Llechrwd Farm Camping
Maentwrog
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Gwynedd
LL41 4HF
Llechrwd Riverside Campsite is situated in the Vale of Festiniog by the banks of the Afon Dwyryd. It is a small campsite run by Brian and Nikki Seears which has two fields; an upper one just off the A496 for caravans, motorhomes and EHU and a lower field by the river for non-EHU tents.
There is a toilet, shower and washing-up block situated on the upper field level but, being a small site, no one will find themselves more than a minute’s walk from the facilities. If you hope to make use of the river, to row your dingy or simply to paddle in the water, access is from the west end of the camping field either from where tyre-swing is situated or further along by the tributary. However, some will prefer to camp away from this tributary as the noise of the water gushing down the hill may make getting to sleep a little difficult.
The views from the campsite are really quite lovely. There are wooded hills to the north and south and more rugged hills further away along the valley to the east; across the river there are fields of grazing sheep.
Brian is a personable chap and wandered around checking up on how we were at least once a day. One thing that you find at some campsites that I don’t like is being asked to pay up front for the entire stay before you’ve barely had time to get out of your car, never mind pitch your tents; but there was no such treatment from Brian and in the end we settled out account on the morning of our last day.
As has been mentioned Llechrwd is a good base from which to explore the area. In the immediate vicinity there are a number of walks ranging from gentle strolls to more challenging. There are also several towns and tourist attractions nearby; my own children spent three hours hanging off the harbour wall at Pothmadog catching crabs with lines that we bought cheaply in shops down the High Street.
So, there are many positives but also some negatives.
As mentioned, the campsite is situated off the A496 and, whereas there are much busier roads, the adults in our group found that the noise of the traffic, including some industrial vehicles, disturbed the tranquillity that the setting deserved; and not just during the daytime. To be fair, however, some other campers that I spoke to did not find the road noise an issue (townies!).
The second point of concern is the weather. The north west of Wales is a wet area of the world and the Vale of Festiniog seems to enjoy (endure?) its own, special micro-climate; in fact I’ve since read that Blaenau Ffestiniog, a few miles up the valley, is the second wettest town in the UK after Fort William. On more than one occasion we left the campsite overcast and rainy and, as we travelled westward towards Porthmadog, the clouds lifted and then parted revealing some blue sky and sunshine. After the rain the river was swollen and its flow increased and so our plans to use the dingy were cancelled; this was a big reason why we chose the site and so the kids were disappointed.
If the first two negatives are accidents of location the third is not - the water pressure in the shower block. The doors to all the facilities are of rough-sawn wood with gate-style bolts for locks; this lends the block a pleasing rustic quality (though drafty on a cold day). But there are a number of tweaks required: the hot water taps in the washing-up area have a very slow flow of water so that it would take several minutes to fill the sink; all the more peculiar given that the hot water taps in the toilet cubicles work perfectly.
Of more concern are the showers. I find that one thing that helps me cope with a cold and wet week of camping is a warm, generous shower. The showers at Llechrwd are free and of the push-button variety but, strangely, the button is a yard or so to the side of the shower head and the shower does not stay on for long which is exacerbated by the fact that the flow of water is feeble. Also the fixed-position shower head points down so that the jet of water is very close to the wall. All this makes taking a shower a frustrating and less than satisfying experience, especially when the weather is cold and damp.
So, would we go again? Well I don’t think I would book a long time in advance, especially with our weather being as unsettled as it has been over the last two or three years; I would wait for a period of settled weather, check the forecast for the next week and then include it on a list of possibilities. But I don't wish to sound too negative and I would go again for sure.
www.llechrwd.co.uk
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