One of Wales’ great campsites

Overlooking the sea

Caerfai Farm is somewhere that anyone who loves camping should try and visit if they love pretty coastlines and tiny cities…

The campsite is located a 5 minute walk out of St Davids, Britain’s smallest city, containing a couple of decent pubs and excellent restaurants as well as a helpful variety of shops, banks and tourist information. The cathedral is incredible and huge in comparison to the city itself, befitting its importance as a key place of medieval Christian pilgrimage.

The campsite is on a very well maintained organic farm south-east of town, with decent, if not luxurious, facilities, its own farm shop stocking the incredible Caerfai Caerphilly cheese (try the garlic and leek one…) and friendly owners running both farm and campsite. However, its trump card is that it sits right on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path above the gorgeous Caerfai Bay.

If you camp in the field nearest the beach you can wake up to stunning cliff-top views and be on the coast path within 2 minutes. If you are wondering why a path is so exciting, I’ll briefly explain: it showcases the Pembrokeshire Coastal National Park which can be walked in its entirety taking in some of the most stunning cliffs, beaches and natural harbours in the UK, if not Europe. You can expect to see plenty of seals (and pups at the right time) as well as rare birds, beautiful flora and if you’re lucky, dolphins.

Caerfai Bay itself is a pretty beach swelling in size at low-tide and holding some decent surf in the right conditions. The Glan Y Mor pub, just up the lane from Caerfai Farm, serves food and a decent pint of local Felinfoel Beer. If Caerfai is full, you can ask to camp behind their beer garden. Whilst in the area, be sure to go on a boat trip to Ramsey Island and if you like surfing, Whitesands Bay is the best spot around here (8-10 min drive) where you can also hire equipment.

This site, unsurprisingly, is becoming ever more popular and the owners do not allow it to get crowded so booking is essential during the summer months. Despite its popularity, it always manages to feel like you’ve really escaped somewhere special…

Site information

Caerfai Farm is open from Whitsun until late September

St Davids, Pembrokeshire
SA62 6QT

www.cawscaerfai.co.uk
01437 720548

Caefai on Google maps

One of Wales’ great campsites, Caerfai Farm is from Campr - Everything Camping

But is it?

Many amazing campsites are open all year round and winter or off season camping can provide a unique camping experience, that with a little planning is as rewarding as any summer trip. Most campsites are quiet at this time of year, so any unseasonably warm weekend is an opportunity to try some late season camping.

We’ve put together a list of beautiful campsites that are open throughout the winter months. It may be cold and sometimes bleak, but imagine the amazing solitude as the heaving masses huddle indoors contently adding a layer of winter fat.

Hooks House Farm

Based within the North Yorks Moors National Park, Hooks House Farm is situated on a working farm half a mile from Robin Hoods Bay and five miles from Whitby. With panoramic sea views you may need to huddle up but as consolation you can bring your own horse with DIY livery and stables.

Site info:
www.hookshousefarm.co.uk
01947 880283

Thornton’s Holt

Based in the pleasingly named hamlet of Stragglethorpe, Thorntons Holt is a few miles south east of Nottingham. With a friendly ‘farm atmosphere’ you may find a free range chicken pecking at your tent.  Note: From 1st November to Easter the shop and swimming pool are closed.

Site info:
www.thorntons-holt.co.uk
camping@thorntons-holt.co.uk
0115 9332125

Ayr Holiday Park

Ayr Holiday Park is the only campsite in St. Ives itself and less than half a mile from the town centre.  With award winning facilities Ayr Holiday Park will make winter camping a little easier and if it all gets a little too much head to the Tate.

Site info:
www.ayrholidaypark.co.uk
01736 795855

Troytown Farm

Perched on the western age of St. Agnes, Troytown Farm runs right down to the foreshore.  The remote island boasts panoramic views of the Atlantic and is only a mile across, so winter camping is probably the best chance you’ll get to pretend you’re a mad hermit surviving on your own (served by a handy shop selling seasonal produce).

Site info:
www.troytown.co.uk
enquiries@troytown.co.uk
01720 422360

Syke Farm

Situated near Buttermere village in the Lake District, Syke Farm is surrounded by mountains and a lake. Although the location looks remote the site is only a three minute walk from the Bridge Inn and Fish Hotel. With a tea shop for winter scones in the local village. Be warned! No advanced bookings (But probably most applicable if you fancy the site in summer)

Site info:
www.lakedistrictcamping.co.uk/campsites/northwest/syke_farm.htm
017687 70222

Gwern Gôf Isaf Farm

Another farm based site, Gwern Gôf Isaf Farm nestles between Capel Curig and Llyn Ogwen, close to the base of Tryfan. If the location appeals but the temperature doesn’t there are two bunk houses sleeping six or sixteen people.

