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We spent the weekend here mid March, my husband was taking part in the Ras yr Aran.
Booking the site was really easy, Gareth answered emails straight away.
The site itself is quite large and I would imagine gets very busy in the Summer months. The views are stunning and its location is brilliant for visiting Bala, Betws y Coed, Snowdon etc.
The facilities were being painted while we were there, the gents loo's and showers were finished and my husband said they were very clean, the ladies was out of use, but there was a perfectly adequate loo and shower.
We visited the local pub, we didn't test the food but it did look good, maybe next time!
The owners were really friendly and the atmosphere of the site lovely, plus the weather was perfect all weekend, we will definitely be visiting again, especially as the site is open all year!
Fantastic site! Has everything for a perfect camp, friendly owners where nothing is too much trouble, clean facilities, a tumble dryer (essential in Wales!) and that all important campfire.
Quite wet when we visited, but Paul directed us to the driest pitches. There were a couple of groups camping at the far end, and we were told that if we were disturbed at all to let Paul know and that he would sort it out. There weren't any problems, but it was nice to know someone cared.
Amazing views of North Wales from the site, plus lovely background noise of the stream and the tooting of the steam train.
I had been looking at the possibility of camping at Bwch Yn Uchaf for some time but had been put off by reports that the toilet and shower facilities were a little basic. But I know that this is a beautiful part of the world and when I read that the facilities had been improved I immediately resolved to camp there, which we did with friends at the beginning of August.
Bwch Yn Uchaf is not difficult to get to or find. We were greeted with a warm welcome and, having paid our fees, were given a free choice of where to pitch out tents; all pitches were wonderfully level and flat and all pitches offered fine views of the lovely scenery. The first area that you come to is for EHU and caravans. Then there is a very large top field on the railway side of the campsite, two or three smaller fields on a lower level nearer the river that runs down the north side of the campsite and also several pitches that are right next to the river, though these pitches are on an elevation so there’s no real chance of flooding. These riverside pitches were all, understandably, taken and provided picturesque settings with the babble of a gentle stream flowing by. However, they are a little hemmed in and, because of their elevated position, don’t allow access to the river.
We chose the farthest-most small field (just where the track peters out, if you look on satellite images). The advantages for us were that we had it to ourselves, it was secluded with no “passing trade” and it provided pretty much the only convenient access to the river. We’d taken a dinghy and the kids loved rowing up and down the river, paddling in it and building dams; and parents need not be concerned as it’s no more than 18 inches deep and often much shallower.
The downside of this pitch was that it was a LONG way to the shower block and toilets which are near the entrance to the site. You did not want to get caught short! The shower block was a little bit of a disappointment and an opportunity spurned. In the Gents there were two showers, two WCs, urinals and sinks. Everything was always clean, serviced and largely functional but not as well thought out as it might have been and certainly not sufficient for busy weekends; this was confirmed by neighbouring campers who had been there over the previous weekend. I say “largely functional” because we found the temperature setting for the showers to be rather temperamental. Other facilities included washing machines and a freezer.
Half way between our pitch and the shower block were some “portaloos”. We often saw these being cleaned and maintained but never tried them.
The campsite is situated at the western end of the Bala Lake Railway and each morning the steam trains were fired up for the day’s excursions. We found the sights, sounds and, if near enough, smells of this daily ritual to be a quite delightful interruption to what was otherwise a peaceful setting. It’s a lovely ride along the side of the lake to Bala and the only reason we didn’t go on this occasion was that it was something we ticked off last time we camped in the area.
Because the kids enjoyed playing in the fields and in the river so much we didn’t wander too much from the campsite. We spent one day visiting Betws Y Coed and the beach at Barmouth. But other than that the only excursions were the 10-15 minute drives into Bala for provisions.
One thing that’s pretty-much a must-have for us is permission for campfires. These are allowed so long as they are raised off the ground in fire pits (car wheels that serve the purpose can be hired) using wood that’s sold on site. Another thing we all enjoyed was the lack of light pollution; the campsite is sufficiently remote that stargazing on a clear night was a fascinating way to pass the time for all concerned and we saw satellites and a couple of shooting stars. However, it does mean that you need a torch or lantern to navigate safely to the shower block.
