Snowdon Base Camp — Hotel in Great Britain

There was so much to love about this campsite! Let's start with the location which is superb, right next to Cwellyn Lake and with views of the Snowdon Massif and woodland on one side. It's a picture perfect campsite and a must for water lovers like myself.

Swimming every day was a real treat and on one day, I had the lake to myself which was heavenly.

We were initially worried about the fact cars don't park next to pitches meaning all camping gear has to be carried/carted across whichever field you choose to camp in.

This however wasn't too much of an issue as there are huge trolleys available for guests to use for this purpose.

We chose a spot close to the lake, beside the river and despite arriving late on Friday night on a bank holiday weekend, there were plenty of options of where to pitch.

The campsite makes it very clear that it has a strict no music policy and no noise after midnight. Upon arrival, we were disappointed to find a couple in a prime location in front of the lake with huge spaces either side of them, perfect for pitching up in, but they were playing music.

We took one look at them and knew that despite the excellent view, they'd be anti-social and a nightmare to camp close to. This kind of behaviour really is so disrespectful to other campers and reflects badly on them - we love music and I usually always play quiet chill out music when camping - but only if the campsite allows!

With it being a bank holiday there were a LOT of large family groups which means a LOT of noise from kids and footballs. One big group also left their kids alone for many hours on end, multiple time, so they were just running around, screaming and causing havoc.

Not my idea of a peaceful campsite then, but that was more down to large groups not really caring about anyone else and leaving their kids to do whatever they wanted. Again, anti-social in my opinion, but then I do know I'm particularly sensitive to loud noise, and knew the site would be busy and full of kids given the weekend we chose to visit.

Those minor guest-related negatives aside, many other families were friendly, lovely and quiet with polite and well-behaved kids and by midnight, the site was largely quiet.

We slept exceptionally well 3 nights running and honestly didn't want to leave. The final day was blissful, watching people pack up early to get off, we hung around until late and experienced the true joy of this wild-feeling campsite.

I didn't use the facilities as I take my own camp loo and solar shower wherever I go - no offence to the campsite - shared facilities give my the ick no matter how clean they are.

We'll absolutely return, but we'll ensure we return out of season and will also double check to make sure there are no school holidays.

The owner was really lovely and stopped by on his bike multiple times and we had a good natter with him. The Kiln dried wood is expensive, but the campsite rules are in place and we adhered to them.

There are big firepits dotted around the campsite which are free for campers to use, which was lovely, as so many campsites these days don't allow campfires.

Due to the proximity of water don’t forget to take plenty of midge spray and protective gear. We were plagued by the little blighters and many campers were wearing midge nets and everyone was in long sleeved hoodies with the hoods up to try and protect themselves. The weather conditions just happened to be perfect for them.

We ate at the pub and the portion sizes were generous and the quality of the food was decent. When we return to the campsite, we'd also definitely return for a meal there.

In closing then, we loved the campsite, the owner, the vibe and the location - obnoxious people and excessively loud kids, not so much. I've given it 4.5* and rounded it up to 5* as out of season with less daytime noise, this would be the...

A wonderful campsite with beautiful surroundings - the views of Snowdon and Llyn (Lake) Cwellyn are unrivalled. ||The facilities are amongst the best I've experienced, and I've been to a good few campsites, mainly in North Wales! ||The showers are warm, the toilets/changing rooms are cleaned regularly and to a high standard. Soap dispensers are eco-friendly and kept topped up regularly, as are the other essentials such as loo roll.||The trollies and fire pits provided (the term 'fire pit' doesn't do them justice, they are works of art, and highly functional! Plus there are plenty to go around) are a great extra touch. We carted 3 paddleboards to the lakeside and back using one of the trollies, as well as for loading/unloading cars.||The pub (Cwellyn Arms) is only a short walk up the road. The staff are very friendly and were more than happy to help accommodate my specific dietary requirements, even at short notice. The food is incredible, all cooked fresh on-site and to a fantastic standard. I'm told by my friends that the beer is also very good, although I stuck to soft drinks. The staff and owners were also very helpful with queries about the surrounding area, routes up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), and were all happy to chat in general. ||Sadly, I feel I have to add the following, in support for both the campsite and the owner... Having stayed on the campsite over the same weekend as the 1* reviewer above (or below, depending how it is formatted - 'George'), I can safely say that you can ignore that review. The group were loud, obnoxious, swearing loudly in earshot of children, litter was strewn all around their camp, and they were playing loud music - which is clearly stated on the website and mentioned on check-in as being against the rules. They were also making a nuisance of themselves in the pub. If the owner (a lovely chap, he helped me out when I had car issues upon departure) did indeed need to have words with the group, I'm sure this was all their own doing. They didn't even know how to put a tent up, so I certainly wouldn't read much into their review of this wonderful campsite! Our tents weren't checked at all (nor did I see any tents being checked whatsoever in the 4 days I was there), I assume this was because we behaved like responsible adults and not juvenile idiots. The various groups of DofE kids were angels in comparison to those oafs! Shame on you, George....

Excellent location to climb and visit Snowdon. Very atmospheric and on the lake which you can swim in as well. Disliked the price which was a bit steep at £10 per person.

Customer service at the Inn was a mixed bunch, sometimes friendly, sometimes miserable which isn't the best start to your stay.

What annoyed me the most about this campsite was the fact that the facilities (whilst very good) were not deep cleaned. Which meant it was always a bit grotty looking. There is no reason why the bathrooms and outside sinks shouldn't be thoroughly cleaned twice a day. Drains in the showers should be unblocked of hair and grass.

Guests here are allowed to arrive at any time they wish, meaning one night I was awoken by 8 lads trying to put up a tent at 1am. They did not know what they were doing, it was noisy and they were playing music in their cars so loudly that the tents in the opposite field were shaking because of the base. As there is no signal on the campsite you can't even have a quick word with the owner to ask the guests to quiten down. Eventually I asked them to turn the music off. They seemed none the wiser that this was a non music campsite. Which is another thing- what is the point of having a no music campsite if the owners are half a mile up the road anyway, so that obviously is not being enforced.

Pitches are also not delineated meaning twice someone decided to camp so close to my tent that they were able to hear me fart in the night. I mean, if there was a member of staff on site - or even just coloured sticks in the ground, it would prevent people being so weird and rude as to camp right beside you. Not everyone has common sense or respect so the owners need to think about how they are going to ensure compliance and a pleasant stay for their guests.

The last night the fire alarm went off for fifteen minutes (for no reason I could see) no one came down to make sure the place wasn't on fire and the emergency services sure weren't called. Had to drive up to the campsite to inform them. Staff need more training on customer recovery as I was obviously displeased. Could have been dangerous if a real fire had occurred as no signal and no landline provided by the campsite.

Overall it was physically a great location, but I would not stay again as the management...