Long Mynd Wild Pony Mission - Shropshire Hike and Wild Camp
"Julliet Zero. This is Bravo 20. Ready the weapon system. Over."
I am standing on a ridge in Shropshire, whispering into a non-existent lavalier microphone like a budget special forces operator. I am not, however, holding a rifle. I am holding a glass brick that costs more than my car.
This week, I decided to do something ridiculous. I decided to head up to the Shropshire Hills, specifically the Long Mynd, for a solo wild camp. But instead of packing light, enjoying the view, and maybe taking a few wide-angle shots of the sunset with a sensible lens, I packed the beast. The Sony 200-600mm.
Why? Because it’s ridiculous, and I like doing ridiculous stuff occasionally. Sometimes it’s where the best shots are found.
In particular, though, I was looking for ponies. And when I found them, I intended to shoot them. Digitally. Obviously.
The Mission: Stalking the Stalkers
If you’ve followed my trips for a while, you’ll know I have a complicated relationship with the wild ponies of the Long Mynd.
In the past, I’ve had my tent licked at 3:00 AM by a herd of them while I lay inside, wondering if a hoof was about to come through the flysheet. I’ve had them surround me at the crack of dawn, as I stood there holding my spiked tripod in a scene that better resembled the film 300, than a peaceful wild camping YouTube video. I’ve even had my wife’s car completely covered in mud and hair. Let’s not go into that one.
They are usually stalkers. They are largely unseen, then they find you, to lick a bit of moisture off your tent or car, that kind of thing. But this time, I wanted to turn the tables. I wanted to be the one doing the finding. I wanted to capture them properly—not just a snap on a phone, but cinematic, high-frame-rate, compressed telephoto glory.
That was the plan, anyway.
The Gear: Overkill is Underrated
Carrying a super-telephoto lens on a hiking trip is a specific kind of masochism. It’s what bird watchers do, or people sitting in hides with flasks of tea. It is not generally what you do when you have to carry a tent, sleeping bag, stove, and food up a steep incline.
But I had a vision. I wanted that specific "compression" you only get at 600mm. I wanted the ponies to look detached from the background, isolated against the rolling layers of the Shropshire hills in gorgeous winter sunset light. I wanted to see the wind in their manes and the breath from their nostrils. So I took the “Sniper Loadout”.
It should be said that I’ve had these visions before; this isn’t the first time I’ve painstakingly carried the 200-600mm up a hill or mountain to capture magnificence, but truth be told, it rarely pays off. Usually due to the wind, definitely not camera operator error!
To support this monstrosity, I brought along the Benro Tortoise 35C. It’s a tripod I’ve relied on for ages now—sturdy enough to hold a heavy rig, but light enough that I don't immediately regret being born when I put my backpack on. You can read my thoughts on similar lightweight setups in my K&F Concept Lightweight Tripod Review, but for this heavy glass, the Benro was the only choice.
The Ascent: Rabbit Holes and Dead Sheep
The hike started in typical Chris Homer fashion, a slog. The wind was already picking up, whipping across the heather. This is an area I know well—I’ve filmed here in the Shropshire Hills plenty of times, capturing everything from the Northern Lights, to otherworldly winter cloud inversion as I wild camped above them on Caer Caradoc.
Early on today though, I spotted what I thought was a sleeping sheep. Upon closer inspection, it was a very dead sheep. Head covered in blood. It set a lovely, ominous tone for the trip.
“Wild pony alert.”
About a mile away, on a distant ridge, I saw them. Tiny specks against the grey sky.
This is where the 200-600mm comes into its own. Usually, at this distance, you’d see nothing but pixels. With this lens, I could see they were moving. The game was on. Big pile of sh1t marked the way to their stomping ground.
The Reality of Wildlife Filmmaking
Do you want to know the truth about wildlife filming? It is (for me at least) mostly just walking, waiting, and shivering.
I spent a good hour just trying to flank them, moving across the springy turf, trying to avoid the thousands of ankle-breaking rabbit holes that riddle this part of the world. The strategy I ended up with was simple: don’t look suspicious. Walk naturally. Maybe talk to them.
I managed to get quite close to most of them to be fair - often too close, actually, for the bazooka of a lens I had with me. I had wild pony saliva on the front element within minutes. But as I moved back and set up on the tripod a few times, the magic started to happen.
Golden Hour and The Payoff
The weather in the UK is always a lottery. The forecast was "meh," I’d spotted a brief few hours of low winds and cold sector skies, which is why I chose this day. I knew it would be short and sweet, though.
After a bit of waiting around, the sun dropped low, casting that incredible red golden light across the valley. This is what I hauled the gear up here for. The ponies were backlit, their coats glowing, the wind whipping their tails.
I cranked the Sony ZV-E1 into high frame rate. 4K, slow motion. ProRes 422. SLOG 3. Winning.