If I were asked to pick out area for improvement other than those I’ve already mentioned about the shower and toilet block then all I could really highlight is that the large top field could really do with some landscaping with hedges, trees, etc. , to break up what is rather a vast expanse of flat field. The field is large enough to accommodate this without compromising the space for kids to play ball games, etc. , and would look much better for it.
However, the scenic views, the peace and quiet and the open spaces and river for the kids to play in make this an excellent choice for a family campsite. Add to these the warm, friendly welcome and service and the reasonable prices we were charged and I would hope to visit here again in the not-too-distant future.
Was greeted by friendly owner and told to pick my own pitch. The main field is huge and flat if a bit exposed and nowhere near full. Plenty of room though.
The lower pitches are by the river which are lower and more sheltered than the main field.
I camped at the end by a small stream which ran into the river. After the weekend most of the tents had gone. Started to fill up again on the Friday.
The main block was a bit of a hike, 5 mins walk if pitched at the end. But porta loos with wash basins are nearby if camped at the far end.
All facilities were cleaned on a regular basis (at least twice a day) and loo paper replenished.
Showers are free as is hot water, hand dryer, Freezer free for campers use, also washing machines (charge)
Camp fires are encouraged in fire pits supplied.
As stated before no shop on site or village but Pub does sell basics.
Petrol/garage on main road but no shop. (Think they are missing a trick here. )
Bala Lake railway station next to site which has Tea Room/coffee/snacks.
Downside to the site. I can't think of one except maybe a shop but that's just nit picking.
This is a smashing well run site with superb views of the mountains.
Just returned from three nights camping at Bwch Yn Uchaf. We are a family of 4 with a large family tent were very impressed. The site is bounded on one side by a small river and on the other by the Bala Lake Railway (the station is almost on the site).
The reply to my enquiry e-mail was prompt and very friendly and upon arrival the welcome was the same. The site has loads of space and you can choose a place to pitch to your preference. We were invited to drive around the site and all the pitches are lovely and flat.
The main toilets and showers are close to the house and if you want to pitch by the river it is a fair walk on a slight incline but the site roads are firm even in wet weather. There are Portaloos closer to the river. We chose the top field to be nearer to the amenities. Although the site was fairly busy we seemed to have loads of space and privacy and were not disturbed by other camper's noise at all.
There seems an endless supply of hot water and we found the showers and toilets to be well looked after and very clean.
Camp fires are allowed in off ground containers and the site has a blue Ford Fiesta that drives around the site early evening from which you can hire a fire pit and buy logs.
The views from the site are wonderful and the short drive to Bala is easy if you need supplies from the Co-op or Spa or food and drink from a number of pubs and eateries. There is also a local pub a short walk away in Llanuwchllyn which is very friendly and does reasonable food and also sells newspapers, and other basic supplies.
We went out on a drive to Harlech to visit the castle and were amazed how short the drive is to get to the coast.
All in all, a proper camp site for those who want to get away from it all without roughing it. Nice and chilled but clean, friendly and well maintained. Less than a 2 hour drive from Manchester, I will definitely be returning.
Contacted campsite owner as we have a XL tent and he was very helpful and friendly and said there would not be a problem staying with our tent. Very reasonable price per night not per person like some sites do.
Stunning views all round the site we pitched ourselves near the river which was so lovely to watch and listen to of an evening.
Very quiet at night and more or less silent by 11pm (apart from the owl that came to visit) I really cant say enough good things about this site apart from it is so lovely.
There are showers, toilet washing facilities which are basic but isn't that what camping is about! I would say the only thing they could have which would make it even better would be a play area for the kiddies, but we kept them busy.
The local pub was very friendly although it was very very busy so we didn't stay to eat. We went to the White Lion Hotel in Bala town centre which did lovely food and were also very friendly.
We visited two beaches which were a fair drive away: barnmouth which was very sandy and had shops, small funfair etc which was lovely as it had the seaside feel but still very much a small village and the other was fairbourne beach which was more pebbles and a bit tricky to get to the sand with little ones.
