SHOWER STRUGGLES & CHALLENGED on PEN Y FAN - VAN LIFE UK, SOUTH WALES
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- Опубліковано 8 жов 2024
- We travel in our campervan into Wales this week, as vanlife takes us on a hike up the highest mountain in South Wales, Pen y Fan, which Stephen is delighted about as you can imagine. Still, despite the uphill grind and popularity of this peak (it gets busy here!) we discover breathtaking views at the summit over this vast National Park. We also face the usual fun and games of showering on the road, the running routines continue, and we delve into the dubious world of health products that, at these prices, should shave off 20 years in a matter of weeks, right? Right?! But regardless of that, here's to exploring around Wales for a little while, and we hope you enjoy coming along with us.
#vanlifeuk #breconbeacons #fulltimevanlife
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Dan & Stephen
xx
What is it with a walk in the mountains that just makes the world a better place. Not sure if it is the amazing scenery or just getting away from all the cars and craziness... Probably a bit of both. We've been trying to get out for walks again following the few weeks of issues to try and just relax and feel ourselves.
Now peanut butter powder,never heard of it before, but I (Darren) needs that in my life.
Much love Darren and Alison 🤟♥️
I think it's a bit of both, being away from it all helps clear the mind and fill it with some positivity instead, and then the pretty scenery just helps that. There aren't many better tonics, and I'm glad you've been getting out and about after everything that's happened, it's probably one of the best things you can do at the moment. I hope it's helping to ease things for you both, though of course you need time ❤️
Peanut butter powder, god it makes cereals and porridge, or mixed with yoghurt, so so good! Stephen just uses it as it's less calorific whilst still having protein, but I'm really enjoying it too.
Take care both, love Dan and Steve ❤️
Great vlog guys. We did pen-y-fan 2nd week of August, barely met anyone else, probably because it was so stinking hot, but the scenery is beautiful.
Thank you ❤️ Wow that's pretty good to know, so it can be quiet even in school holidays. I can imagine in the heat that was some mission getting to the summit 🥵
Stephen makes me laugh with his dry sense of humour 😂😂 i must say it looks well nice there. Enjoy yourselves ❤
Thank you! ❤️ Stephen deadpans his way through life I think 😂
Just started watching yer content 2 of yous have git me in stitches keep up the work 🤙
Love Steve’s walking pace. He can walk with me anytime. 😂
Thanks ladies, I'm sure he'd be grateful of that instead of dealing with me being an overexcited kid trying to get to the top quickly 😂
Absolutely beautiful! Stephen does make me smile 😂 with his overly enthusiastic attitude (not) about collagen apparently bovine collagen tends to be more beneficial in muscles and bones and marine collagen tends to be more beneficial for joints . I have used it over a period of time and not noticed any difference! But there could be subtle changes that are not obvious. Keep safe you two xx
Morning Lindsay! 🥰 Haha Stephen's enthusiasm, we are still looking for it somewhere 🧐 Interesting facts about the collagen, thanks for that! We did wonder if bovine or marine was better, perhaps bovine would be more suited to us, or we could mix the two 🤔 Although if you've not noticed any difference you do wonder 😂 I think like you say there might be "hidden" health benefits. I think if we're exercising a lot you'd hope it'll have some uses.
Take care and have a lovely Sunday 😍 ❤️
Absolutely with you on the anxiety induced nightmares-can't escape, even in sleep. Thoroughly enjoy your Vlogs, thanks to you both, x
Thank you Teresa 🥰 Sorry to hear you get them too. Nighttime makes everything seem 10 times worse, and I often feel like my mind is at its loudest with so many voices of worry trying to get a word in, usually nothing helpful 🤦♂️I'm trying different relaxing herbal teas before bed at the minute, currently on a Rose one, we'll see if it does much good (tastes nice though!)
You two make my Sundays
( I say it every time )
You both are a shining light ✨️
If only you knew how much you bring that light to others,
that is a gift boy's 🙌
Climbing 🥵 nope,
I couldn't,
I got plenty of them thumbs up, Stephen 😂
Look after each other lads' positive vibes being sent to you both 🩵💜
Hello 👋 😍 Thank you as always for the lovely comments - it's an utter delight to know we give you something to look forward to on a Sunday 🙏❤️
I like to think when it comes to hill walking, we represent the two extremes that people take on it - either solid enthusiasm or just grumbling the whole way 😂 To be fair, I'm always pleased if Stephen manages to do it, but it's all good if he wants to skip it too.