At 600mm, the background just dissolves. You get these layers of hills—blue, grey, and gold—stacked up behind the subject. It’s a look you cannot fake. The flare is also unreal, and I love a good flare!
I stood there, freezing cold, fingers numb, grinning like an idiot. I’d acquired the target.
I captured shots of them grazing, shots of them staring me down, and yes, shots of them sh1tting and pissing in 4K resolution. Because if you’re going to build a stock footage library, you need to be thorough. And I am - MY STOCK FOOTAGE LIBRARY.
If you are a filmmaker or editor, you can actually license this footage. I’ve compiled the best shots into Clip Pack 318 - Long Mynd Wild Ponies. It’s a huge collection. It joins my massive library of UK nature content. If you’d wanted to send a film crew out with a ridiculous lens to capture shots of the Long Mynd wild ponies, don’t bother, save yourself a few grand and buy my clips instead!
Watch my cinematic short here to see the results of the heavy lifting:
The Camp: Incompetence in the Dark
The sun waits for no man, and once it dipped below the horizon, the temperature plummeted. It went from "chilly" to "bone deep" in about ten minutes.
I had been so busy chasing ponies that I hadn't set up camp. Now, in the twilight, I had to find a flat spot on a hill that is notoriously lumpy.
I found a spot. I got the tent out—my trusty Hilleberg Soulo. This tent is a fortress. It’s built for storms. And it should be very easy to pitch.
But, because I am an idiot, and my hands were frozen, and I was rushing, I managed to thread the poles through the side of the sleeves. I didn't realise until the end when the whole thing looked dodgy.
There I was, in the dark, wrestling with flapping fabric and poles, wind gusting, swearing under my breath. And the worst part? The ponies had come back. They were standing in a semi-circle around me, just watching. Silent. Judgemental.
“Look at him,” they were definitely thinking. “This prick has chased us round with a £1500 lens all day but he can’t put a tent up.”
Eventually, the tent was up. I dived inside, out of the wind.
Dinner of Champions
Dinner was a Pot Noodle and meatballs. Don't judge me. When you are cold and tired, this is an absolute winner. F those overpriced rubbish “camping meals”.
Sitting in the tent, listening to the wind buffet the sides, I realised I had made a critical error. In my rush to pack the big camera gear, I had forgotten two essential items:
My down jacket.
My waterproof trousers.
I was wearing a Buffalo shirt, which is great, but without the extra layers, I was relying purely on body heat and a sleeping bag to stop the shivering. It was going to be a long night. I’d also brought just my cheap Ali Express summer down sleeping bag, which is fine, if you wear a down jacket inside, but that was at home on my sofa!
I tried to shoot some astro-timelapse. The sky was clear, the stars were out, and it looked stunning. I set the camera up outside the tent, hoping the wind wouldn't vibrate the tripod too much. It came out alright….
The Morning Escape
The plan was simple: wake up at 6:00 AM, shoot the moonrise.
I set the alarm. I woke up at 6:00 AM. And I immediately knew the plan was dead.
The tent was being hammered. The wind had picked up significantly overnight, gusting towards 40mph. Horizontal rain.
I stuck my head out. Grey. Just endless, miserable grey. The visibility was zero. The ponies had wisely buggered off to find shelter in a valley somewhere.
I checked the forecast on my phone. Heavy rain all day. Winds gusting to 50mph by noon. And remember—I have no waterproof jacket.
I sat there for about thirty seconds, weighing up my options, and decided to quickly bugger off back down the hill. Snap decision.
I packed the Hilleberg in record time (correctly, this time). I shoved the wet tent into the bag, threw the £1500 Sont 200-600mm lens into a bin bag, and pretty much jogged down to Church Stretton
Was It Worth It?
By the time I got to the car, I was soaked. My knees were creaking. I was tired.
But scrolling through the footage on the back of the camera while sat in the warmth of the car, using the JetBoil in the passenger footwell… it was absolutely worth it.
The shots I got during that brief golden hour window are some of the best wildlife clips I’ve ever taken. The compression of the lens, the texture of the coats, the light, the lens flares — it all came together.
It’s easy to look at stock footage and just see a clip. "Oh, there's a pony." But behind every 10-second clip in my library, there is usually a story like this. There’s a 4:00 AM wake-up, a frozen pair of hands, a 25kg backpack, or a near-death experience with a herd of curious livestock.
I didn't get the moonset. I didn't get the sunrise. But I got the ponies. And I got to Greggs before the lunch rush.
Mission accomplished.
Want to see more of the footage?
I’ve uploaded the full collection to my stock library. You can license these clips for your own productions.
Check out the new pony clips here: Clip Pack 318 - Long Mynd Wild Ponies
See my full Shropshire Collection: The Shropshire Hills Stock Video Footage
Read More about my adventures: