Camping and caravan club sites in Wales

Wales is compact and the towing is more varied than the mileage suggests. The A55 along the north coast and the M4 across the south are fast and easy. Everything between involves crossing the Cambrian Mountains on roads laid out for a different century, and the middle of the country has no fast east-west route at all.

Getting around

North Wales is served by the A55 Expressway from Chester to Holyhead, dual carriageway the whole way. The Penmaenbach and Pen-y-Clip tunnels near Conwy carry lane and height restrictions and back up on summer weekends. South Wales runs on the M4, which is straightforward as far as Pont Abraham before dropping to the A48 and A40 for the run west.

The link between the two is the problem. The A470 from Cardiff to Llandudno is the spine route, and while it is a decent road it is slow, hilly and full of villages. The A483 through mid-Wales, or the A44 and A458 heading west from the Midlands, are the practical alternatives. Allow far more time than the distance implies.

Where the sites cluster

Three areas dominate. Eryri (Snowdonia) and the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd hold the largest group, with sites around Llanberis, Bala, Beddgelert, Porthmadog and Criccieth. Pembrokeshire is second, ranged along the coast path between Tenby, Broad Haven and St Davids. The third is the Bannau Brycheiniog and Wye Valley cluster in Powys and Monmouthshire, which suits anyone approaching from the M4 or M50.

Season

Late March to the end of October is the standard pattern, with very few all-year club sites. The Welsh coast is busiest through the last fortnight of July and all of August, and Pembrokeshire in particular books out early. September is excellent — sea temperatures peak, the paths empty and the lanes clear.

Rain is the honest headline. Eryri is one of the wettest places in Britain and grass pitches in Gwynedd stay soft well into May. Ask for hardstanding if your outfit is heavy.

Roads to think about

The A4086 Llanberis Pass is structurally fine but chokes with roadside parking at Pen-y-Pass from dawn in summer, leaving barely a lane. Bwlch y Groes between Bala and Dinas Mawddwy is the highest public road in Wales at around 1 in 4 with no barriers — avoid it entirely with a caravan. The coast road through Barmouth and the A487 around Aberdaron narrow considerably, and many Pembrokeshire coastal sites sit at the end of single-track lanes with high earth banks.

The Cleddau Bridge on the A477 has been toll-free since April 2019, so the route into Pembroke Dock no longer needs change on the dashboard.

What first-time visitors get wrong

Underestimating the A470. People plan an Eryri-to-Pembrokeshire hop as an afternoon's drive and arrive after dark. It is four hours plus with a van behind you. Split it, and use Machynlleth or Aberystwyth as a stopover. The second error is booking a mountain site for early spring without checking pitch surface — a wet field in April will hold a heavy outfit fast.