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I found this to be a very noisy site but mostly the noise is from children laughing, screaming and shouting with delight so if you have kids it's probably ideal but if not I'd suggest visiting outside school holidays. As we didn't have kids with us I felt this was really not the site for us.
I prefer my holidays to be be peaceful and this certainly wasn't! This was exasperated by the fact that the there was a group of 3 families next to us, including 8 children and yet there is a notice at the entrance saying that they don't accept group bookings!
I can only assume that they mean they don't accept groups of single people and yet these families were probably noisier than single people with the adults sitting outside until late at night.
The surroundings are beautiful with lovely walks straight from the site but again the area by the river is noisy. The site allows campfires and this adds a nice touch. Reception sells a nice selection of ice cream!
The owner admits that the current facilities are inadequate and there is a notice showing the plans for a new facilities block but if they know there aren't enough facilities why take so many bookings? I find this to be very greedy.
Currently there are only 2 washbasins in the ladies toilet block and frequently I found there was nowhere to wash my hands because these basins were being used by those cleaning their teeth. I also found it tedious to have to queue for a washing up sink and 1 morning I queued 40 mins for a shower. However, they do state the new facilities will be available in 2012.
After reading the reviews on this site, I booked 4 family tents way back in May to stay here for the last week in August for 5 nights. But sadly I was disappointed with this site, may be it was because of the awful weather we had during our visit I don't know, so let me put this review in Pro's and Con's form.
Pros: Excellent communication with the owner, on booking and right up to the end of our stay. Lovely walks around the site which lead to the waterfalls and down into the village. In the village there's the Queen Victoria pub and a hotel just up road from the Vic which both serve good food and a good pint.
Also there's a couple of shop for the basics but Harlech and Barmouth are only a few minutes away for better shops and both have excellent beaches to spend your sunny days on ( we only had one and spent that on Harlech beach).
By the way the Red Lion pub in Harlech is dog Friendly. Back at the camp site you are allowed fires and Aleds son comes round about 6 o'clock at night on his quad selling logs, fire lighters etc. The reception sells ice-creams, drinks as well as a few basics and is open to day visitors who come to spend time at the rivers edge.
At the river the kids spend their time on the zip line and rope swings ( so parents take plenty of towels). On a clear night I've never seen so may stars and if your lucky you'll see the odd shooting star I saw 3 in 1 night as we sat round our camp fire.
Now for the Cons: Yes the road leading to the site is narrow, and if in a van like me, it can get pretty scary as mine nearly went on it side having to reverse back down the lane with 2 cars behind me, after a car with a trailer came down and could not reverse himself.
The fire pits are all over the site, even on some of the pitches, they are on the ground which leave a bit of a crator, not a good idea, as the ground if fairly bumpy in place and it is hard to find a level area. The tarmac road stops short in both fields causing the ground to get rather muddy.
There's only 3 unisex showers for the whole of the site ( new shower block is to be added) and as you can guess the facilities weren't up to scratch with mud being brought in by campers, I know it cant be helped but from what I saw they were only cleaned once a day.
The only other thing is, our kids where playing man-hunt in a field next to the campsite and playing was all they were doing, when Aleds wife went after them ranting and raving we could hear her from our pitch. Only after all the wives confronted her, we found out that somebody had reported our kids chasing sheep ( which they weren't) and that the field was out of bounds, but there where no signs or locks on the gates saying so and all week there had been people walking dogs in there and other kids playing to, She should of come to us first to explain the situation and not frighten our kids.
So there you go Nantcol Waterfalls probably with good weather would be a great place to camp, as it is in a very nice area, but sadly after all that happened during our stay we will not be returning and therefore I cant recommend it to anyone ( sorry ).
My son has been coming to Nantcol for several years, and has always raved about the site. He's a Ray Mears style camper, and loves his open fire and his trek up local mountains. Going to Nantcol this year with him and the rest of the family was a lovely experience. There were six adults in two tents, and because the pitches are very free and easy, we were able to make a little camp under a tree by the rocks, with the camp fire in the middle. Wonderful weekend.
Bathing in the river, walking to the top of the falls, dining in the pub in the village (20-minute walk), great beaches, mountains, quaint towns nearby and of course the camp fire at night - so many lovely memories! It was a very busy summer weekend, and the facilities were stretched, but we weren't inconvenienced.
My son preferred the site when it was quieter in former years, but although it was fully booked up, it really didn't seem crowded. We had rock pegs, but Mr. 'Ray Mears' got away with using just ordinary, old-fashioned hooked ones for his tent, so it can be done.
Look out for the friendly, raven and buzzard-impersonating jay! We thought we had large birds of prey right outside the tent, until we found Mr. Jay sitting in the tree above our heads, doing terrific impressions of his feathered friends. Amazing!
The rest of the bird life was stunning there too. We did see real ravens and buzzards high up on the hillsides, and also chaffinches feeding on site, red kites wheeling about in the sky, and a dipper in the waterfalls.
Bset site we have ever visited. Kids spent most of the time in the stream and swinging on the the rope swings. Toilets and showers were always clean with plenty of loo roll( pay for showers). Staff were very friendly and helpful and would bend over backwards to help.
Lots of walks with beautiful scenery upto Nantcol waterfalls.
The road upto the site had quite a few bends with some drops (narrow at times).
Spa shop and beaches are just up the road.
Had great fun toasting marshmallows over open campfire.
Fab for kids, safe to play in water, lots of rope swings.
Lovely walking country direct from site and great views from the top of the hill.
Will be a new WC block and showers for next year.
Negatives:
A long way to go on country roads. Expected journey of 3-4 hours actually took 5 and a half.
Narrow single track to site difficult manoeuvring if you are facing each other as there are few passing places with a steep drop on one side.
Queueing for showers which are shared.
We had a lovely stay here, it is an idyllic site, however I'm not a happy traveller and this was a hike. Not much in the way of shopping. Co-op 25mins away, Tesco at Porthmadog which actually takes 45 mins, not the 25 mins as the Sat-Nav says.
Infact, disregard everything the Sat-Nav tells you when it comes to time in this area! Apparently you should be at Snowdon for the train up in 1hr, make that 1hr 45 mins!
Barmouth is 25mins away and has a good beach. Shell island is only a few mins travel and costs £5 to enter. The beach over the dunes is lovely and the sea in this area is very inviting. Within 20mins of site not really a lot going on.
If this site was a lot closer to home would visit again but I'm not going all that way just for a nice site. I don't meen to sound negative because our break was very enjoyable but that was much to do with the company.
Glanllyn is situated on the shore of Lake Bala in Wales. 16 acres of natural parkland and spectacular views of nearby hills and mountains make it an idyllic spot to pitch a caravan, motorhome, tent or campervan with level grass or hardstanding pitches. For water sports enthusiasts there is a private shingle beach with easy launching area for windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, fishing and paddle boarding. Camp shop, wifi, laundrette, excellent heated toilet & shower facilities. The market town of Bala is 3 miles away with plenty of small shops, pubs & retaurants, cinema and a leisure centre. Find out more here
We absolutely loved this campsite, its just a shame that we live so far away from it because it has to be the best campsite we have ever visited.
Only 3 showers and 2 washing up sinks so there was sometimes a small queue but it wasn't a problem at all, 5 toilets in the ladies with 2 sinks, plug point for hairdryer which was very handy.
Site was full when we visited but like others have said it didn't feel crowded at all, plenty of space for everyone.
Owners were extremely friendly and helpful, we were so grateful that they let us stay an extra 2 nights as once we had got on this site we didn't want to leave, we loved it so much.
It was so nice to see all the kids enjoying the waterfalls and rope swings as entertainment rather than tv's and nintendos.
Lots of lovely walks from the campsite, we walked right up into the hills on a 6 mile hike and had some wonderful views across the countryside.
Another fabulous trip to this amazing site. I can't write enough good things but suffice to say it's suberb! I was chatting to various people whilst waiting for the showers (yes there was a queue for the 3 showers) and we decided that even though there might be queues for the showers and washup sinks (only two for whole site) the site still rates as 10 out of 10. It suited my family, 2 adults and 2 children 7 & 14. The owners are really friendly and are very helpful and even lent us an extra long EHU lead. The site was appartently full but I can honestly say there was plenty of space for everyone. The pitches are ample. The only gripe (and it is a minor one) is the single track access road. I'm a bit of a nervous nelly but it wasn't half as scary as last year! I think that whilst its a bit tricky, it doesn't detract from the site. The waterfalls and walks on site are fantastic. T There is a lovely walk from the site through the woods to the village-its downhill all the way. The food in the village pub (The Vic) is typical pub food, we found it reasonably priced and after a tipple or two got a taxi back to the site (cost £5). Well done to Aled and family and of course Aaron and Grandad (I can't remember grandads name) you have a lovely site and we hope to be back again soon!
The site itself is stunning - beautiful scenary; wildlife; lovely walks; the river and waterfalls.
How lovely to be able to set up camp in peace - children ran straight out to the river every day, plenty of rope swings - no other playground needed!
Ground very stony - rock pegs definitely needed.
Basic camping supplies sold at reception, gas bottle refills from garage in Harlech.
Facilities were stretched at busy times, but it seems that new ones are to be built for next year.
The only time the facilities were dirty was when people hadn't cleaned up after themselves (ie mopping the showers or wiping the sinks)
Did have a bit of rowdiness from a group of youngsters by the river, but the owners stamped on it straight away - they didn't stand any nonsense.
Owners very helpful - showers need a 50p card for 5 minutes of hot water, but freezer packs can be refrozen and mobile phones/Gameboys recharged for no extra cost at reception.
Two small village stores (open Sundays) in Llanbedr itself and a reasonable butcher provide everything you may need (including bags of ice)
Don't bother paying the £5 to visit Shell Island for the day, go to Llandanwg, lovely little beach with loos and cafe; rock pools and just as many shells.
Access road very narrow but with passing places.
Don't make our mistake and leave food in cloth cupboards as we were visited by wildlife who ate all our bread overnight. Seal food in plastic boxes!
Altogether a beautiful site, will definitely be back.
Had a great time here on our midweek visit. Plenty of room, all the facilities were clean, didn't have to wait for anything although I think they are expanding them for the busy holidays/weekend periods.
It was fantastic having the nature walks and river on your doorstep and they were a big hit with the daughter and dog. We will return when the next child is old enough to come camping.
If you do decide to venture away from the campsite it isn't far from decent beaches at Harlech and Barmout but you will have to pay to visit shell island (is it worth it when there are free ones near by). Harlech is a lovely old town with some nice antique/junk shops.
The Victoria pub in Llanbedr did decent food and nice beer and had a nice play area for the kids in the garden.
Glanllyn is situated on the shore of Lake Bala in Wales. 16 acres of natural parkland and spectacular views of nearby hills and mountains make it an idyllic spot to pitch a caravan, motorhome, tent or campervan with level grass or hardstanding pitches. For water sports enthusiasts there is a private shingle beach with easy launching area for windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, fishing and paddle boarding. Camp shop, wifi, laundrette, excellent heated toilet & shower facilities. The market town of Bala is 3 miles away with plenty of small shops, pubs & retaurants, cinema and a leisure centre. Find out more here
Lacks a park for the kids but they make up for it with a waterside walk and some tree swings,
The pitches were a bit water logged but to be fair there was a hell of a lot of water over the night,
The pitches did dry off the next day after some amazing sunshine, other than that the reception didn't open once, I assume the owners use the cctv to see if anyone new is on site then pop down and do the rounds, and check that all is ok, and to sell some wood and shower tickets,
I have to say this is the best campsite I have ever stayed at, even though there were a few negative points.
The location is stunning - a few hundred feet up in the hills, with good, flat pitches located in a little valley. At one end there is a stream with a shallow pool for the small kids to play in, and further up, progressively deeper pools, culminating in an 18 foot deep pool underneath the waterfall. For the brave or foolhardy, there are places to jump in from. The water was not warm, but thanks to some scorching weather, it was pleasant to swim in.
Every pitch can have a fire, and the owners were fairly relaxed about what you could burn, as long as you didn't cut down any wood from their forest. The bags of logs they sold for £4 were large, but when we went, the wood was a bit damp and took a lot of kindling to burn.
The facilities were new and clean, but insufficient in number - only 2 toilets per sex plus a disabled toilet. They are, however, building a new shower block for next season. There is a small shop that sells drinks, milk, icecream and a few essentials. What would have been nice would be some fresh baked bread in the morning, but you can't have everything I guess. The owners were all very friendly and helpful.
The kid's playground? well, the surrounding Welsh hills with their rope swings, woods and rocks proved the best playground my kids have ever had.
The village of Llanbedr down the road has a couple of pubs - the Victoria was OK but I've been to better. There is a little shop that sells food, logs and kindling. There is also a butcher.
This is the kind of place you have in your mind's eye when you want to go camping. I'd highly recommend it.