Take care and see you next week 🥰
We do like climbing but i do struggle going up hill but what an achievement once done. Stephen you are so funny. Thanks for a great vlog
Trying to catch up now we are on site snd have starlink set up!!
Catch you both soon ❤️
Thanks guys, it was a bit relentless but that walk wasn't too long and the paths were so clear. Definitely worth it once at the top! Hope Starlink works out for you, take care guys 🥰
Keep on the collagen, boys . I'm 62, but I was estimated between 40 to 45 by some girls in a deli..in South Wales!! Cataracts? NJ xx
Oh Nige, you've sold it to us now 😂 That's great though, good for you, and let's just assume they had perfect vision okay 😂😁
Brilliant video as usual boys
Got to admit I’d be like Stephen climbing mountains to be honest 😂
Keeping it real you two looking forward to next weeks video Dan and Stephen xx
Thank you! ❤️ Yeah it's definitely not for everyone walking uphill constantly, but hey, was worth it for the views 👌 See you next week! 😁🥰
Great video guys the views are fabulous as always. Did you not go and get a refund due to the boiler being broken and if not why not.😂😂😂
Have a good week. Well done Steve with your running you are doing so well. 😊😊
Thank you! ❤️ I know it seems stupid not getting a refund, but we just couldn't be bothered to walk up to the centre for a couple of quid, we just wanted to crack on and find a shower. However we really should have done of course, but sometimes your brain is just in "oh ffs let's just go" mode and that's it 🤪
Steve's doing great with the running, thank you! Up to 10ks now...ridiculous! ❤️
When I was a child used to ride the horse up there, Looking back now that drop down she would always go so near the edge.
Wow that's some height to ride a horse! Mind you, there were sheep right at the top. That drop though...actually we should have mentioned it, because the drop off of one side of Pen y Fan is staggering 😱
Great video guys we done pen y fan few years back it does pretty much start of steep from the offset 😅 but some great veiws ❤ thanks for taking us along 🙂
Cheers guys 🥰 Yep it's heavy going (and I think we did the easy route?!) but very much worth it and feels like one of those "must do" hikes
Let’s get on with it then…😉👍❤️🥂xxx
Straight to the point Steve 🤪
Firstly, great job Stephen pushing to the top. Dont blame him. I'd be taking the easy way back too
Shame the shower didn't heat up for you. Should have gone in after your run and cooled off.. great video guys
Thank you Paul 😍 Yep he did well to get to the top, I wasn't going to push it by making him walk the other way 🙈 Especially when he said my way went uphill again later on and I thought he was wrong on that...but he wasn't, he clocked it quite early on in the walk when he saw the return trail 😆 Anyway it was all good fun and great views.
Showers are a constant lottery on the road but hey, at least we got clean in the end 🤪
Have a great week and hope you're well 😊
@comealongdear thanks guys. Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Lovely video as always 😃👍
Thank you so much Mattias 😍❤️
Way to go both of you!! Us aging queens with our all night dancing beaten knees struggle going to the shops never mind climbing mountains in the wilderness. I'd be grumpy too if Dan kept sticking that damn camera in my face every 2 minutes but i have to admit its funny watching it. Dan!! Steven likes it at the beach! not climbing mountains and at the pile of bricks.. He smiles at the beach 🤣🤣
Stephen doesn't smile, your screen must be playing up 😉 You know, you're not far wrong about sticking the camera in his face thing 😂 He's a good sport really, the amount of times I'm asking him to walk/stand/talk in any given moment. He has to be though, otherwise it's just me rambling into the camera. And then I remind him that UA-cam was his idea (which it was) 🤪
Thank you ❤️
Pen y fan isn't to be underestimated, you should always wear/carry with you clothing for cold or wet weather as it can get very cold & misty very fast & people are often caught unaware & have to be rescued by Mountain Rescue. In mist the path disappears & it's not a place to get lost & take a tumble down the steep sides.
