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Reviews of Snowdon Base Camp Cwellyn Arms
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Snowdon Base Camp Cwellyn Arms
Was Snowdon Valley Camping
At The Foot Of Snowdon
Rhyd Ddu
Gwynedd (Browse area)
LL54 6TL
Tel: 01766 890321
Visit their website Check Digital TV coverage See Weather Forecast
   
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Pitches:
Open: 01/02/2024 to 17/11/2024
01/01/2025 to 24/01/2025
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 |
 Washing Up |
 No Bathroom |
 No Baby Changing |
 Laundry On Site |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 No Battery Charging |
 No Gas Exchange |
 No Recycling Facilities |
 No Kitchen Facilities |
 No Freezer / Fridge |
 No Motorhome Point |
 No Wifi Access |
 Shop <5 miles |
 Bar <1 mile |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <1 mile |
| Activities |
 No Playground |
 No TV Room |
 No Games Room |
 No Evening Ents |
 Fishing On Site |
 No Wild Swimming |
 No Indoor Pool |
 No Outdoor Pool |
 Horse Riding <5 miles |
 Cycle Hire <5 miles |
 No Golf |
 No Tennis |
 Beach <10 miles |
 Watersports On Site |
 Boat Launch / Mooring On Site |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 Campfires Allowed |
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 No Waterside Pitches |
 Public Transport <1 mile |
 Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access |
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Reviews:
62 in total, now showing 41 to 50
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Tcat |
4 reviews from this member |
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 For us, the negatives of this site outweighed the positives:
Negatives:
1. Poor drainage. One afternoon spell of persistent rain (a regular thing in the Snowdon National Park) resulted in the dry area of the right field we were pitched on turning into an ankle high pool making its way into the tent. The rain was heavy but not particularly unusual and we have endured such weather many times on many sites. This is the first one I've ever been to that became so flooded so quickly and such that we had no alternative than to pack up and go.
2. Cost - okay this is a popular area, but the cost for a family at £20 a night deserves a better standard.
3. The website gives the impression the pub is nearby if not right next to the site - do not be fooled! Taking the kids along the road for 1 mile or so is simply too dangerous, and the forestry track was a quagmire.
4. The pub is extortionate: it is nice pub grub, with city centre restaurant prices, and the beer's not inexpensive either. Neither is the lounge bar particularly spacious.
5. The facilities are insufficient for a site this size - 3 showers only, and two toilets (plus one in the disabled shower room). To be fair, the owner did say that they have permission to build another shower block in the right field, so maybe that particularly downside will not continue. However, if you find them dirty just mention it to the owner - he had the one unusable toilet sorted out straight away when we asked.
6. No vehicle access to the lake side field - we would have pitched there but there was just no way we could drag our hefty family tent and kit across - it would've taken hours. However, I now understand why: the fields get that waterlogged after just a few hours rain that vehicles coming and going would've turned it into a mini-Glastonbury. Again, to be fair, the owner did say that if it remained dry he would have come and moved one of the boulders blocking access to allow us to get the cars by the pitches when packing up.
Positives:
1. It is a beautiful location. The first couple of days was great weather and it was idyllic. If you are confident of dry weather, this place is great.
2. Quiet. It's tents only, the basic nature of the site can be appealing in terms of tranquillity and a sense of getting back to basic family fun - playing in streams, lakes, outdoor games etc, and without being bothered by the latest club anthem mix blaring out all day.
3. It's convenient to most places you might want to go: Canarfon, Porthmadog, Bedgellert, Bangor, Capel Curig and Betws-y-Coed all within about 1/2 hour. Plus there are many walks which can be done without having to drive, and all the popular mountain routes are within easy reach.
4. The camp fires is an attraction, though you do end up smelling of wood smoke for days. Kids love it.
If they could sort the draining on this site, it would be magnificent, with additional toilet facilities. Until then, on balance I would miss this one as Snowdon is somewhere you should expect heavy rain at anytime.
The owner did agree to keep open the day we paid for and didn't use, and he does have plans to keep improving the site - so maybe the negatives will go over time. 
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| Date of Visit: June 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Shedevil |
5 reviews from this member |
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Unfortunately we had to leave this campsite after 7 hours as our tent was flooded after torrential rain fall and high winds snapped one of our poles! I
It cost £6.00 each adult per night- dogs were free and they allowed us to take all 3 of our dogs.
When we arrived there was light rain fall which became heavy and in a short time the field was totally water logged. I had spoken to a woman at the pub the day before as I was worried about the weather. She assured me that it had been sunny there and that the rain had not appeared as forecast over the rest of the country. There was evidence that the river had bust its banks in several places that week as there were lots of twigs/tide marks/puddles/reeds on the camping field- particularly by the lake. We pitched in the field next to the river thinking it would be safer- but the river rose quickly and was due to come over the bank as we left. DRAINAGE IS VERY POOR!
