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Reviews of Shell Island Camp Site
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Shell Island Camp Site
Shell Island
Llanbedr
Gwynedd (Browse area)
LL45 2PJ
Tel: 01341 241453
Visit their website Check Digital TV coverage See Weather Forecast
   
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Pitches: 800
Open: 08/04/2024 to 11/09/2024
08/04/2025 to 11/09/2025
Rating: 
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 Tent Pitches |
 No Caravans |
 Motorhome Pitches |
 Small Campervans |
 No Glamping Units |
 No Statics for Hire |
 No Statics for Sale |
 No Seasonal Pitches |
 No Electric Hookups |
 No Hardstandings |
 No Fully Serviced Pitches |
 Show Full Facilities |
| Who's it for |
 Families Welcome |
 Not Members Only |
 No Rallies |
 Not Naturist Site |
 Dogs Welcome |
 No Dogs Allowed |
 Groups Welcome |
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| Facilities |
 Toilet Facilities |
 Hot Showers |
 No Washing Up Area |
 No Bathroom |
 No Baby Changing |
 Laundry On Site |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 No Battery Charging |
 Gas Exchange |
 Recycling Facilities |
 No Kitchen Facilities |
 No Freezer / Fridge |
 No Motorhome Point |
 Wifi Access |
 Shop On Site |
 Bar On Site |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site |
| Activities |
 Kids Playground |
 TV Room |
 No Games Room |
 Evening Entertainment |
 Fishing On Site |
 Wild Swimming On Site |
 No Indoor Pool |
 No Outdoor Pool |
 Horse Riding <5 miles |
 No Cycle Hire |
 No Golf |
 No Tennis |
 Beach On Site |
 Watersports On Site |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 Campfires Allowed |
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 Coastside Pitches |
 Public Transport <5 miles |
 Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access |
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Reviews:
301 in total, now showing 211 to 220
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
Rating: 
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Value for money:
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| Reviewer: Bruddy |
1 review from this member |
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 Went with just myself and 4 kids to this campsite for a couple of days after the August bank holiday had wound down. When we arrived we found ourselves in the teeth of a howling wind but some other campers were quickly on the scene to help us out. Thanks whoever you were
The location was superb with acres of space and great scenery. We camped a 5 minute drive away from the main facilities with the eerie presence of the portaloos the only unsettling link with civilization. There is something of the frontier sprit about the campers we encountered on this site and we all seemed proud of our ability to cope in the wild surroundings.
The conditions didn't abate so our tent spent a few days locked in combat with the wind . And winning; just! Some campers were not so lucky and the huge dumpster style rubbish bins began to fill with broken tents and windbreaks. Pretty soon we bought a kite though and really enjoyed some great moments flying it on the beach with the waves crashing, and up in the dunes
Also on the plus side it didn't rain much so we were able to explore the island, but our enjoyment of the place was interrupted every few steps by empty beer cans and pop bottles underfoot. Even so, we had an absolutely brilliant time which was mainly down to the scenery and location
The facilities were OK'ish and there is a great breadth of stuff for sale in the three shops in the main area; but the main toilets, the shower block and the pub were a bit run down and inadequate.
Overall the site would benefit from some re-investment in its infrastructure and they really need to solve the problem of inadequate sanitation and litter collection, particularly in outlying areas. However I wouldn't hesitate to go again and I really believe that the management ought to spend some money on offering a real solution to these minor problems very soon as the place is certainly worth the effort and the investment 
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
Rating: 
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Value for money:
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| Reviewer: Wave22 |
4 reviews from this member |
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I saw another review describing this as Shameless Island.
Unfortunately I have to agree, I have had the greatest camping holidays on this site and it is a truly beautiful place, however, it is a magnate for idiots.
On both of my last two visits I have heard and seen people racing their cars very late at night. This worries me greatly as I have two young girls asleep behind a canvas barrier. You could bet they are under the influence of some substance while doing Colin Mc Rae impressions.
Noise has always been a problem here but the policing has deteriorated incredibly.
I have been coming to Shell Island for about 12 years, and have to admit that years ago we did come as a group of lads and then groups of families. It has been ideal because you could once have a fire on the ground in the dune side, now you must have a raised fire bin which is fair enough. We did have the noise police coming down to us at least once per trip but we did turn down and always tried to camp away from families and Always left the area even better than it was when we arrived.
Now it seems you can make as much noise as you want and do whatever you want and nobody does anything. We tend to camp far in the dunes and due to vast open area anybody who is causing a disturbance can see the warden coming and stop if indeed he comes at all.
I am due to go next week with a group of friends and I am really not looking forward to it because in my opinion standards have dropped so drastically.
Can I make a suggestion or two to Mr Shell Island.
1. You separate each area or field into zones.
2. You supply campers with a text number so that they can confidentially inform you of any dangerous or severely disruptive behaviour. (because noise carries I would feel uncomfortable ringing a number and the guilty party being aware of me being the informant) Campers could then text for example ‘ drunk driving zone 2’
3. You enforce the rules you have put in place or at least give the young people an area were they can camp and families being given another area.