Also you should have water, something to eat & a mobile phone. You picked a good day & were quite lucky to have such an easy climb.
Stephen your cheerful enthusiastic face keeps me watching the videos.......
Wales is beautiful, you just need to appreciate the wildness of our lovely country.
🏴 We have the best flag & national anthem in the world & the most amazing mountains, countryside & coastal areas.
I'm only a bit biased .☺️
I'd save your money re pills, all they do is make H&B rich, just eat well.
Evening! 😊 You're very right about Pen y Fan (and indeed any mountain there), we did of course have water/phones and I think jackets in our bags. We also only picked a day when the forecast looked good, we'd never attempt it otherwise and I'm amazed people do, especially on some of the more obscure peaks with less clear paths and fewer people 😬
It was gorgeous though and I'm so pleased we did it, so is Stephen even if it doesn't always seem that way 😂
We've loved Wales - we've mostly hugged the coast and hopefully we do it some justice, but my god, it's vast and there is so much we've had to skip. Next time, we hope to move down the middle and see those parts, but really wanted to stop in every beach and bay. We could spend a year travelling here. You do indeed have a beautiful country, you're entitled to be biased 😁
He is making it difficult for you I love your videos
Ah no, maybe we just make it difficult for each other 😂 Mountains are not for Stephen and that's fair enough - we've often done walks separately or Stephen has cut one short while I head in another direction etc, we're both comfortable with that. Trust me, I make it quite difficult for him when I say "now walk this way, now stand there" etc while I film and we've barely walked 50 metres 😂 Thanks for watching as always Joanne ❤️
Really enjoyed the walk - I would love to do it but my OH wouldn’t be able to manage it, so thanks for sharing. I’m just on a camp site in my van in the middle of the night with a howling wind/rain praying that the 40 mph gusts don’t blow the skylight off 🙄🤞. Looking forward to your next adventure. Stay well and safe.
Morning Irene, yikes I hope you made it through okay! The same for us, we're parked somewhere (under a tree before the wind started 🤦♂️) and had quite an iffy night. Seems calmer this morning. Hope you are well. And thank you, glad you enjoyed the walk ❤️
@@comealongdear we survived - hope you did too, not much sleep though and had to travel on the M6 in dreadful conditions. Stay well, warm and safe. ❤️❤️
Yes we got through unscathed, just very very wet. Glad you're okay! ❤️
@@comealongdear 👍❤️❤️
Loved this video! I noticed a small tweak you could make to your thumbnails to increase clicks
Did you go into Abergavenny ? I lived there for many years so think you would both enjoy it, nice little coffee shops & pubs for a few beers/dinner etc, worth a peek 🏴
Hi Jayne, ah we did have a quick wander in but we weren't filming that day, sorry 🙈 We did really like it though and thought it would be worth returning to, I think we grabbed a coffee somewhere too. Very cute little town and surrounded by some lovely countryside ❤️
@@comealongdear lovely 😃 safe travels 👍🏻
Stephen you are funny!! Shame about the showers...i can't bear cold showers so totally get you! Marine Collagen should sponsor you!! Then you can trial it for them. 😉
Stephen is always gonna Stephen 😂 I don't think anyone should sponsor us based on what we say half the time, but hey, if this magic marine collagen works, then why not 😁
I'm game for swimming in cold lakes and rivers sometimes...but a cold shower can do one quite frankly!
Thanks Denise ❤️
Well certainly no trees to spoil the view from that first walk, why is that? Its not particularly high. Surely the bloke selling the shower tokens knew about the boiler 😡. Interesting times. 👍
Good evening 😃 Hmm, I'm not sure exactly either, I think our land was once mostly woodland, but whether this particular mountain being bare was the work of man or just naturally tree-free, I don't know. Many of our hills are more like moors, open with grasses and ferns etc growing rather than trees. Up on this one, sheep grazed to the very top, so perhaps it was given over to them a long time ago. Still, great views regardless and lovely shades of various greens because of it 😍
Yes you would have hoped he would've known before selling them 🙄 for the sake of a couple of quid and just wanting to move on and shower, we just left, but probably should've said something. I hope you're well! 🥰❤️
What a shame about the shower. When you Go to those services can you drive in without going on the motorway because I don’t do motorways 😂 . How you getting on with your gas 😊
Bizarrely the gas still hasnt run out! Yes I think you can drive in to quite a few without having to go on the motorway. Not all of course, but the ones by roundabouts you usually can. If you use satnavs or Google maps you could put one in and filter out motorways I believe. As I say though, this will only work for the ones near slip roads/roundabouts, but I'd say that's about 50% of them as a rough guess 🙂
Thanks
The next time you go to a shower where you can't adjust the temperature, and there's a sink outside, turn the hot water tap on in the sink until the water is hot, then go into the shower.
