Graig Wen Camping & Cottages — Attraction in Great Britain

We had a fantastic week in the secluded Monk's Corner pitch. This was right up our street - almost completely hidden within the trees, with only a small opening to the pathway shared with a couple of other pitches. We'd highly recommend this for anyone seeking some privacy. The pitch is also quite sizeable, offering plenty of space to relax and for the kids to play. There is a fantastic wooden shower cubicle just outside this pitch (with drinking water tap), apparently only used by the few secluded pitches nearby, and a compost toilet a few metres further down. To give credit to the hosts, there's plenty of useful information on the website and their app. The main point to note for our pitch is the walk to amenities. The carpark is around 400m from this pitch and reception/shop/honesty hut/charging facilities (uphill) a further 100m or so. We really enjoyed the walks up and down across the lovely fields. But this might not be for everyone. We ordered breakfast every day, which is ready to collect from 08:30 at reception - a nice little walk to start the day! Very good quality pastry products, as is the selection in the shop itself. We quickly fell into a nice rhythm, enjoying the local area after breakfast, ordering the next day's breakfast on our way back to the pitch in the evening, enjoying a bbq over our fireplace before walking up to the main facilities to wash dishes and reward ourselves with an ice cream from the honesty hut, then finally returning to our pitch to enjoy some of the local ciders (purchased from the site shop) in front of the fire as the sun went down! The kids enjoyed the sheer space of the pitch and the site in general. There's no designated play area but the space makes up for it. This is by far one of the most organised accomodations we've encountered. I point this out as both a positive (it was for us) and a negative (potentially). I found I couldn't resist asking a member of staff if the owners had a hotel background of some sort. I have stayed in a lot of hotels, having travelled extensively through work, and still I would be hard pushed to recall so much as one with such regimented procedures. As said, we quickly fell into a nice routine but it was quite a lot to take in at times. We encountered a few members of staff during our stay. We wanted privacy so were not necessarily seeking lengthy interactions. That said, I was a little surprised at just how reserved all the staff were. Having read other reviews where guests refer to the owners by first name, we were surprised at them not having introduced themselves throughout our entire stay. I met one on our last day, having asked them directly. I may or may not have met the other in my daily encounters with staff. He never introduced himself so I'll never know. I do know I might have appreciated the opportunity to express our gratitude to them both for such a well kept site and a nice stay. This does not change our very high regard and fantastic experience but at other campsites (even hotels) I normally know if/when I've encountered owners/managers by way of them having welcomed me in that capacity. All staff were equally somewhat aloof at all times, which worked for us most of the time. This does not seem like a coincidence alongside the many procedures and schedules, seemingly there (at least in part) to minimise the need for face-to-face contact between guests and staff. As already alluded to, it took just a short while for us to adjust, having arrived after a week at another site with quite personable hosts, so no hardship really. Essentially, whether intentional or not, at Graig Wen I was reminded of the harsh measures which were imposed during Covid. There are those who embraced this with open arms and those who preferred life as it was before. As long as a campsite offers so much in the way of comfort, cleanliness and a beautiful location, we're not fussed either way. In summary, this site is very special. The whole place is beautiful, our pitch was fantastic and it's well organised. Highly...

Liked: I honestly can’t fault Graig Wen! I booked a glamping holiday for my dad’s birthday in late October 2023. It was just him, my dog, and me :) We stayed in the Empress quarry wagon and were so impressed by it! It was so warm, even without the heating on. Having the en suite was an added touch of luxury. We had all we needed kitchen equipment-wise and really appreciated the eco-friendly washing up liquid. I slept on the lower bunk bed which I found to be very comfortable. Overall, the wagon was welcoming, comfy and cosy.

We were pleasantly surprised to find a “welcome spread” on the dining table upon arrival. The hosts had left a bottle of apple juice and 6 Welsh cakes with jam, both of which were locally-made! They’d also left a bar of salted caramel chocolate (made in Powys), some dog treats, and a welcome note with specific info for guests with dogs. The online info guide and info left on laminated printouts around the site were so helpful.

The walk down to the Mawddach trail was very peaceful and scenic. About halfway down the path is a little uphill side-trail to a beautiful spot on a hill top- the bridge view! Because of the trees it was a bit difficult to see the full bridge but nevertheless a stunning setting for pictures, with a bench for a nice rest to catch your breath. It only took about 1 minute to climb the hill, but was fairly steep.

The campsite was so well maintained, and all facilities were clean and tidy. We really liked that there were recycling and waste bins on site, tucked away out of sight but easy to access.

Graig Wen was easy to find for us, but if you’re not looking the turning into the drive can sneak up on you a bit. Be sure to keep an eye on your sat nav or screenshot the directions in case you run out of mobile data!

I’ll certainly be returning, and recommending Graig Wen to family and friends :)

Disliked: Not necessarily something we disliked but if you are with Vodafone or O2 you likely won’t have any signal on site. There is Wi-Fi available in the lean-to near the quarry wagons, though, and that was fairly strong- as long as you don’t stray too far. However, if you’re like us you’ll appreciate the lack of internet as you can get more engaged with the surroundings and stay present...

Really fantastic, chilled out campsite in a stunning location. They really have got it right. This was our second stay, in a campervan on a panorama pitch which has a view over the estuary. The area is great for walking and cycling, Barmouth a short drive or walk along the Mawddach trail. There is a waterfall at Arthog that is well worth the walk (best accessed by walking along the Mawddach trail towards Barmouth for approx. a mile until you come to a gate, turn left here and then left again towards St Catherine's Church on the main road, the path is directly opposite through a gap in the stone wall). The site has a nice mixture of facilities including a compost loo (Tree Bog) and showers in a shepherds hut on the lower slopes and regular toilets , showers, dish and clothes washing up at the top. You can buy logs, kindling, fresh coffee and order bread and croissants to be freshly delivered in the morning. The shop also stocks a really good Welsh cider and is open for a couple of hours each morning and early evening (closed Sun pm). There is a communal fire pit nestled in the trees as not all pitches are fire friendly but although we could have had our own, we chose to use the communal one as it is magical sitting in the trees, listening to the owls. We had the fire to ourselves this time but last year we met a nice family and chatted around the fire over a few drinks. If you are in a tent, the pitches are located down a track, cars parked at the bottom and wheelbarrows provided to carry all your stuff so the fields remain car free. There are stone fire pits dotted around and it is a huge space with a further smaller field as you drop down to pick up the trail that runs along the estuary. You can watch the sunset from various areas on site and the kids basically can explore in a safe environment. There are two cottages, yurts and shepherd huts too if you want a bit of glamping. Honestly, they cater for everyone! This is a site we will return to for...