Sunsets and S'mores in Wales

21st September marks our wedding anniversary – a date we share with our pals Matt and Lil. We like to celebrate as a group and after our Scottish Cottage trip last year, we decided it was high time for some more outdoor adventures. So we went camping!

We settled on Aberafon campsite in north Wales after seeing some amazing photos from friends who visited in August. It’s about 3 hours’ drive from Leeds, so on a sunny Thursday afternoon we packed the car with enough stuff to survive a 6-month zombie apocalypse (at least) and headed… west, I think?

We arrived at 8pm so pitched the tent (a total success – hooray!) by headlight and enjoyed delicious fajitas in total darkness, but we were up bright and early to do some exploring.

Aberfon campsite sits on a hill above its own private beach – it’s pebble rather than white sands but this is Wales… and it was still breathtakingly beautiful. After a walk up and down the shore and a peek at the goats and llama on-site, we headed out to nearby Caernarfon to look at castles in the rain. A classic British holiday.

On Saturday we drove out to Portmeirion which is 30 minutes away and where Festival No. 6 is held. It’s a really odd place – kind of like Welsh Disneyland – but very pretty, with lots of colourful buildings and gorgeous flowers. We pottered about, had lunch, took the “train” through the forest and then ate massive ice creams.

The evenings were what really made our camping trip special, though. We pitched up on the beach at 6pm and settled in for the night, getting a fire going in the stone pit, lighting the barbecue and watching in awe as the sun slipped into the sea and the sky turned from blue to pink to blazing red. What is it about sunsets that’s just so… glorious?

As darkness descended and the stars came out, we ate braised beans and chargrilled sausages and tried (and failed) to photograph the lights above us. Those nights on the beach were magical – sitting wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by the best people, making s’mores on the fire.