Post Green Man camping holiday

[krasnyi]

We're hoping to go straight off for a camping holiday in Wales after Green Man. There's likely to be two or three families with 6 kids all 5 and under. We'd like somewhere within walking distance of the sea and nothing over-commercial (toilets, showers, small shop would be good though). I fancy the Gower or south Pembrokeshire (Gorky's country?) but one of our party has suggested Borth.

Anyone got any suggestions?

[cyfarthfa]

Ahh Borth- the pimple on the blushing cheek of west Wales. Lived there for three years. Full of hippies/stoners/students in the winter (inc. me and the future Dr Cyfarthfa) great gigs in the Village Hall- Steve Hillage, Here and Now, Crass etc. Then in the summer---full of people with nothing to do. Last time I went back it was much the same, though minus the gigs and hippies. Nothing there mate. Except for the mighty Borth Bog (Cors Fochno) and a petrified forest on the beach. And the RAF practicing low flying. When windy (often) and raining (frequent) there is nothing to do but go into Aberystwyth. Which is like Borth, but on a grander scale. They both mange to combine rampant cmmercialisation with total lack of anything to do.

If on Cardigan Bay you are determined though, and it is really, really lovely, further south might be a better bet, Aberaeron and some of the little villages slightly inland even north Pembs- Newport has a number of good cliff top sites. Further around the coast is St Davids which is everything Borth and Aber would like to be but aren't. Loads of camp sites on cliff tops or just inland. My favourite is Trefin- an old sailing village south of St Davids, Ceris Mathews' family is from there. Decentish pub and shop, good campsite and pretty uncommercial. South Pembs is a bit softer though still nice.

[lizdogood]

two words shell island www.shellisland.co.uk/

[peridot]

Good thread krasnyi - we'll also be heading off to meet some friends for the rest of the week but we haven't decided where to go yet.

Depending on the weather we may be in need of some good showers - and we'll need to replenish food and drink supplies on the way.

I'll check out cyfarthfa and lizdogood's recommendations - they look promising

[ursaminor]

yep, a great thread!
I'll go backpacking through Wales for about a month and a half (or more) after the festival, I'll check out the places named here!
Thanks!

[yanianyan]

we went up to north wales for a few days after last years greenman. there's quite a few campsite around snowdonia. we prefer wild camping but it's not as easy to do that in england or wales as it is in scotland. the year before we headed south, to a campsite near barry (off the top of my head, is that the right name?) it was right on the coast and you could head down a little path to the beach. we sat there the whole evening, with wine and other goodies.

cyfarthfa....interesting post. here and now and crass in the village hall in broth!!! amazing stuff. it's only now, years after the event(s) that i'm finding out about all the little village halls, churches! community centres etc, crass played over the years. at last years green man i wore my crass tshirt with pride thinking i'd be the only one there with one, but i saw some bloke with crass on the back of his jacket! still my fave band to this day. those buggers influenced me way to much ;-)

[krasnyi]

Thanks for the responses everyone (I knew I could trust the GM community). Loved the stuff on Borth - we're not going there. We've decided on the Gower - not too far from Glanusk and not too far back to Brum afterwards. The place is Nicholaston Farm - really close to the beach and adequate facilities, sounds fine. Let the sun shine!

[cyfarthfa]

Borth was- and probably still is- a seriously weird place. it had a Mayor- who one year was one of the former Incredibles ladies, Liquorice I think. Borth is about three miles long and two houses deep. On one side it backs straight onto the beach and on the other directly onto the bog. When freight trains used to run to Aberystwyth, most of the village would shake. There was nothing to do in the winter except drink and take drugs. Hence the hops in the village Hall. Sundays were grim because the pubs were closed by law. In the summer people would arrive in the place and ask where Borth the village was. I think you'll have a much better time in the Gower, they like people visiting them there!

[krasnyi]

Excellent stuf Cyfarthfa - sounds like you should write a book!

[bettymo]

you really can't beat the Gower peninsula. We're heading straight there after GM as less of a drive than all the way back to Manchester. My boyfriends folks have a caravan in Llangennith right at the end of the Gower - the beaches are so unspoilt and it's better than being on the Med if you get the weather.
I know Nicholaston- very good place and right near the big beach at Penmaen. Lets hope the weather is as good as it is now.
If you were going to go further West into Pembrokeshire I would recommend Manorbier or the Caerfai campsite at St. Davids- this one is at an organic dairy farm and is right above a beautiful beach. I've been every year since I was a kid.

[krasnyi]

Excellent - sounds great. So much better than just packing up and going homeafter the festival.

[peridot]

We plumped for a sit near Newport (Pembrokeshire) in the end.

Called 'Conifers' - not tried it previously so hopefully it'll be to our taste

[cyfarthfa]

Don't know that one. Last time we camped at Parrog- up on the cliffs Nice site, but a terrifying drunken scramble back up the cliff path from the Golden Lion in the dark. I think head torches would've solved that problem.

[bexj]

I drove through Borth once, and hopefully I'll never do it again. Dreadful place!

[liabilityb]

Portmeirion.