Beddgelert Campsite is situated right in the very heart of Snowdonia in the famous village of Beddgelert – our favourite place in the whole of Snowdonia National Park.
We’ve camped here as a family numerous times over the years – and Bev had her very first holidays as a child here 30 or so years ago!
** Update – June 2018 **
We discovered in June 2018 (after many years camping here in the past) that the site has been taken over by Forest Holidays, who have changed the site from a tent and caravan site to a luxury cabins site. The majority of the tent and caravan pitch areas now have cabins built on them – with only a very small grass area remaining for a handful of tents.
We had a look around on our June 2018 visit to Beddgelert and didn’t feel the remaining camping area was suitable – it appeared too small and uneven – and the previously family-friendly facilities have been removed. You can also no longer camp for single night stays, with a minimum 4-night booking at a cost of £170.
The cabins weren’t complete when we looked around, with some construction and landscaping work still going on. They looked high quality – but we were told the cost was £1,000 for a minimum four night stay, so the site is no longer suitable for our short family weekend camping trips. Check out the nearby Cae Du Campsite instead now, which we highly rate. Our review can be read here.
The Beddgelert Campsite review below has been left to maintain an archive of our trips, but the information below is no longer relevant.
The campsite has changed ownership several times over the years. When we first started coming here as a family back in about 2005, we believed it was independently owned and run. At the time of writing, it’s operated by ‘Camping in the Forest‘ – the trading name of the Camping & Caravanning Club.
Whoever’s been responsible for operating the site over the years, every time we’ve been we’ve loved it and had a great experience.
Campsite Location
The first thing Beddgelert campsite has going for it is its location. The village of Beddgelert is perfectly situated for exploring the whole of Snowdonia and is just a few minutes’ drive from many of the paths up Snowdon, along with tons of other mountain walks and routes within very easy reach.
We’ve written a separate post all about Beddgelert Village itself – but suffice to say, the village has everything you’ll need for a camping holiday, including restaurants, pubs, cafes, a tourist information centre plus a large camping and hiking supplies shop.
Beddgelert Campsite is located just outside the village – it’s about 2 or 3 minutes’ drive or probably about 15 to 20 minutes’ walk from the campsite itself.
The campsite is on the fringes of Beddgelert Forest, with some of the pitches – particularly the caravan ones – in the trees of the forest, with the tent fields on large open grass spaces.
A beautiful mountain stream runs through the campsite, which we always end up paddling in or cooling our feet off in after a long day in the mountains.
Paths lead literally from the camping area up in to the forest with its network of walking and bike-riding trails of varying degrees of difficulty.
It’s about a half-hour walk or so from the campsite through the forest up to Llyn Llewelyn, a peaceful lake with picnic benches and small beaches around the edge.
One of our favourite things is to wake up in the morning and unzip the tent to find sunshine and blue skies (admittedly quite rare in Snowdonia) and the summit of Mount Hebog (Beddgelert’s own mountain) towering above you. Most days it’s shrouded in cloud so the days when you can see it in all its glory against a clear blue morning sky are all the more special!
The site is about as peaceful and relaxing as a campsite in the UK can get. This is being written by someone who is not exactly a fan of camping but goes along a bit begrudgingly to keep the rest of the family happy! But even I, after all the stress and hassle of getting the tent up in the rain is done, can’t help but love being in these surroundings, where the only sounds are those of the stream running past the tent, the distant bleating of sheep and perhaps children playing happily in the playground area.
It’s a campsite where you can feel really close to nature, but still safe in the knowledge that warm, dry restaurants, pubs and coffee shops with cooked food and hot drinks are just a stones-throw away down the road if you need them.
Many campsites we’ve stayed at in the past are just large open fields, but Beddgelert Campsite has a more interesting and natural feel to it, the way it winds its way through woods, over mountain streams and with caravan and tent pitch areas broken up by trees between them.
For all these reasons, plus the fact we love Snowdonia and the spectacular scenery right on the doorstep of the campsite so much, it’s our favourite ever campsite.
Facilities
Beddgelert campsite has all the facilities you’d expect of a popular, well-established site like this.
It’s extremely family-oriented and very popular with those camping with kids – and there’s a small, good quality playground area with a slide, swings and climbing frame.
There’s also a campsite shop selling basic supplies – although if you need more extensive shopping for more of the comforts of home, you may find you’ll have to drive all the way to Porthmadog (about 7-miles away) where there’s a huge Tesco. We’ve not tried this ourselves so can’t be certain it’ll work – but if you need grocery supplies for a week’s camping, perhaps you could do an online shop at Tesco before your holiday and book the delivery to arrive at the campsite when you’re there?
There are two toilet blocks, one small one and one larger one with showers and wash basins. We’ve always found these generally clean but the cleanliness varies depending on the time of day and how long ago it was cleaned. I did feel, last time we visited, that the cleaning frequency ought to have been higher – but that was in 2016 and this may be different now.
There’s also washing-up and laundry facilities, which is useful at a place where you’re highly likely to be getting out and getting your clothes dirty.
There are caravan and tent pitches that have options for electrical hook-up if you need them.
One thing to be aware of is that the ground is rocky! Hammering in tent pegs can be a nightmare as in many places there’s a solid layer of rock about an inch beneath the surface of the grass. The campsite’s website clearly recommends ‘rock pegs’ and we’d definitely agree.
Also, particularly at certain times of the year, it can be a bit plagued by mosquitoes, what with the proximity of the river, so bring whatever mosquito repellent you can. One year we stayed here in early May and were attacked by a huge cloud of them! That time, people were actually leaving and going home early because of it – but we’ve only ever experienced it to that severity once, and it seemed it may be worse at that time of year. Later in the summer, although they’re still there buzzing around a lot, it’s bearable and not too much different to any other campsite.
For us, Beddgelert Campsite has everything to make for a perfect camping holiday – whether for one night or a whole week. We’ve had entire week-long holidays camping here, as well as short one-night or long-weekend stays and have loved it every single time. It’s always had an exceptionally friendly atmosphere, really family friendly with good staff and pleasant fellow-campers. Added to the incredible views, convenient location and natural beauty of the site itself and surrounding woodland, it will probably always be our favourite ever place to go camping!
Useful information
- Beddgelert Campsite location – Google Maps link
- Link to their website, with online booking: https://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/wales/snowdonia/beddgelert-campsite