Brrr. I hate cold showers, unless it's boiling outside.
Cheers.
Jon in rural BC, Canada
Cheers Jon, you are full of these useful tips 👍 (incidentally the LPG still hasn't run out). This shower was freezing, there was no way to adjust to it unless you're ridiculously disciplined and used to it, absolutely horrific 😂 The sink tip is a great one though.
Thank you and have a great week 😊
If in Bridlington try Danes dyke beach and woodland walk car park free after 6 pm toilets and cafe.
Ooh brilliant, thank you. I reckon we'll be back there so that will be an option for us to try 👍❤️
I love Stephen, he's a no bullsh!t, straight shooter type of guy. 😂 Wales looks so pretty, but barren. I imagined more forests (I spoke too soon 🙃) . Is that hill the same as the one based on "the man who walked up a cill and came down a mountain"? Walking downhill is almost worse than uphill depending on the incline. I remember a trip in the Alps with a cold and full on believing a brisk walk would cure it. So half way up the mountain I couldn't bear any more so I turned around and walked down to the hostel again and I was absolutely shot. Knees shot, head aching and cold on flipping turbo. Never again. 😂
Question time: what is a "pint and a beer" at the pub? Can a pint be anything other that beer in a pub? But 2 beers for under 5 pounds is dirt cheap! Stella as well, double trouble! Here Systembolaget has started selling oktoberfest beers. I had to get a couple.
I use collagen too but imagine it's more for cartilage and joints. It's not that expensive though. 😬
Thoroughly enoyed that video, stay safe! Cheers from Skåne! 🥳
Good evening in Skåne! 😁 (I heard this as a Eurovision style announcement in Petra Mede's voice for some reason). That Alpine walk sounds like hell and yes I can only imagine the walk downhill was even worse. Its a killer for the knees; I'd rather be out of breath going up instead of that horror, the same as the walk in this video. I hope what was left of that holiday was salvaged to some extent? Truly rotten luck to be ill on holiday.
Haha well we had never heard of that tale before (I assume you mean the Hugh Grant film about an Englishman declaring a Welsh mountain a hill). It's not based on Pen y Fan apparently, but a hill (err, or mountain) near Cardiff. That looks proper good fun though, will have to give it a watch 😁
Oh did we say a pint AND a beer? How many beers had we had? 🤪 I think we just meant "pint of beer"...however, pints of cider are just as regular!
Sadly it was £4.40 EACH, not for both, but would you believe that's still safely about £2 cheaper in total than in the south east, apart from some pubs. Don't get us wrong though, that's still expensive, even watching it back I'm surprised we didn't say that. But yes, still cheaper than many places here. Which is insanity.
Ah Systembolaget 😍 That brings back memories of briefly visiting your country: because of course we learned very quickly you couldn't buy much alcohol in the evening, and that was your only bet for spirits etc, which had to be decided in the day. Many Swedes were well adjusted to that routine we saw 😁
I think Wales has lots of forest but perhaps nowhere near as much as Scotland- it has probably lost plenty, like so much of the UK. You won't see much as we go around as we've been sticking to the coast, but we will come back and go through the "inner lands" at some point.
