TentBoxing in South Wales - 3 day itinerary

Three days. Mountains, reservoirs, castles, good food and a little bit of wellness.

Planning your first TentBox trip can be pretty intimidating, especially when you want to head somewhere new. Working out what to do while you’re there is always the most difficult part. To help make your first trip easier, we've partnered with @walkingwithlauren, a longtime TentBoxer, travel blogger and native of South Wales.

Summary: 

DAY 1

• Llyn y Fan Fach loop — 8.2km / approx. 3.5 hours

• Pack food and water — there are no facilities at the starting point

• Park early and responsibly

• Drive to Cray Reservoir

• Set up your TentBox

• Cook dinner and enjoy the sunset

DAY 2

• Breakfast at Garwnant Visitor Centre.

• Explore Llwyn-on Reservoir

• Look out for the historic bridge when water levels are low

• Drive south through the valleys

• Stay at Garth Glamping

• Book a sauna and cold-water therapy session at Garth Wellness

DAY 3

• Explore Castell Coch

• Hike Garth Mountain

• Lunch at Caerphilly Mountain Shack

• Head home

Day 1 - Llyn y Fan Fach & Cray Reservoir

Morning:

Arrive bright and early at Llyn y Fan Fach. Situated in the western part of the Brecon Beacons. Lauren says it’s "one of those places that makes you feel like you're properly away from everything – peaks, lakes, and usually a lot of wind." 

Lauren’s pro tip is “If you’re visiting during a busy period, I’d aim to arrive first thing in the morning, potentially even before first light.”

For this hike, you’ll be doing the loop. Lauren recommends downloading the route using OS Explorer OL12 ahead of time. The walk offers incredible views of Picws Du, Llyn y Fan Fach, Usk Reservoir, and the surrounding National Park. The 8.2km trail takes around 3.5 hours to complete, with roughly 400m of total ascent and descent.

Before you head off, make sure to:

• Bring everything you need for the hike with you. There aren’t any nearby facilities to get food or fill up on water. 

• Pack for changeable conditions. Even if the forecast looks clear, bring an extra layer just in case. 

• Plan where you'll park in advance, as there’s no public transport to the starting point and parking is extremely limited. There are roadside spaces for only a handful of vehicles in a layby beyond the standing stone.

If you feel like you’ve earned a sweet treat afterwards, the National Park Visitor Centre at Craig-y-nos isn’t too far away. 

Afternoon/ evening

Head towards Cray Reservoir and take in the views. “It’s such a beautiful place to finish the first day after spending the afternoon hiking through the mountains.” 

Once you’re done, head to your overnight stop and pitch your TentBox. Lauren was using her TentBox Go roof tent for this trip, which sets up in around 60 seconds. The speedy opening time, coupled with the ability to leave all of your bedding inside of the Go while it’s packed up means that all Lauren has to do is pull up at her overnight spot and 60 seconds later she’s got her basecamp set up and ready for a relaxing evening.
There are plenty of campsites in the area, but Lauren used Park4Night to find a spot overlooking the reservoir on her most recent trip. “This is where I think travelling with a TentBox roof tent makes this kind of trip so much easier. Rather than having to drive all the way home after your hike or get back to a hotel at a specific check-in time, you can simply find somewhere suitable nearby, set up and enjoy the evening.” Just make sure you double-check that overnight stays are allowed if you’re not pitching up at a campsite. 

It’s the simplicity of evenings like this that make the trip for Lauren “You don’t have to be doing something every second of the day. Sometimes you’ve already had your adventure, and now you just get to sit outside, eat some dinner, watch the sun go down and enjoy where you’ve ended up. And what’s even better? When you’re ready for bed, you’re already there.” 

Day 2 - Garwnant Visitor Centre & South Wales Valleys

Morning:

Wake up and take it slow. “One of the best things about sleeping in a TentBox roof tent is that your accommodation isn’t just somewhere you return to at the end of the day. It becomes part of the adventure.”
When you’re ready, pack up your TentBox and Basecamp and hit the road heading south through the valleys towards Llwyn on Reservoir, with a pitstop for breakfast at Garwnant Visitor Centre, and fuel up for your next walk. 

With a full belly, spend the rest of the morning exploring the Reservoir and the area around it.
Top tip: if you’re visiting in summer after a particularly dry period, check the reservoir levels before you go. You might be lucky enough to see some hidden history emerge from the water, including parts of the old village and a bridge. 

Afternoon:

Following the valley south, head towards Cardiff - “This is one of my favourite things about exploring South Wales… you don’t have to choose between a countryside escape and a city break. Within a relatively short drive, you can go from mountain landscapes and reservoirs to being right on the edge of Cardiff”

Now, your afternoon can go in one of two directions, 

1. Pitch up your TentBox at Garth Glamping, which is only a short drive outside of the City.
   Spend the afternoon relaxing at the campsite, maybe even book a session at their outdoor sauna and cold water therapy experience - "There's something about a sauna in the Welsh countryside, then straight into cold water, that makes you feel like you've earned your evening."

2. Continue on the road into Cardiff and spend the afternoon and early evening checking out the sights, then head back to Garth Glamping for the night and rest up before your final day of activities. 

Day 3: Castell Coch, Garth Mountain & a local lunch spot

Morning:

To wrap up the trip, you’ll kick off day 3 with a visit to Castell Coch, which Lauren describes as deserving “far more attention”.
Less than a 15-minute drive away from your campsite from the night before, and hiding in the woodland above the Taff Valley, this beautiful castle “looks like something from a fairytale”.
Spend the morning taking in the views and exploring the castle and its grounds, then, if you’re up for even more adventure, jump back in your car and head up Garth Mountain, for which your last night's accommodation gets its name. 

There's a walk up Garth Mountain that Lauren says makes you feel much more remote than you actually are: You're right on the doorstep of Cardiff, but up on the mountain, it feels worlds away."

Afternoon:

Before the drive home, stop for lunch at Caerphilly Mountain Shack. “This is exactly the type of place I love discovering when I’m exploring ... somewhere that would appear on a typical tourist itinerary… The little food stops, local businesses and hidden gems that you wouldn’t necessarily find if you only followed the obvious tourist trail”. 

From Lauren - Why this kind of trip works so well with a TentBox roof tent

“I think one of the biggest things that puts people off doing a spontaneous adventure is the planning. Where are you going to stay? What happens if you want to stay somewhere different?

With a TentBox, you have much more flexibility. You can build the trip around the places you actually want to explore, rather than building your itinerary around where your hotel happens to be. For this trip, that meant finishing a mountain hike and being able to stay near the reservoir rather than driving home.

You don't need a full week off work. You don't need to plan every tiny detail months in advance. You just need a few days, a rough itinerary and a willingness to get out there.

So if you've been waiting for an excuse to take that little adventure you've been talking about, maybe this is it."

Check out the TentBox Go roof tent, which was Lauren’s home for this trip and many others, here! 

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