Site info:
www.gwerngofisaf.co.uk
01690 720276

Vale of Pickering Caravan Park

Close to the famous Yorkshire Moors the Vale of Pickering Caravan Park boasts nearby attractions ranging from Dalby Forest to Flamingo Land. The site is more focused on caravaners but if you don’t mind sleeping next to some middle lane hoggers the site is a great winter destination.

Site info:
www.valeofpickering.co.uk
01723 859280

Beautiful Sites for Winter Camping is from Campr - Everything Camping

La Teste-de-Buch in the Arcachon Bay area of the South West of France boasts Europe’s largest sand dune, Dune du Pilat (also known as the Dune du Pyla) a truly awe inspiring natural feature served by numerous camp sites nestling alongside it’s sandy peaks.

Late season camping

Last month I camped at Le Petit Nice,  picking it on a whim from the range of camp sites that sit metres from the Middle Easternesque beaches in Archachon Bay.

The nearest major airport to the Arcachon Bay area is Bordeaux, giving you an opportunity to spend a day in the vibrant French city, unfortunately we chose to fly into Bergerac airport as it was cheaper. This backfired when we had to spend the first night of the holiday in the French equivalent of a Travel Lodge. However Bergerac Airport could be worth a visit for the hilariously low-fi arrivals lounge that is literally a metal shed with hand powered baggage belts.

Arriving at Arcachon

After a pleasant train journey we arrived at Arcachon station and quickly found a bus that connects to the camp site. One disadvantage of out of season camping in this area is the local bus service terminates a few stops short of the camp sites near Dune du Pilat.

Several bus drivers suggested hitch hiking to the camp site, an hours walk up a fairly steep road. But feeling nervous about our lack of French we decided to walk it. This was hard work! Particularly as Le Petit Nice is one of the last camp sites along this section of the Route de Biscarrosse.

Le Petit Nice

Le Petit Nice

The effort of the walk was softened by the sight of the towering dunes with para-gliders drifting overhead so we were relieved to finally arrive at Le Petit Nice. The staff are friendly, speak good English and allowed us to choose our pitch. The site is part of the Franceloc scheme so if you’re staying more than a few nights it works out cheaper to buy a membership card.

Le Petit Nice is situated on a gently sloping hill leading down to the beach with each pitch having it’s own platform built into the hill, the effect is like a rice paddy of tents. The site also caters for motorhomes and there are a variety of static caravans to rent. Be warned the ground is extremely hard in places with the pitches consisting of hard packed rocky sand, so a mallet will be useful (or a good sized rock).

Facilities

The site boasts a swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court, table tennis tables, restaurant and shop.

The shop is the only disappointing facility with a fairly poor selection of food, sundries and expensive, slightly dubious looking vegetables. This was a highlighted when we snuck into Le Petit Nice’s neighbour to find a much larger supermarket and bistro, however it is a few Euros a night more expensive.

Sand and nudity

The main draw of Le Petit Nice and it’s rivals is the beach and dunes. The beach is a few minutes walk from the site with a large dune that must be traversed to get to the sea (this is fun!). There are steps and walking mats installed on the dunes but it’s hard going climbing back up.

The beach seems to be popular with ‘older’ nudists so if you’re adverse to wrinkly bottoms you may prefer to sunbathe in the dunes. The area has a healthy population of mossies so remember the insect repellent. Visiting in September the temperatures were in the high twenties with a gentle breeze from the sea. The beaches were quiet with most activity coming from the paragliders launching themselves off the dunes.

The site has several BBQ areas and bringing the charcoal back from Arcachon we decided to try hitch hiking and were surprised to find cars stopping within minutes. It seems to be an accepted practise in this area of France so if you’re travelling in a couple I can highly recommend it as a method of travel.

Outside of the camp site,  Arcachon Bay is a regional centre for water sports and paragliding with equipment available for hire in Arcachon Town.

Overall

Le Petit Nice comes highly recommended, the location is the star feature and there are plenty of alternative sites in this area but you won’t be disappointed.

Site information

Le Petit Nice
Route de Biscarrosse
33115 Pyla sur Mer

Tel: 05 56 22 74 03

Main image courtesy: Marynolan.
Side image courtesty: Panayotis

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Hollands Wood Campsite

Ok, so with the weather forecast predicting some of the best temperatures of this summer to date for the weekend just past, we decided it was time to try out some camping in the New Forest.

We set off from the in hope of setting up camp at Hollands Wood Campsite which is situated on the A337 road near the Balmer Lawn Hotel, on the northern edge of Brockenhurst. However even with their 600 pitches, it looked as though pretty much ever campr in the country was intent on making use of the good weather, and sadly we were turned away.

This was to become a frequent trend, as we rather desperately used the satnav to locate alternative campsites using the ‘points of interest/save our bacon’ feature.

