KarenWhen you spend every day working at a computer and are feeling burnt out, Snowdonia is the place you need to take yourself off to for some serious relaxation.
Beddgelert Camp Site is part of the Forest Holidays group and is set within a large forest area with pitches positioned in the available spaces between the trees. It really isn’t like any site I’ve visited before and I would guess it’s not to everyone’s taste. The site is right next to the Welsh Mountain Railway line, but the trains are infrequent and their passing is far more a novelty than a hindrance. The site welcomes tents, caravans, motorhomes and trailer tents and has a very relaxed atmosphere.
The site staff at Beddgelert couldn’t have been more helpful on arrival and we were given leaflets, labels and lists galore before we took ourselves off to find a suitable pitch. Since we were in a motorhome it didn’t take us too long at all to get levelled up on our pitch, but some of the pitches have never seen ‘level’ in a hundred years. Not a problem if you’re one of the pipistrelles living within the camp site, but another matter entirely if you aren’t a fan of sleeping upside down. Rush of blood to the head, anyone? Still, you can’t disturb forest land too much just to ensure your campers are happy and I guess the uneven ground just added to the charm of the site.
Beddgelert is absolutely perfect for one certain type of person: The Walker. It’s an unbeatable base for those who love nothing better than lacing up their walking boots, packing some sandwiches and heading up a mountain or two. My husband is one of those people and while we were at this site he and our eldest son walked up Moel Hebog. They also walked along the river, up hills, through streams and down lanes. I don’t think the dog has ever been happier than during our stay here either.
For me, the highlight of Beddgelert Camp Site was without doubt the setting. Charming and peaceful, with the steam railway on one side of us and The Afon Colwyn river on the other, it’s easy to feel as though you’re a million miles away from anywhere. The reality is that actually it’s just a five minute drive or a 10-minute walk from the site into Beddgelert Village itself which is quite a busy little village with lots to offer.
As pretty as the setting is at Beddgelert Camp Site, it has a lot of room for improvement. The children’s play area looked old and not all that appealing as the swings have been taken down, leaving empty swing frames, a slide and a small climbing frame. I got speaking to a very pleasant couple who have their caravan sited here for the season, and they told me the play area had been inspected and the swings subsequently removed. Hopefully they will soon be replaced but until then the playground is a bit of an eyesore.
The toilet and shower block was adequate but not the cleanest I’ve seen on camp sites. I appreciate that the task of keeping floors pristine within a forest setting is an arduous one, but rusty grid covers could be replaced, I’m sure. The bins, chemical waste points and drinking water taps were all well kept though and there were enough of them to avoid queuing for water even though the site appeared to be fully booked.
Price-wise, I thought the site was fairly priced, though probably at the top end of what I’d pay for a site like this. At £120 ish for four nights I would like to see the facilities improved a little if I were to come back here. As it stands, I’m not sure I’d stay at Beddgelert Camp Site again, though I’m absolutely certain my husband would.
Have you visited this site? If you have, I’d love for you to leave me a comment and let me know what you thought.
