The UK’s best wildlife photographer. Two high-energy boys. Thirty-degree heat on a Welsh mountainside. What could possibly go wrong?
Over an unexpectedly hot half-term we trekked up to North Wales to find out.
Enter The Titan
Enter Kevin Morgans. A true titan of the wildlife photography world, whose images regularly grace the cover of the British Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio. A personal inspiration of mine, I was slightly nervous when he agreed to take the whole family up into Snowdonia National Park in search of the beautiful and enigmatic wild Carneddau Ponies.
Apparently 200-300 of these stocky, shaggy ponies roam the high rugged peaks of Snowdonia and amazingly they've called these valleys home since ancient Celtic times.
Cameras packed, hiking sticks in hand. Up we went.
The Climb Begins
The National Park, and your best chance of finding the ponies, is just a five-minute drive from the picturesque seaside town of Conwy. So really accessible for families.
Mr Morgans was brilliant with the kids (thank god!), teaching them the very basics of camera work, while fully embracing the odd detour away from our search so the kids could apparently practise their bouldering.
Climbing in Snowdonia National Park with Kevin Morgans
I was worried our biggest struggle would be finding the ponies, but the intense heat was suffocating and the boys quickly began to wilt as they climbed. I was half inclined to head back to the safety of an air-conditioned car, when we caught a glimpse of a herd a few hundred metres away.
Bob Marley’s Ponies
With a tiny foal in tow, the group allowed us to slowly approach, as Jax and Finn quickly reached for their cameras (definitely a proud dad moment).
Camera at the ready!
The ponies looked rugged and hardened by the harsh Welsh mountains. Completely feral and absolutely stunning, the boys were mesmerised by their thick forelocks and manes that had become matted and twisted into Bob Marley style dreadlocks.
One of my favourite shots from the day
Kevin, a wild pony specialist, helped manoeuvre us within a few metres of the herd as the boys took deep breaths and snapped away. The odd whisper of "this is awesome" a clear clue they were having a blast.
The Pony Whisperer
The grand finale? Kevin, the pony whisperer himself, lay on the ground as the ponies slowly approached and nuzzled him, almost like an old friend.
Kevin Morgans up close and personal
What a brilliant morning in the National Park. I was amazed by the number of hikers we crossed paths with who seemed to have no idea about the ancient wildlife they were sharing the hills with.
A few hours after setting off, we were back in town, enjoying an ice cream while looking for pirate ships out at sea.
Worth the trip?
Absolutely. For a truly special experience, drop Kevin a message. But even if you find yourself on a family holiday in Wales without a guide, heading up into Snowdonia to look for the wild ponies is a real treat in itself.
Thank you Kevin Morgans. I couldn't think of a better guide for making wildlife photography fun, easy and accessible for the whole family. As you can see from the photo below, he's also a fairly decent photographer.
Carneddau Pony by Kevin Morgans
What we’re loving at the moment?
I've recently signed the boys up to the Outschool Mini Marine Biology Course, focused on sharks, turtles, whales and dolphins.
It's a brilliant four-week, self-serve course filled with bite-sized, fun and educational facts about the ocean. The boys genuinely love the games and puzzles at the end of each video, and I can already see it sparking a real interest in sea life, well, sharks mainly.
At around £33 for four weeks it felt great value, and I'd really recommend it.
Photo of the fortnight
It's not just wild ponies that call Snowdonia home. Separately from the kids, I spent some time with Kevin photographing the charismatic mountain goats that also live in the national park. They seem to enjoy pottering around the old mining ruins, which makes for almost studio-like photography opportunities, as you can see below.