The pub where you get your receipt from is a bit of a way up the road. It cost £5.80 for a pint of lager and a pint of cider. Food looked good and there's plenty of info leaflets to look at while you sit by the log fire. The site has 3 toilets and 3 free showers/payable laundry room/outside sinks with hot water/drinking water and slate worktops. They have several picnic tables and fire bowls on stands that are only allowed in the first field (you can have a camp fire on the floor if you camp near the lake). They sell wood at the pub or you take your own!
One thing that annoyed me is that you can not take your car on the fields if its raining. You park at the side of the road or in the car park which is annoying when trying to carry things through the puddles. We needed our car as shelter for the tent from the wind and our dogs usually sleep in the back of the car (but they do like to be near to us). No music is allowed on the site.
We will try this site again in the summer as the views and it's position are fabulous- we will need to check that rain hasn't fallen for a while first though!
(there's a youth hostel up the road if the weather does take a turn for the worst and the pub has Bed and Breakfast/a bunk house for rent if needed).
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| Date of Visit: October 2006 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Derm1983 |
1 review from this member |
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To put it simply, this is by far the best campsite I have ever been to. The location is simply perfect with stunning views of lake Cwellyn and mount Snowdon.
I am an avid walker and the choice of routes and mountains within walking distance of this site is quite simply unbelievable.
The facilities are very clean, general cleanliness of site is very good.
If you choose this site the pub in the local village is a must, the food is excellent, the staff are very friendly, the beer is good and advice about the local area easy to obtain.
I did manage to speak to the owner of the site whilst staying there and he was only to happy to give advice about routes and trails as well as anything else I needed to know. If you are planning on visiting this part of wales, or even if you are not my advice is
VISIT THIS SITE OR MISS OUT!
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| Date of Visit: August 2006 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Djs98 |
1 review from this member |
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On the plus side:
The camp site is really close to both the snowdon ranger and rhyd-ddu path. As well as other mountains on snowdon's west side such as moel hebog. So it is ideal for a walker who doesnt want to drive to get to a path. It really has some great views and its location in a valley by the lake is postcard worthy. It also allows you to have an open fire, using a fire pit (which are in limited supply in summer) - though I think you may be able to have an open fire near the lake. The camp site also has a pub about 10mins walk away. And yet it is also really close to carnarfon (15-20 mins in car)
On the down side:
We found that the guy who works in the pub and runs the site seemed to give the impression he would rather be somewhere else, and didn't make you feel that welcomed. The pub food is exactly that, it is not a restaurant at all. The toilets are hideous really, certainly hadn't been cleaned in a long while, and so stank of urine, littered with mud and rubbish and full of all kinds of insects/spiders. Warning for those who find such beasties a nightmare. Plus there are only two toilets and three showers for a site that could accommodate 100+ people! Ok, apart from that while we were there some workmen were digging up the car park with a jcb and putting in some piping, which sort of ruined the idyllic atmosphere a bit. Again, the guy in the pub did not tell us about this (of course).
So basically lots of potential to be a great walkers/family, tent only site in a great location.
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| Date of Visit: July 2006 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Sprocket |
11 reviews from this member |
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At can I say. We have just returned from our worst nights camping ever. I appreciate not all sites suit all people, but as we generally like quiet, out of the way campsites (we hate busy sites with entertainment !) we assumed that this site would be perfect for us and our children. How wrong we were. We booked in at the pub, the price was actually quite expensive at £6 each adult and £4each child. We also bought a bag of logs(£3). To give them their dues the staff were very friendly.
We were told that on the lake side of the site you could have fires anywhere, and on the rear field fires had to be in a firepit. On arrival at the site we realised what a previous reviewer meant regarding the carpark,and with dismay realised we couldn’t possibly carry our huge tent and allassociated paraphanalia over to the lake, perhaps if we had planned to stay for longer than one night we may have thought it worth it. We eventually decided to pitch in the rear field which was closer and appeared more ‘flatter’ despite the fact there were no spare fire pits as they had already been taken by people already there.
Can I just say that this site would be fantastic for anyone wanting to get as close to ‘wild camping’ as you can without actually doing it and perhaps if we didn’t have our large tent and children we may have felt differently. I would imagine however that the site would resemble a quagmire during any sustained period of rain( possibly why you can’t take your car onto the site!)