Bala Lake was also lovely but a word of warning the ducks are very keen and will surround you if they see bread :O) although they did seem very friendly and didn't scare us too much it was just a shock when around 30 ducks stampeed towards you haha!
We also visited Caerau Uchaf Gardens which was absolutely gorgeous and had a trampoline built in the lawn which our little ones loved, they do garden shows such as tatton park etc. Www. Caerau-gardens. Co. Uk The owner was very friendly and my little boy was so impressed with the beautiful flowers and adventures of walking through the trees to get to the fortress and seesaw etc he couldn't wait to say thankyou to the owner when we were leaving (he is only 2)
All in all I will be going back to this campsite many times in the future as it is a real gem and I would highly recommend it to anyone!
Just returned from 3 nights at this site and was very disappointed having read all the previous reviews.
We were on the large field and were told that as there had been some rain over the Bank Holiday weekend, that we should keep away from the railway side of the field. In actual fact most of the field was very wet.
We found that the toilet and shower facilities were adequate for the number of people on site at the time but would be very concerned if the site was even half full. Also, the main facilities were a long walk from most of the camping field (the portaloo's I found to be not for me). They really need to be looking to build a more permanent structure in place of the portaloos.
The rules regarding dogs seemed to be ignored by every dog owner on the site as they were allowed to wonder over the site with no lead in sight.
We arrived back late one afternoon to find 2 DoE groups had pitched near to us with the leaders having pitched on the other side of us in a large, mostly empty, field. Needless to say the DoE groups totally ignored the noise rules and walked through our pitch on their way to use the facilities.
Also, don't rely on the local pub for a meal or drink as they just decided not to open one day.
Overall, we found the site disappointing especially after all the glowing reviews. I don't imagine we will be returning soon.
We were there for the first week of the summer holidays but it was still quite quiet, it got busier the weekend that we left. We had EHU but still had the choice of pitches so we chose a nice corner pitch just behind the station.
The children loved the river and there was plenty of space to play ball games.
The facilities were clean and the showers were free. While we were there we didn't have to queue or wait apart from on the Fri/Sat that we left which is when it got busier.
There is no on-site shop but the local pub does sell basics although we didn't use it. Bala has a decent Co-op & Spa.
There is a freezer that you can use too.
It's within easy reach of some lovely walks & drives and beautiful scenery. Not far from the campsite you can drive to Dinas Mawddwy or Lake Vyrnwy which takes you over the highest pass in North Wales, stunning!
You can take the steam train into Bala (and back again) which takes about 1 hour in total. The walk into Bala from the station takes about 25 mins.
We would definitely go back & have recommended it to family & friends.
We stayed at the site with another young family (4 adults and 4 children in total). There is no denying the site is in a very beautiful spot and the children enjoyed seeing the trains go by.
The owners were very friendly. However we did find several negatives with the site :
As others have said the toilet/shower facilities were very basic and also down a bumpy hill ( not ideal for late night toilet trips). The washing up facilities were also quite dirty and we regularly had to queue for these.
The site is not close to local amenities so we found it a bit of a trek to get basic groceries.
There was no regulation of noise control and we were kept up on the first night by a large party that were up chatting to well in the morning. The same party were also joined by another group on the second day who pitched extremely close to our tent which impacted on privacy.
Midges were also a nightmare and we ended up sitting in our tent just to avoid them.
Lovely, well looked after and quiet site, plenty of room for kids to run around, would visit there again. Friendly owners !
Just a few points, some cars do drive quite fast coming into the site, just no need !
The showers were clean but got very busy in the mornings, sometimes you had to queue, was school holidays though ! A torch would be handy to go to the toilets at night, was quite dark in areas.
Would recommend taking insect repellent, the midgies were plentiful in the evenings.
Fabulous campsite. Owners very friendly, lovely and quiet but we did go mid week - I imagine it can get very busy!
Brilliant idea to have porta-loo's down the far end of the side enabling easy camping on the riverbank. We actually camped at the back of the house and had our own private facilities! (excellent if you have young children as it is fenced in from the river).
