, it is nice to enjoy a few home comforts.
My other half Ellie feels the same way.
As does our border collie, Cadi.
So, when the three of us were offered a mini road trip in a fully kitted out 4x4 camper truck, we didn’t need much convincing. Armed with walking gear, camping supplies and a double sleeping bag, we piled in and headed for one of our favourite places to roam, whether on foot or on four wheels: Y Bannau Brycheiniog, aka the Brecon Beacons. The plan was simple – head somewhere quiet for a couple of days, drive some of the park’s most famous mountain passes and use the truck as a mobile 4x4 base camp for some summit-bagging missions.
In recent years, a new kind of UK campervan rental has arrived on the scene. Rather than hiring out bog-standard vans or motorhomes, companies instead offer a range of overland 4x4 vehicles. You can hire everything from a Land Rover Defender with a roof tent to a lifted van with off-road tyres. The idea is to enable you to go places that regular vans can’t go. Our ride for the trip, courtesy of Wild Camper
Trucks, was a 4x4 Ford Ranger pick-up with a self-contained camping cabin in the back, complete with double bunk, fridge-freezer, roll-out side awning, hot water, portable projector and gas hob. The truck also has a few added extras that allow you to venture completely off grid, such as an outdoor shower, portable toilet, freshwater tank, diesel heater and solar panels. And 25 trees are planted via a carbon-balancing scheme t