The toilets were, in my honest opinion, horrible. Dark and dingy and dirty. I’m not someonewho is usually fussed by facilities, basic, spidery etc I can cope with , but dirty I can’t. I didn’t spot anyone cleaning the time we were there. The midges were horrendous, perhaps if there were enough firepits for everyone this might have helped. We had industrial strength insect repellent but we’re all covered in bites, and we went to bed at 9pm because we just couldn’t sit outa ny longer. Our night was disturbed by inconsiderate campers playing music on and off until 4am. Yes, 4am. We will not be returning!
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| Date of Visit: June 2006 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Ianmercer |
2 reviews from this member |
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Great site, great location, very friendly staff at the pub (down the road which could be dodgy with kids!) Families be aware that most of the camping by the lake is a walk away from the car park, not far, but can be a problem if you like storing stuff in the boot of the car. Excellent site for walkers etc. TAKE YOUR INSECT REPELLENT!
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| Date of Visit: May 2006 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Streetgang |
4 reviews from this member |
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Eight of us in four tents made camp just inside the gate on the right because field by the lake was half full & half flooded. However we had a fabulous weekend, camp fires are accepted & encouraged by the owner in selling bags of logs at the local pub (20mins walk away). It was a very crowded weekend due to it being a bank holiday & a lot of pitches being unusable, however when a couple arrived & found no pitch available the landlord from the pub actually turned out to see if he could assist & he did.
All in all a really nice place that we shall certainly be visiting in the future, the only small criticism was that we had to pay up front on a card over the phone when we reserved our pitches, but that's business I suppose.
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| Date of Visit: February 2006 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Checkmate |
9 reviews from this member |
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This is a great site if you're not one for 'posh' campsites. It's very no frlils, but it's the only site I've ever been to which allows open fires, which is definitely a bonus. The toilet / shower block is mixed and there are only two showers and two toilets (plus a disabled shower / toilet room), but it has always been quiet when I have gone to this site so this hasn't been a problem. I went in February, and there were only a few other campers there. I also went in September last year, which was slightly busier, but there were portaloos scattered around at that time of year so there was never a queue for the toilet.
As said previously, pub is a little pricey. The food is very nice, but not exceptional. It's quite a walk to the pub, but as most people who stay at this site enjoy walking, this isn't a problem, though there are no pavements along the road to it, so you have to be careful of cars coming along. The landlord of the pub was very friendly and was happy to chat to us.
We would definitely go back.
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| Date of Visit: April 2006 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Bev Hazlehurst |
5 reviews from this member |
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I defy any "real camper" to dislike this site. We began our holiday on Easter Sunday and although it was fairly busy, it wasn't noisy and you almost had a comradely feel with your fellow campers when you looked around the site late in the evening and saw lots of lovely campfires burning.
The site then virtually emptied over Easter week and we were very lucky to have it mostly to ourselves. It was lovely to bask in the (unexpected) sun, listen to the birds and look out over the lake. It's a great place for birdwatching and stargazing if you're into that sort of thing.
We didn't experience any real problems with flooding, despite the fact that we were camped fairly close to the lake. There was a downpour for most of one night and if it had carried on any longer I think we may have been flooded out, but luckily the sky cleared. We spoke to the owner, who is trying to tackle the problem of flooding by raising the ground with slate taken from the stream (part of the site was blocked off for that reason), so they are aware of drainage issues.
All in all one of the best sites we've stayed.
We weren't as impressed with the pub, however. The food was adequate. It was expensive but I'd say that was to be expected, bearing in mind the the peaks and troughs in trade they must experience. Our complaint was the surly nature of the staff and the general untidiness of the place (there is a bbq area that was full of boxes, laundry baskets of tea towels in the loo, disused cookers cluttering the yard). With a bit more effort it could be a nice pub, but one visit was enough for us.
We will be returning to the campsite though. In fact I'm counting down the days ...
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| Date of Visit: April 2006 |
Unit: Other |
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| Reviewer: Blueeye |
3 reviews from this member |
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Not happy about this site at all. Took our money straight away knowing the place was like a bog. (It was tipping down to be fair) Had to go back and exchange for a bunkhouse for the night which was o.k.
Found a hard-standing site not five minutes down the road the next morning which was lovely in woods and a lot more friendly orientated and not run like a business.
Others might have a better time there but this is the only time I have had a bad site in 25 years of camping.
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62 Reviews in total, now showing 41 to 50
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Common Questions
Is Snowdon Base Camp Cwellyn Arms child friendly? YES, it accepts children View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Snowdon Base Camp Cwellyn Arms? There is a shop within 5 miles View all facilities
Is Snowdon Base Camp Cwellyn Arms dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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