I'm thinking about the Summer holidays this year. We want to explore Wales, but our eldest will be 16 and might (or might not) get a job. We have two other children, so a big tent (>7m long). Basically I'd like to go away but everything at the moment is up in the air.
If we didn't book anything now and tried to go last minute, maybe phoning round a week or two ahead, would we find anything? Would we need to book a whole week?
Never done it this way before so some advice would be welcome.
Thanks!
Graham
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Hi,
As LlaniDavis says, coastal sites will be in the best part fully booked.
However,always worth checking for cancellations.
Having a tent and a car ,you can afford to go inland where there may be spaces, although still relatively close to the coast.
Not many sites ,at the moment demand you book a whole week,it's mainly a minimum amount of days over Bank holiday periods.
I think most people on here would probably agree, last year seen a huge increase in numbers on sites due to events abroad ,I can see this increasing even further this year.
You could always try booking a site that takes no deposit and as long as you give them reasonable notice cancel .
Hope all works out for you.
Regards,
Greg
Hi Graham, we did a similar thing a couple of years ago and ended up on a site called Shell Island, we found it to be a fantastic base for exploring the local area and the original plan was just to do a couple of nights then move on, however we ended up doing the full week as the pitch was perfect for our large tent, the back drop (mountains & beaches) to the site is amazing and found plenty to do in the surrounding areas. If memory serves me correct, we didn't book until a couple of days before setting off and this was into August, so well into the school holidays.
You could always book and pay deposit ( if required ) on your basic set up ( 2 adults, 2 children, large tent ) then add your son at a later date if hes coming along.... That would work with our site, it would largely depend when in the summer you were looking at booking eg: bank holiday weekend we're already booking up for whereas mid august over the last few years we've had pitches last minute... The weather is also a large factor but generally people want to get away for the traditional weeks ( first 3 weeks of the holidays ) and for the bank holiday, the inbetween bits certainly around ceredigion are only moderately busy.
------------- If you can't beat em, join em, so we did! And then we sold it for a holiday let & Glamping pod instead 😁
Thanks for all the advice. So, if we avoid the key dates, and aren't too fussy about being bang on the coast (both of which we can do) then we should be OK.
Awesome!
Thanks
Graham
PS A friend went to Shell Island and loved it so that might be on our list.
You don't say where you are located or how far you want to travel but if you can avoid the key dates, especially the long summer holidays, then Golden Sunset Camping Fields at Benllech on Anglesey may be ok for you - you can't book, you just turn up.
There are no designated pitches but the site is so vast (it's split into several different fields) that you'd have no trouble finding somewhere to pitch a large tent. There's a limited amount of hook-up points in various parts and most areas of the site have great sea views. It's only a few minutes walk into the village with it's shops, cafes and take aways, and just a short walk/drive to a great beach. The facilities are nowhere near posh but as long as you don't expect anything like five star they are perfectly adequate.
Anglesey has lots of great beaches and is a lovely place for exploring. I've been going there and staying at that site every year since I first started camping twenty years ago - I usually go out of school holidays and often have the place to myself, and although it's not everyone's cup of tea I love it. Have a look at this post from my blog - it shows you part of the site and one of the great views - then look through the archives for lots more photos of various places on the island, it may give you some ideas :) http://tigermousetales.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/monday-august-1st-2011-view-that.html
------------- Tigermouse
I have a very temperamental personality - 50% temper and 50% mental
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I'm based in South Wales, but just after Christmas Middlest of the three boys said "Can we go to a Cadw (Welsh English Heritage) site?" We have cards so it's free entry. Being me, I thought, "Why go to one site when we could go to all of them in one year?" It being a few days before new year, it seemed a good idea at the time.
Obviously over the winter we'll be going to all the local sites, but eventually we'll need to head off on impromptu trips to do a whole area. Incidentally, that's a great tip, because there are 24 sites to visit on Anglesey alone, plus more in Gwynedd.
So, ultimately we'll be hitting all the big areas, with the exception of the area around Cardiff and probably up as far as the Brecons and Black Mountains.
There is a great site called Rhydywernen Farm near Brecon, camping near a river, fires allowed and not far from the waterfalls and of course the mountains. Has loos and showers.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Last minute camping in Wales
