North Wales forest camping- help

[caci]

Hi, we are bound for Wales end of July ( it will rain I know). We love the area but went for BBs in the past. I found and booked for first 5 days in Pembrokeshire near the beach and now I am after another 5 days in the forest. I am not but rest of the family is new to camping so I don't want to scare them; I am dreaming of a forest/near spot with a stream near by and a pub onsite/ nearby. Laundry facility would be almost essential as this is the second part of our holiday we'll be out of clean clothes :)
Any ideas? please help...

Never been here but it's on my list of places to go. www.caeducampsite.co.uk

There are forest walks near Beddgelert but not sure if they're straight from the campsite. Nice area.

Or this one close by. www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=2828#maphere

wow it ticks all the boxes but no campfire :(
need to think about this , thanks.

I stayed on a farm just outside Llanwrst which had a stream - very 'rustic'-No pub on site though- hang on ill see if I can find the info

www.maesybryncamping.co.uk/home.html

I'm very very keen to go here......
www.nantcolwaterfalls.co.uk/index.php

Gah! Just realised. No laundry

I can heartily recommend this site near Bala. It has a river running through it, you can have fires (they lend you an old wheel hub), there are amazing views of the Arenig mountains, and there's a good pub in Llanuwchllyn. It also has the station for the little Bala steam railway right next to it.

It does have a laundry. The facilities are pretty basic but more than adequate, and the folk who run it are lovely. The location may not be exactly where you were thinking but it is very beautiful and great for the national park and for Mid Wales.

oh I saw it, not available in our dates

Hi, we have more or less done this holiday! I have been to Cae Du and Nantcol, both some years ago but both were lovely then - it look like Nantcol at least has got a lot bigger. At Nantcol, you can just walk up into the Rhinogs, loads of heather, gorgeous walking, very few other people. There is a river that flattens out in the site and all the kids played in it, made rope swings, punctured dinghies, we couldn't get ours to leave the site. You could have fires when we went (and needed them at night because of its location - the evenings were quite dark and chilly). Cae Du also fab, lower down and more in the middle of the National Park, you can walk along the stream into Beddgelert and are very handy for all the big Snowdonia stuff. We have also stayed at the Firestry Commission site near Beddgelert, which I liked less and you needed the car for everything whereas from Cae Du you can walk to the pib, the ice cream sop, the stepping stones....It is midgey though.

I think most campsites will have laundry facilities but I wouldn't make that the deal breaker - often they are over-used or out of order or it would take a gazillion 20p pieces to get everything dry; it can be easier to get a service wash at a proper laundrette (eg at Barmouth or before you leave Pembrokeshire - I know it well and all the decent sized towns there have them - and to to the beach while you are waiting). Everything is bone dry then and neatly folded . I speak from the heart, having geared camping around laundrettes on site only to spend hours hanging around waiting for the machines to be free while my family had a good time somewhere else and then end up with a pile of slightly damp washing - not what you want camping in Wales! I didn't know I felt this strongly about it .

Sounds like excellent hard won advice to me Laisy.

It doesn't always rain here, honest.

Another one who would recommend Cae Du. We loved it, probably because it was so relaxed and quiet. There was loads of space to play ball games and generally muck about. And agree with laisy its a lovely walk into Beddgelert, not too far to bring fish and chips back!

I would say it's probably not as luxurious as some sites but everything else made up for that.

mrsbennetseldest doesn't rain ALL of the time, just most of the time we are not suntanned natives are we

Are you looking for Pembrokeshire or North Wales, though, OP?

We have this book: Cool Camping and there are some lovely sites in there and on the Cool Camping website.

It's not raining right this minute but it may at any point????. Rain or shine it's Gawjus though, this is off Watkins path not far from Beddgelert . I'm blessed, I look out of the window and see Snowdonia.

I've done the Watkins path, MrsBennetsEldest. It was gorgeous (even in fog and drizzle).

Hz . Many wonderful holidays in both places though. We aren't camping this year and I am a bit .

amazing insight lol I though about laundry but they are not online normally are they, I'd much rather do that. My DS is nearl 6 with almost dry nights except sometimes after long days and tiredness, I am a bit worried about wet sleeping bag incident. But laundry or not I will defo do the laundry before I leave Pembrookshire, great.

thanks all who posted, I got so excited about laundrettes above I kept saying laundry :) I will have a last look with DH tonight and book now.
I would appreciate any and and locations of "laundrettes" in North Wales :))

There is (or was) one in Barmouth and I think there is one in Llanberis. Oh god, why do I know this stuff . We have planned our lunch stops around launderettes. Other people plan them around seafood lunches on sun-kissed terraces.

If you are near Tenby when in Pembs, then go there, excellent launderette and you can have fish and chips down the harbour while your wash is done.

Would he wear a pull up? We had a wet sleeping bag incident when camping round there and it was a right pain.

Have a brilliant time, OP.

I've been to the camping in the woods Beddgelert site. Years ago now, but I did enjoy it. Beautiful part of the country.

There's one in Llanwrst - Suds i think. Never thought that knowledge could come in useful!

Shame the site near Bala was fully booked. I guess that's the flipside of sites making it into Cool Camping - you never get to go to them anymore!

I can highly recommend torrent walk campsite near Dolgellau - it's not in the forest, but a 10 min drive gets you to Coed y brewing for amazing mountain biking, and a further 10 gets you to Barmouth

Brenin, not brewing!