Stayed here as part of a two location week long trip, first half was spent at shell island which is just down the road and then we packed up and popped up the hill to this fantastic site where we spent 4 nights over the last part of the half term holiday. We had been here previously for a day trip last year and fell in love with the whole atmosphere of the place. As many other reviews state the approach road is a bit hairy if you meet anything coming the other way as I also tow a trailer and was lucky in and out that we only met cars around the crossing points.
The first thing that you notice is the laid back atmosphere that is apparent here, on arrival we checked in at reception and were told to camp were we liked, we were on the non EHU field which is mostly flat towards the river end but does get a bit rocky and bumpy the further you go back towards the rear of the field.
We pitched in a lovely location at the halfway point with our back end to the hillside that completely surrounds the site, I imagine that this does offer a lot of protection from the wind that does ravage this part of the coast as we have found out staying at nearby sites in the past! Fortunately we had glorious weather and had mostly full sun the whole time!
They are building more showers/ toilets at the end of the year so this will help if you don't fancy queuing for the toilet or showers in peak times. It didn't seem too much of an issue as most of the time they were empty. We found the family shower room/ disabled shower room really handy for getting the kids showered at the same time as me an the bride.
Only point I could say is that they could do with putting up a shelf or clothes hooks in there to put your stuff on as the wet room means you can't leave bags on the floor.
As other reviewers have already stated you can have campfires here and the owners son comes around selling large bags of logs (£4 per bag) to burn unless you have brought your own. I would suggest if you plan to purchase these then bring an axe with you to split the logs down into smaller bits as we and other campers had difficulty getting the logs going even with kindling.
We enjoyed the whole place so much that as soon as we got home we got on the net and are now booked in for 5 nights in August !
The waterfalls and stream that runs through the site is also an added attraction and my two kids and I spent many hours exploring the many walks and woodland that surround the site.
Can't say anymore than has already been said over and over by other reviews. Just a really good site that has a great relaxed atmosphere, well run and clean. Ideal for young families that want the kids to get back to play how it used to be before the techno-digital age (splashing around in a stream or on a rope swing)
We had a bit of a nightmare when we arrived having to reverse twice along the narrow lane on the approach to the site. We received a lovely welcome by the owners and we should have taken the advice given on where we should pitch - it was a little busy and we decided to pitch by the entrance along side two gates by the road which proved a bit of a nuisance rather than further into the site beside a boundary wall.
We didn't have too much trouble regards access to showers but that was maybe due to timing - we always went quite early in the mornings.
We enjoyed spending our days on Llandanwg beach which only took about 10 minutes by car.
This is a site I'd like to return to but perhaps later in the year to benefit from the early Autumnal colours which would surround the area and perhaps cosy-up around a campfire on a starlit evening with the sound of the river rumbling in the background.
Lovely site right next to the lovely falls and river for the kids to play in at the bottom.
We were in the hook up field and had plenty of space and a choice of stone circles for our camp fire. Had to wait a long time for showers which weren't the cleanest but I put that down to site being very busy as it was bank holiday.
Now the downsides. The access road is not the best especially for pulling a caravan. We were so lucky that we only met one car (which was also towing) on the way in just by a suitable passing place. These are few and far between so not ideal road at all.
Also when we were there it was so windy, have never experienced wind like it, glad we were in a caravan and not a tent. This was down to freak weather though and not the sites fault.
All in all a lovely site and would visit again.
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Common Questions
Is Nantcol Waterfalls child friendly? YES, it accepts children View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Nantcol Waterfalls? There is a shop within 1 mile View all facilities
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
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Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
Glamping Units 
Holiday Homes 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 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
No Bathroom 
Baby Changing Facilities 
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 
Wifi Access 
Shop <1 mile 
Bar <1 mile 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <1 mile 
No Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
Fishing On Site 
Wild Swimming On Site 
Indoor Pool <5 miles 
No Outdoor Pool 
No Horse Riding 
Cycle Hire <1 mile 
Golf <5 miles 
No Tennis 
Beach <5 miles 
Watersports <10 miles 
Boat Launch / Mooring <5 miles 
No Sea Views 
Working Farm 
Campfires Allowed 
Riverside Pitches 
Public Transport <5 miles
No Dog Walk 
I found this to be a very noisy site but mostly the noise is from children laughing, screaming and shouting with delight so if you have kids it's probably ideal but if not I'd suggest visiting outside school holidays. As we didn't have kids with us I felt this was really not the site for us. 
