You may be thinking about booking a few break over the summer as 2023 seems to be whipping by and the holiday season will soon be upon us. Staycationing has been big over the past few years and Welsh campsites, long appreciated by many tent-lovers, remain popular.
Now the top ten campsites for 2023, according to leading campsite website, pitchup.com, has been revealed, and the top performers have been collated from user comments and ratings.
Based on more than 159,000 customer reviews in 2022, each site was evaluated on aspects including location, value for money, quality of accommodation, activities and cleanliness. Guests awarded 70% of all UK sites listed on the platform in 2022 an overall score of 8/10 and above, with 276 Welsh sites scoring an eight or above.
Read more: 17 campsites which prove Wales is a brilliant place for camping
Pitchup’s founder Dan Yates said “Wales is always a popular choice, and these genuine reviews help to show just why that is. Both North and West Wales are well-represented in the top ten for the country, and the number one site in Wales also made the overall UK top ten. By clearly showing the average customer rating from past guests on all listings, and pulling through detailed reviews, we make it easy for people to see at a glance what to expect on their stay.”
Find out Wales' best 10 campsites
1. Acorn Holiday Luxury Glamping Pods, Flintshire
This small adults-only site has just four well-equipped camping pods, each with its own hot tub and spectacular views, making it a top choice for a romantic couples retreat. Guests in 2022 awarded it full marks of 10/10, meaning that as well as being Wales top-ranked site, it also made the UK top ten (coming in at ninth place). Proximity to local shops and pubs, beaches and cycle routes as well as the peaceful setting help it to garner 10/10 for location, while the hospitable site owners are described as “amazing”.
Prices start at £150 per night for a one-bedroom pod for two adults.
2. Cosmos Camping, Carmarthenshire
Summarised by a 2022 guest as “A beautiful location, great for stargazing on a clear night. Hosts were amazing and really friendly”, it’s no surprise that this adults-only site was rated 10/10 and is the best-rated site in West Wales. In a Dark Sky Reserve, each pitch has its own firepit to make the most of evenings outdoors, while a handy communal kitchen has everything campers need including USB charging ports. With views over the Black Mountains and easy access to plentiful walks, as well as a nearby pond and river, mean guests are spoiled for choice when it comes to picnic spots and wildlife spotting. It’s also close to Bannau Brycheiniog and the National Showcaves Centre for Wales for trips out.
Prices start at £24 per night per pitch based on two adults sharing.
3. Pant Y Rhedyn, Conwy
Tucked away in an idyllic location between the Snowdonia mountains and the Irish sea, the comfy Pant Y Rhedyn site on a smallholding in the Conwy hills is situated within easy reach of Snowdonia National Park and Colwyn Bay. While the roomy geodesic domes are a little more futuristic than farmhouse quarters, this glamping experience still gives guests access to little pink piglets and fluffy baby lambs in the springtime.
BBQ masters will love the opportunity to show off their skills on site, but for those evenings when they are too lazy to cook the nearest pub is a 10-minute walk away.
Prices are from £23 for one night (up to two people)
4. Little Cwtch Camping, Carmarthenshire
A 'lovely' site said one reviewer and another added: "If I could I’d rate our stay here higher than 5* it was incredible." Little Cwtch is a scenic site in the idyllic grounds of Glanrannell Park House in rural Carmarthenshire and is caught in the perfect place between Y Bannau and the Pembrokeshire coast - giving explorers the best of both worlds.
Camp with your tents in one of two meadows and enjoy the hot tub, paddle boarding, lawn game. Facilities are shared portable toilets, quirky showers and washstands.
Pitches start from £45pn for four. For more info email beth@littlecwtchcamping.com
5. Caban Cefn Gwlad Penclippin, Carmarthenshire
A premium-quality wooden cabin on a working farm in West Wales, Caban Cefn Gwlad Penclippin is surrounded by woodland. With an uncluttered Scandinavian feel to its design, this secluded spot is just the place for couples looking to spend quality time. It's 15 minutes from Narberth and another 15 is Saundersfoot.
From £60 per night for two people. Book at pitchup.com
6. Pwllyn Farm Camping, Powys
Taking top spot for sites in Mid Wales and sixth place in the national top ten, this simple and scenic farm site in the Y Bannau National Park is a particular hit with campers heading up Pen y Fan. A small number of pitches for tents or motorhomes are well-spaced and set within grassy meadows, and each comes complete with its own firepit. On-site amenities include a campers barn housing “excellent” showers and toilets, washing up and cooking areas. Guests also appreciated the well-stocked honesty shop and friendliness of the owners who went “above and beyond” according to numerous reviewers.
Non-electric grass pitches from £22 per night based on two adults sharing
7. Maes Tywyn Campsite, Anglesey
With views of Snowdonia, easy access to beaches and walks - Newborough beach and Ynys Llanddwyn are about an hour away - star-spotting dark skies status, Maes Tywyn is a perfect place to chill out.
From £18 per night for two adults. www.maestywyncampsite.co.uk
8. New Inn, Denbighshire
A back-to-basics family campsite situated between Bala lake and Llangollen. The views are great and you can collect your own eggs on-site!
From £10 per night. Book online at pitchup.com
9. Argoed Meadow Camping and Caravan Park, Carmarthenshire
This site has a purpose-built toilet – a winner of the Loo of the Year Awards – and a shower block including facilities for people with disabilities. Aside from its excellent toilet facilities, what else is there? Well, Argoed Meadow Camping and Caravan Park on the banks of the River Teifi – this site’s in a peaceful area less than a five-minute walk from the famed spot where salmon leap up Cenarth Falls when ready to spawn. It's a stone's throw from Poppit Sands and Aberporth beach and Newcastle Emlyn.
From £30 per night for two adults. Book online at pitchup.com
10. Black Mountain View Caravan Park, Powys
Black Mountain View is a small, relaxed and simple holiday park on an organic smallholding on the Powys/Herefordshire border. Aside of the cracking views of the surrounding mountains, you'll be a mile and a half from Hay-on-Wye, in the Wye Valley and a short walk from Offa's Dyke Path. The amenities here include a recently-built toilet and shower block which also has disabled facilities and a family room.
From £22 per night. Book at blackmountainview.co.uk
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