4. You act upon offenders and evict immediately.
It’s a huge shame because for me it is by far the best camp site around. The sand dunes are magnificent, the beach is nice, the sunsets are incredible, if you need something hot to eat, the café is always there, although, your dinner is often cold before you get to the till because it is canteen like, (but slower) but if you just want chips or something its there, Barmouth is just down the road and this is a great town with a fair, donkeys on the beach and lots of nice shops and pubs. Harlech Castle and Portmerion are also close by. The shops on site have papers, groceries and any camping apparatus you might have forgotten, also the all important logs for the fire can be bought there quite reasonably. Perhaps its me, maybe my criteria has changed now, It just seems to be more for the loose to roam Staff’s and Lacoste Tracky type now. Shame………………….
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: S1lversurfer |
4 reviews from this member |
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Shell Island has hardly changed in the last 30 years.
We took our girls and their friends and the dogs and spent 3 weeks at a time - wonderful regardless of the weather!
Now 30 years on in our second childhood we have visited with grandchildren - the 4 year old quote 'this is what I call fun'.
Its for campers!
Its not for the faint-hearted and those who like home comforts.
Yes it is preferable if you have own loo and plenty of equipment.
30 years ago there were no Portaloos - and Portaloos are like any other loo- it depends on how people use them as to how quickly they become unusable or just downright disgusting.
The shower block wasn't there when we first started going - its surprising what you can do with a bowl of hot soapy water.
People who complain have to remember - its for camping AND the owners are subject to rules laid down by the Snowdownia National Park and aren't allowed to put in further facilities without permission - this is difficult to achieve.
What you get are miles of sandy beach and sand dunes, relatively safe sea bathing, views if lucky of dolphins, bird watching, unusual flowers, rock pooling, shell collecting and the excitement of who is last over the causeway at high tide!
When we there this month there was some loud music - but I didn't hear it after 11 p.M. (as promised in brochure).
P.S. Anyone remember the Fastnet Gales?
We were on Shell in those! what a day/night!
We are off again soon to trial new tent - to Shell.
Long may it continue!
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Monkey1974 |
2 reviews from this member |
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I love shell island. This site is excellent due to the size of the 'island' , the lovely beach, the little harbour, the fantastic dunes. The freedom you feel, the fact that you can have camp fires. The facilities, although not cheap, are more than adequate. The main shower/toilet block is clean. The portaloos are not good (best not to camp too close as they can start to stink after a couple of days) We stayed for five nights after missing the good weatherof the previous week. We left under a thunder cloud and in gale force winds. We will definitely return hopefully with a bit more sunshine.
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
Rating:
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Location:
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Value for money:
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| Reviewer: Greggo |
1 review from this member |
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First ever family camping trip 2 nights. Friends had been here last year. Huge site seemed to be driving around for ages trying to find a pitch. Eventually got one on the beach side near to the dreaded portaloos for the kids. No electric hookups available.
Used the supermarket and shop (forgot pans) everything you need is available at reasonable prices. Had our evening meal in the cafe as arrived late and tired. Very nice fish and chips and kids cleared their plates.U sed the Tavern sat inside a bit dated decor wise but perfectly comfortable.
First night a group of young adults arrived and the music started almost immediately and didnt stop till about 12 40 am. Fortunately the kids were worn out with the journey sand dunes etc etc and slept through it. This happened again the next night but mercilessly it stopped at 10.30 pm. As for the portaloos they were not cleaned or emptied from the friday evening or up to when we left at midday on the sunday.
The main toilet/showerblock is very popular for obvious reasons had to queue for about 30 mins for a shower which is to be expected I suppose during the busy August holiday period.
Went into Barmouth a 10 min drive away large range of shops pubs had a lovely lunch in 'the Last Inn'. Would definitely go back to Shell Island but having spoken to other veteran campers would try to pitch on the harbour side which I am led to believe is a bit quieter so would suit us with a younger family.
Perhaps the site should look into having a segregated family section / Younger Groups section as the one thing that did spoil it was the loud music otherwise a good first experience.
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| Date of Visit: July 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Campervan100 |
1 review from this member |
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Returning after an absence of around 7 years I found it was still a lovely place to be. There are lots of good points about the site. The supermarket is good (a bit pricey but aren't such places always a little bit dearer?), the accessories shop was really good, loads of equipment at really reasonable prices. I thought the fire baskets an excellent idea! Showers nice and hot. What did upset me though was the amount of litter left around, bottles, tins, plastic bags, you name it. I know some of it could be blamed on the very strong winds but not the bottles and tins. The area around the bar was just awful, really scruffy, as were the rusty tins on all the tables (not sure what they were for, if it was litter, they weren't working). Most of the people were nice and polite but the number of 'big dogs' (rotties, etc) was somewhat worrying. There were also a number of younger (and older) drivers who treated the place like a racetrack. Doubt I will go again, generally I was disappointed really. My friend summed it up.'a bit like Shameless goes on holiday'.