After a handful of rejections by what looked like large campsites we felt it was almost time to turn home, (or perhaps look for a hidden away bit of land for a spot of wild-camping – not that’d we do that of course… that’s illegal don’t you know).

Making bacon (eggs)

Chapelfield Campsite

However our prayers were answered by the lovely, wonderful, owners of Chapelfield Campsite, near Fordingbridge. They thankfully managed to put us up for the night even though they too were very much full.

So – Chapelfield Campsite? Although the people were wonderful and answered our calling, the campsite was relatively ‘basic’. I guess you would probably say it was lacking in atmosphere, and had an air of carboot sale field, rather than camping field.

Saying that, the campsite did have a good number of portaloos and hot showers for that morning freshen up, so it covered the basic needs of your every day campr, but certainly couldn’t be described as luxurious.

So, I guess the summary would be, a nice little campsite if you just want to pitch a tent and survive, but if you want a bit more adventure, and perhaps the odd wild horse poking his head into your tent during the night there’s one thing to remember… book in advance!

Further information

Chapelfield Campsite
Pitches from £5 a night

8-10 Whitsbury Road
Fordingbridge
Hampshire
SP6 1JZ

Tel: 07807 471621

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Stoke Barton Farm

If you’re a real outdoor camper then you will love the area and the camp site. It’s a working farm but you aren’t in a danger of being hunted down by a moo cow!

The showers are pretty basic and aren’t in the camping field but they have toilets in the main field which are always spotless. This site is absolutely huge, you can honestly pitch 100 metres from your neighbour! There is also a small park area for the kids along with a football pitch.

Colin (site owner) is probably the most helpful site owner you will ever meet along with the rest of his family. Other facilities include, tea rooms where you can buy the tastiest cakes and real Devonshire cream teas and relax in a beautiful farmhouse or outside in the sun. Packed lunches can be made to order.

All of this looks out across the sea and on a clear day you can see Lundy perched elegantly on the horizon.

Being right on the North Devon coastline there are miles of scenic walks to enjoy or pop just down the road to Hartland Quay for a paddle. You can even take your horse or pony on holiday with you!

Booking information

For more information on Stoke Barton Farm visit the website or call 01237 441238.

Camping is £5.50 during the high season electric hook-ups and firewood is available. Dogs are also welcome.

Camp on a working farm at Stoke Barton is from Campr - Everything Camping

We take a look at the classic seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare and delight in its unexpected pleasures.

Weston-super-Mare

Since the Victorians took a fancy to dipping their toes in the muddy English channel, Weston-super-Mare has been a peculiarly popular seaside resort.

Weston (as the locals call it) boasts the second highest tidal range in the world meaning you should feel lucky if the sea makes an appearance during your trip to the beach, otherwise miles of mud will offer the opportunity for a free spa session with some of the west country’s finest brown stuff.

Whilst it’s hey day is undoubtedly behind it there is still fun to be had, even if only under the banner of irony as you stroll down the promenade sporting a kiss me quick hat.

Weston boasts more than it’s fair share of star dust with notable residents including Jill Dando (deceased), Jeffery Archer (perjurer) and John Cleese (national treasure)

Things to see

The Grand Pier
Disaster struck Weston’s greatest tourist attraction last year when the Grand Pier burnt to the ground in spectacular fashion.

The structure is till open to the public and a hastily opened Pier Fire exhibition goes some way to replacing the burnt amusements that sent tonnes of molten pennies falling into the sea.

The Silica
The Silica is a piece of public art that serves a baffling number of uses including advertising sign, retail kiosk, and bus shelter.

Whilst local debate rages over it’s aesthetic merits the Silica will act as useful meeting point during your stay as you tell your friends to “meet your by the carrot” before buying more rude post cards.

Dolphin Square Market
Walking through the doors of Dolphin Square will assault your senses with a most distracting smell, as you wander around the racks of VHS videos and BB guns you will find Weston’s largest retailer of unidentifiable meaty dog chews. The smell is truly unbelievable and worth a visit to the town in itself.

T4 on the Beach
You’ve just missed it this year but Weston’s annual musical knees-up is great if you’re a hormone mad teenager. But with some genuinely big pop acts visiting the town every year it beats riding the donkeys.

Places to camp

West End Farm
A small, family run site just a couple of miles from the town centre. One of the few sites located around the town itself, West End Farm specialises in families and couples.

The facilities are a little basic but the site is well maintained and is attractive if you’re looking for something more relaxed than the big sites in Brean

Dulhorn Farm Holiday Park
Also family focused, Dulhorn Farm is set on a working farm. A good location for walking and mountain biking with the Mendips just on the doorstep.

As a base for visiting Weston it’s a little far out but that could be viewed as a benefit…

Take a staycation in Weston-super-Mare is from Campr - Everything Camping