Thinking of Pembrokeshire for Easter....

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Wanting to take dc's camping at Easter - have purchased tent and am starting to get rather excited!

Have thought about Pembrokeshire as we would love to visit Skomer Island to see the puffins. Wondering what else is in the area which would be worth a visit.

Oh and any good campsites which are reasonably child friendly? Dcs are 9,6,4 +2.

tia

Hi - we went to Pembrokeshire last summer - fab beaches, loads to do (if the weather is good). We stayed at Newgale just above the beach and there is a nice, quite busy campsite, right across the road from the beach. Lots of families and kids, lots of people surfing and doing various beach sports. Here: www.newgalecampingsite.co.uk/

We just did lots of beaches and took a boat from St David's round Ramsey Island - saw lots of sea birds and seals. Wrong time of year for puffins, sadly. www.ramseyisland.co.uk/

hth!

Pembrookshire's lovely but could be very cold and wet for camping at Easter. Personally, I wouldn't. I'd go in the summer, esp if it's your first time camping with the DCs.

Thanks Pied thats just the sort of thing I'm looking for. Ramsey Island and St Davids look amazing!

Re the campsite - how noisy was it at night? would like somewhere that quietens down rather than one where they party all night

Okay - am I completely mad for even considering camping at Easter ?

Back story is that Dh is a farmer and can't come away with us in the summer so I would be taking them all away by myself in the summer hols. Easter was to be a trial run so that I found out what I am letting myself in for while he was with me!

Would we be better off looking more on the south coast - Dorset maybe?

South coast might be a bit drier and warmer. You need to check campsites carefully though as many of them don't open til May. The ones that mainly take caravans will open earlier.

Personally, I'd probably do some homework on possible sites but not book anywhere until the last minute - as campsites don't get that booked up at Easter, and then would decide where to go once I'd seen the weather forecast, and would consider youth hosteling/B&B or staying with friends as an option if it looks bad. It can be really cold at Easter (snow on the ground kind of cold) if you're unlucky. I've camped in winter on my own (which was tough) and from May with the DCs. Not sure I'd do Easter with DCs, and certainly not as a first camping trip.

But if you're feeling hardy, take full waterproofs for everyone, lots of warm bedding, woolly hats, some toys or boardgames, a lamp or rechargable torch for the evenings and some money for the odd tourist attraction and pray for the sun. Pembrookshire is beautiful if you're lucky with the weather.

tbh I'm not so worried about the dcs coping with the cold - it'll be me that will suffer!

The 2 older ones spent most of last Easter and practically all of their summer hols sleeping in our little 2 man dome tent in our garden so they are pretty hardy. The younger 2 never seem to feel the cold as I am forever chasing after them to put their jumpers on. Seriously though - there is no point in going away just to be miserable so may have to work out a back-up plan.

Good advice re keeping an eye on the weather - if there is snow or cold weather forecast we will stay firmly at home.

We loved porth Clais, which is near St Davids, it is on the top of a cliff but there are plenty of hedges to hide behind. No play area though if you need one.

Amazing scenery around there.

We have also stay at Meadow House near saunders foot which is lovely and has a pool. 10 minutes downhill walk to a lovely beach and 20 mins along the coastal path to saundersfoot.

The non electric filed is a bit slopey but the electric field is flat. Good showers.

Newgale is massivey bracing, we had a very windy time there in July once, the clue's in the name really. I would suggest trying a more sheltered site if you are going to Pembrokeshire at Easter.

We liked Carfai (sp?) farm, just outside St Davids. there are sheltered sites near Tenby too. Look for valley sites not clifftops at easter though, that's my suggestion.

if you're going to pembrokeshire, you'll have to visit folly farm...www.folly-farm.co.uk/about-the-park.aspx

its fab. you used to be able to pay with tesco vouchers which will save you a fair bit.

tenby is lovely.

can't really reccomend any campsites, so watching with interest, but we have stayed here to say that facilities are basic would be an understatement, but we have had two lovely trips here without showering the whole time last year..once in june and once in october.

bluestone is great for an evening of fun in the waterpark thingie...expensive though i think.

Thankyou all for the info and tips - have made the decision that if the weather is forcast fine we will go to Pembrokeshire with the intention of travelling round for a week. If its going to be miserable then I think we will head Cornwall direction!

I'm going to saundersfoot for Easter , though not camping ! I'm too much of a Wimp .