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Smulverwell |
2 reviews from this member |
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A very large site - the idea is that you pitch where you want to, provided you leave approx 20m between yourselves and tents already pitched. Size and nature of site mean you can camp in large open grassy spaces, or at the foot of a sand dune, or in amongst trees etc. Almost feels like the way camping should be - we found a patch of grass big enough for a tent, car, and space to move around/play bat & ball, enclosed by trees so it felt private but also felt like we weren't on a camp site, but camping in the real outdoors.
There are plenty of water points, rubbish skips, and portaloos dotted all around the site and a main communal toilet and shower bock by the entrance, although there are not enough showers and queues of at least 10 minutes form even if you aim to shower when the shower rooms open at 8am.
There is a general store and a camping store so almost everything you need is catered for - prices can be a little high though so the Spar in the main village is a good place to stop if you know you need supplies.
The other good thing is that BBQ's and fires are allowed, given that they are in a suitable container and raised off the ground - fire wood and small logs are available to create a campfire near to your tent.
The only down sides are the shower blocks and the fact that the site is accessed by a road which runs over the mudflats, and is submerged at certain times due to the tide, so access is restricted between certain times, and queues of cars can develop to wait to leave the island when the gates open and the road is safe to pass on.
For a camping trip that feels a little more like outdoors, but with the comforts of a campsite, or just for general camping this site is recommended, thoroughly enjoyed my stay there. Top tip, drive around the site and look at all the possible pitches before just setting up your tent anywhere - there are some really nice sheltered/private little areas if thats what you are looking for.
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| Date of Visit: July 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Glynjo |
2 reviews from this member |
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This was our first camping holiday as a family. Shell Island was recommended by a friend, and proved to be an excellent experience. The site is huge and roomy and the staff aim to allow plenty of personal space for campers. Indeed, when we were there the 'Camp Full' sign was displayed although the site was certainly not crowded. We pitched in the top corner field, near the path to the beach, which was a two minute walk away. The beach itself was kept clean and the water was crystal clear. On our final day, we were lucky enough to see dolphins following a passing boat!
There are plenty of facilities for adults and children, such as a bar, a cafe which doubles as an entertainment room, games room, supermarket, gift shop and a well-stocked camping shop, where gas is available to buy in the canister or you can leave a deposit and just pay for the gas. We were even offered a part-full cylinder at a cheaper price!
The bar does a carry-out on wine and beer; we found the three bottles of decent wine for £12 very reasonable.
There are no restrictions or extra charges on the size of tent, which is great for large families who have to have a large unit. Shell Island also has a rule that you are not to pitch within 20 metres of anyone unless they are in your party.
Overall, we had a wonderful time at a site that we felt looked out for the campers rather than their profits. Yes there are portaloos and you may well have to queue for a few minutes for a shower, but this is camping after all.
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| Date of Visit: July 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Mizdooleys |
2 reviews from this member |
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We were told about this campsite by my brother who recommended it highly. When we eventually found the campsite (only 1 signpost in village) we were pleasantly surprised. The reception staff were friendly and helpful, there are plenty of leaflets in reception if you want to leave the island. The prices were ok - £7.00 adult, £3.00 child in high season.
We were spoilt for choice with spaces, but pitched near the toilets (for the kids) and not too far from the pub (for us!).
The beach and estuary are in walking distance, crab and cockle pools excellent for kids.
The only gripe we had was the portaloos - they were cleaned once when we were there (we stayed for 2 days) but started to smell not long after they were cleaned. The best bet is to use the ones in the shower block (which we did not have the pleasure of using as it was busy on both days)
The supermarket is a little pricey, but if you remember to take the essentials, you should be fine.
The bar is open 11am - 11pm, reasonable prices, £2.50 for pint of lager, also take outs available (4 cans Carling for £4.60). Also snack bar is quite expensive (£3.10 for burger).
There is a park and games room for kids, we didnt use games room or snack bar but kids played in park on both nights.
I would definitely recommend this campsite, we enjoyed it and will be back.
Thanks to all staff at Shell Island for making the campsite what it is.
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| Date of Visit: May 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Kiwicaz68 |
1 review from this member |
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We stayed at Shell Island for the first time on the last weekend of May 2008. We only live 30 miles away but had never visited Shell Island before. It was 'heaven' from the time we arrived on the Friday night. We quickly found a spot for our tent which was only a few minutes walk from the main complex.
We enjoyed a lovely meal that night in the cafeteria - far more food than even my husband could manage - all for a very reasonable price. We enjoyed a couple of pints outside, which were cheaper than our local at home. Plus they serve 'take-outs' (again at a reasonable price)!
The only time we left the island was to have a quick trip to Barmouth where there is a supermarket to stock up. We are definitely going back to Shell Island during the school summer holidays with friends, and hope the experience will be just as brilliant as last time!
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Is Shell Island Camp Site child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Shell Island Camp Site? There is a shop on site View all facilities
Is Shell Island Camp Site dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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