For me, this was the biggest event in 2024s calendar. WM and I had been planning this deployment for 6 months, debating whether to redo 2023s week camping at Mildenhall or venture further afield. Spurred on by my first two visits to the Mach loop earlier in the year, we thought it fitting to do a week in Wales, with this being WMs first time. We were joined by jam__aviation and kp_photo6raphy.

We planned on starting out the week on the tried and tested Cad West, before potentially moving on to other spots as the week progressed. Monday's weather was pretty miserable with a couple of spots of brightness. An eventful day to say the least, partly due to the shocking visibility of 5 metres. Still, we did not let this day dampen our spirits, having a BBQ back at the campsite. We got talking to a man, who let us know about a potential USAF MC-130 from Mildenhall that could be looping. Optimistic after a so far blank day, we headed down as the ETA approached to try get closer to the action but the fog did not shift - needless to say, it did not loop.

Still with high spirits and prospects of a brighter day, Tuesday was spent up Cad West again. First pass of the day was a flight of 2 Qatari Hawks from RAF Leeming, the first first for me in a week of many firsts!

Over the next couple of hours we were treated to 4 Texans from Valley to hone my panning skills on as well as try some higher shutter speeds for the 'Office Shot'.

The second first was a 2 ship of Typhoons with a single pass…

… and the third first being a 2 ship of F-15Es conducting 2 passes. It was fantastic to see the vapour trails coming off the wings of the Strike Eagles as they approached the Cads, fluff atop the wings. As the second pass came to an end, the pair went vertical mid way through the Cads, shrouded in vapour. Upon reviewing the shots and speaking to others, it seemed that this was a fini flight with there being a flag in the cockpit.

Next came a single Texan pass which I attempted 1/50th on which unsurprisingly yielded only a couple of sharp shots.

An A400 passed next, which was lovely to see having spotted at Brize many times before. With the reduced focal length of the 100-400mm compared to my previous 150-600, I was able to fit the entire aircraft in frame without cropping off the tail. Another single Texan pass followed.

A single Valley hawk and 2 ship Texan came through to close of the day.

Having had a great day in contrast to the day prior, we would have been happy to head home right now, but still had half the week to go! Looking at the weather, we were saddened to see another poor day Wednesday, so decided to head to RAF Valley instead where the sun should be shining. Still a 1.5 hour drive from the campsite, we thought we would never ordinarily go to Valley as it is so out of the way so this week would be a great opportunity to tick the base off the list. Valley would be the first RAF (not USAF) base WM and I would have spotted at together.

Arriving at Valley at a good spot based off the prior knowledge of KP, we familiarised ourselves with the area, but quickly transitioned to the other side of the base due to the wind direction. No sooner than we arrived, the runway changed again, but we were treated to a Jupiter conducting low level training over the golf course. Moving back to our original spot, the weather closed in, with the mist and rain hitting making for some challenging shots. It was nice to get some up-close shots of the Hawks and Texans, with them being an aircraft not often seen elsewhere in the country.

One of the Red arrows temporarily positioned at the base did a test flight before the arrivals of some of the Hawks just as the sun came out. As they rolled down the runway towards us (having changed runways for the 4th time) it was lovely to get the mountains of Wales in the background paired with the golden grass surrounding the runway.

It would be rude to come all this way and not get a photo of the gate guardian...

After KP sadly had to head home, we decided to stay a little longer and were treated to practice diversions of 3 Typhoons.

After an amazing day, we had dinner on the beach. Valley is by far the most scenic base I have visited, surrounded by the sea and empty, picturesque beaches. If I am in the area again, I would definitely pay Valley a second visit.

Thursday was the final day up the Loop for Jam, WM and I. The weather remained pretty gloomy and overcast but still with the possibility of some passes. We initially decided to try Bluebell - in hindsight having spoken to others, we definitely missed the path. We scaled near vertical hillsides full of ferns and still ended up in the wrong spot. Apparently, there is a path… Having spent a good couple of hours up on the windiest hillside in Wales, we headed down to reposition to Cad West again. The only passes of the day were 2 Phenoms, which I was over the moon with. Despite not being the RAFs finest aircraft, its one that I have not seen much of, let alone through the loop. The first aircraft kept it very high, with none of the hillside as a backdrop, whereas the second kept it just low enough to skim the horizon.

Sadly, that evening Jam had to head off home, so it was just WM and I. We were faced with another tricky decision looking at yet another day of gloomy weather to come. Happy with our week so far, we decided to head home on the Friday, but not to waste the day we routed through Shawbury. This visit was only ever going to be one to tick off some serials as well as to say we have spotted at Shawbury especially as it is a base quite a way away from the both of us.

Over the course of the week, we had ticked off 36 aircraft across 2 bases and 1 LFA, with 20 passes. A week to remember, with amazing people in the most beautiful of places. Not forgetting the incredible aviation!