The main block was always clean whenever we went to it. We were also very lucky with the hot weather - only rained on the morning we were leaving.
Price was reasonable for a large tent, two adults and two dogs! Would definitely return and this time would pitch near the river
Lovely owners and staff, good facilities, showers/ toilets. The portaloos are always clean + plenty of toilet roll. Only a few hook ups, but real campers don't want a hook up. (well I don't anyway, why be limited where you pitch because you want electric. Gas gives much more ambiance)
The little river is great for the kids, they can play all day in it. Come here with a family and chill.
Minimal light pollution so the stars and planets are great. We had the bonus of a serious meteor shower during one of our visits. My daughter and I stayed up 'til after midnight watching the shooting stars, brilliant.
Bala, 15 mins away I a lovely if a bit 'Welsh speaking' town, with all is needed for shops.
Just go to Bwch Yn Uchaf enjoy & chill.
By the way the cafe at the railway station just by the campsite is great for a salad sandwitch
My First camping trip for 25+ years (the first ever for my wife, 2 kids and dog) and what a baptism of fire, torrential rain and gales, but what a lovely site.
The owner couldn't have been more helpful and the site was beautiful and peaceful (apart from the *&!$%s having a party on the Friday night - but a word has had by the owner and Saturday was quite).
The showers & toilets were very clean (there always seemed to be someone cleaning when I was there) and no Queues (although I was there before 07:00).
The portaloos by the river were also always well cleaned. We pitched in one of the more sheltered areas by the river and had terrific views (when the rain and clouds cleared), just a shame that the weather was too bad for us to have a camp fire (the part the rest of the family was most looking forward to).
Overall a great site, lovely setting and helpful staff not at all spoilt by the weather.
Bwch yn Uchaf is one of those campsites with a lovely laid-back feel. On arrival the friendly owner shows you an aerial picture of the site to help you choose and, unless you're on EHU, you can pitch up wherever you like.
The site has 3 main areas-the smaller EHU area nearest the station and the main facilities; a large flat field which is ideal for playing ball games on, with people pitched mainly around the edge; and finally along the river, our choice of the three.
Facilities are clean and there seemed to be enough of them; the layout of the site means that the riverside area is a longish but scenic walk from the main facilities which include the showers and pot washing area, but as others have said, if this is an issue you can always camp closer on the main field. Portable loos are situated nearer the riverside pitches.
Having a campfire & toasting marshmallows with the kids was wonderful, as was the view of Arenig Fawr at sunset, the view from our riverside pitch. We visited the Eagles Inn in Llanuwchlyn on the Sat afternoon, it was welcoming and did a good pint of Glaslyn Ale. Must disagree with the 'working men's'description elsewhere-just a simply furnished, slate floored country pub-wish our local was as good! Maybe it has had a facelift since that description.
We took a ride on the train to Bala on the Sunday, which is the obvious thing to do having looked at the preparations to the steam trains from the campsite all morning!The cafe on the station is good, they do top ups of coffee for 50p.
All in all, a lovely site, with welcoming owners (Gareth even helped my youngest with his homework!) which I will definitely recommend.
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Common Questions
Is Bwch Yn Uchaf child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Bwch Yn Uchaf? There is a shop within 1 mile View all facilities
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.
All reviews and comments are the personal opinion of the review author only , and as such do not represent the view of the UK Camp Site.co.uk.
The facilities shown on this website are a guide only, and you should check with the campsite direct before making any booking. The UKCampsite.co.uk will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions
Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
No Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
No Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
Hardstanding Pitches 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
No Rallies 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Motorbikers Welcome 
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 
Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
Freezer / Fridge 
No Motorhome Point 
No Wifi Access 
Shop <1 mile 
Bar <1 mile 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <1 mile 
Kids Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
No Fishing 
No Wild Swimming 
No Indoor Pool 
No Outdoor Pool 
No Horse Riding 
Cycle Hire <5 miles 
Golf <5 miles 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
Watersports <5 miles 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
Campfires Allowed 
Riverside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
We spent the weekend here mid March, my husband was taking part in the Ras yr Aran. 
