We’ve been many places in our camper over the years but if you are thinking of hiring a a camper van, one of our favourite places to dart off to on a Friday night is Barmouth on the North Wales Coast. Only 118 miles from ‘Happier Campers’ camper hire in Oldham and only around 100 miles from Didsbury, Chorlton, Trafford and the general South Manchester area. The second half of the journey is very picturesque as you wind through the lush green valleys before reaching Bala lake, the perfect place for a ‘brew stop’ on the way and chance to give the engines in the classic campers chance to cool down.
There are plenty of campsites to choose from along the coast but our favourite is Hendre Mynach. It offers level hard standing pitches or field camping as we prefer with electric hook up. The toilets are cleaned twice a day and are always spotless. It is ideally situated at the end of Barmouth promenade which means you can park the camper up for the weekend and either walk the 20 minutes into town along the prom for supplies or hop on the bicycle and be at the supermarket next to the station in ten minutes. Speaking of the trains, the railway line runs between the campsite and the prom so vehicle access to Hendre Mynach is from the main road as you climb up out of town whereas on foot you can use the pedestrian crossing situated at the end of the camp to gain access to the prom and beech. Checking out the sea on our arrival is also the first thing we do after setting up camp and listening to the waves crash against the sea wall as you drift off to sleep reminds us we are back in Barmouth!
Cycle the Mawddach Trail
Saturday in Barmouth for us is a great day to cycle along the Mawddach trail, an old railway line that runs from the other side of the railway bridge and follows the estuary up to Dolgellau. The ride is around 9 miles from Barmouth town to Dolgellau although you can of course do as much or as little as you like. Even though the return cycle is back on the same trail don’t worry, the views are spectacular and need to be appreciated in both directions. Not only that but the tide will have changed on your return journey which also offer a different perspective to the view.
If you cycle the full distance to Dolgellau you’ll find a quaint little welsh town where you can browse around the shops or visit a coffee shop to refuel for the journey back.
If your legs are tiring then a great point to stop before turning back is the George III pub at Penmaenpool. You can grab a pint and sit outside looking across the estruary and the picturesque Penmaenpool Toll bridge.
Not wanting this article to sound like a pub crawl but my final thing to mention is stopping off at the Last Inn pub when you cycle back in to Barmouth. Its located on your right as you cycle down into Barmouth just opposite the railway bridge. On a summers day you can grab a bench outside amongst the beautiful hanging baskets and enjoy some great food whilst people watching.
Sunday – Chilling on the prom!
Sunday for us in Barmouth is a mixture of checking out the gift shops, and a walk along the lengthy promenade and back along beach – tide depending of course. There are plenty of cool little clothes and gift shops in Barmouth and one very big cool shop called ‘Pieces for Places’, definitely worth a check out – guarantee you’ll end up purchasing something for home.
Before heading back to Manchester on Sunday evening our final favourite thing to do is park up on the promenade and cook our tea in the camper before enjoying the view of the estuary again as we drive out of Barmouth and head home.
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