Thanks again and have a good evening 🥰❤️
@@comealongdear those beers (and possible beers) were still cheap. Here it's usually from £6 and up. Anything cheap is what we call "fulöl" (ugly/gross beer). Systembolaget is a blessing and a curse all in one. (Although people in Skåne go to Bordershop in Puttgarten, Germany for even cheapest alcohol 😂) One one hand the selection is amazing, on the other... the hours. And prices. But I can still order pretty much anything and have it shipped to my "ombud" at the local store for free. So... winning - if you can get used to the up to 2 weeks shipping time depending on what's in stock. 🙄 You get used to it and I do love it, except it's awful for small local brewers. Hopefully the government will vote in favor for "gårdsförsäljning" which means small brewers will be allowed to sell to customers on site basically. 🥳 Sweden is the pinnacle of red tape and beureaucracy for sure so I'm sure it will "be a minute" for sure.
Thanks for sorting out the hills as well!
Stay safe!
The trip in the Alps was the last leg of the trip so all good. I was well again when I got home. Makes me wonder how you do in the van at such times or during winter. Can you keep warm enough and away from cold bugs? You should do a winter survival van guide. 🤪
I think you're probably not alone on the red tape thing, I think the UK is even worse now post-Brexit and I think lots of businesses find things trickier and costlier sadly. It's a shame when these rules restrict smaller breweries, but the bigger ones have such a dominance over things.
We do get sick in the van occasionally and it's not nice at all, I had a dreadful winter cold in January. That's where you do miss a home. But you know, when you're tucked in and wrapped up with a hot drink, it doesn't matter where you are really, and we have heating that runs on gas so we're not completely frozen. We make it work, but that said, we are not looking forward to winter in the van 😂 Hopefully lots of adventures to keep us warm and active 😁
Looks absolutely amazing. I really need to visit your little island 🙂 its rolling hills, forests and bit moody but lovely gay couples! 😘
Moody but lovely gay couple, okay we'll settle for that 😂❤️ Yes if you can get here there is so so much to see which is quite astonishing for a relatively small and highly populated country. We're very lucky with our scenery, coastline and countryside ❤️
@@comealongdear yeah, been to London only and as far out Heathrow and Kew Gardens 🙈
If you could do some kind of mini tour of Scotland or Wales, or perhaps Devon and Cornwall (I could go on, the list is huge really) you'd see the more beautiful parts of our country, but I appreciate that's easier said than done! Even we hadn't seen most of it until we got a van.
He left you!? Aye, yip, yeah, aye, aye, aye… 😉❤️🥂xxx
He abandoned me on the dangerous mountain top, could you not tell how much peril he left me in?! 🤪 I should've taken a bottle of rum and drank it till sunset before rolling downhill to my chauffeur...next time 😁🥂❤️
@@comealongdear he doesn’t deserve you or the channel. He’s a feckin’ liability. Shameful excuse of a parody man.🤦😉❤️🥂xxx
Now now...I need a driver remember 😂 Poor Stephen, you should see what he puts up with from me, I think we're equal liabilities 😉
What did I say? Why have xtube deleted my comment? 🤦❤️🥂xxx
What have you said now 😂 UA-cam never tells us if comments are deleted by them, it does (very rarely) hold some back for "approval" though which is usually just someone being an arse. I think perhaps your art is simply misunderstood by them 😂🥂
I don't think that Stephen likes the long walks
😂 What gives you that idea? 😉
I was just thinking it but I do love the pair of you please don't take offence joey
Of course not, no offence taken at that. I was kidding. But yeah to be serious, I don't think he likes the hill climbs at all which is fair enough. He likes longer flat walks though 😁
Being from Merthyr Tydfil, which was once the iron capitol of the world, I'm slightly annoyed that you didn't find anything of interest to see. Couldn't have looked very hard.
Bloody Saes. Lol.
You have to remember we'd just walked up and down Pen y Fan to be fair. We weren't much in the mood for anything after that, that was enough for one day and then we were moving on. If there's anything you'd recommend seeing in Merthyr Tydfil then we can maybe go back when we're visiting Wales again 🙂
You were lucky with the weather, as we were near to where you were at the beginning of the week and it took a turn for the worse midweek.
For us, it was business/pleasure, by the time we had done what needed to be done 🌧⛈
Oh no, well we have faced quite a lot of rain, but compared to much of the country we got very lucky. Who would have thought going to West Wales (where we ended up) would be the place to escape rain?! 😂