UKC

Hi,

Looking for recommendations for family-friendly campsite for weekend trip to walk up Snowdon - this means acceptably nice facilities with hot running water and showers. A friend of mine is planning on taking his daughter and a friend on their first camping trip for a bit of an experience, so needs to be teen-friendly, so as not to put them off.

It's been several years since I've camped there, as used bunk houses the last few times and the sites I have used in the past would be rejected as being too "basic"

Thanks in advance...

I stayed here a few years ago with my daughter -  http://www.rynys-camping.co.uk/. Nice campsite with friendly hosts, though a little bit further to Snowdon. Looking at the reviews, it looks like it still is well run.

Depending on which route you are planning on taking up Snowdon I would suggest the campsite in Beddgelert forest. the Rhyd Ddu path and South Ridge are, for my money, the most enjoyable route up Snowdon (I haven't been up the top section of the Watkin before, I've done all of the other paths up at least once).

I have stayed here too, very nice site and personally i find Betws is a much nicer place than Llanberis

I highly recommend the campsite by Llyn Gwynant, underneath clogwyn y wenallt.  It's not cheap but it's got lovely facilities, you can choose between lakeside or riverside, and it's got a pizza van there in the summer (which also does breakfasts, I believe), with a real wood fire oven.  Beware the weather, because it can get a touch waterlogged, but when dry it's a joy.  You can hire boats and things on the lake, if you fancy a break from snowdon.  6 miles from the start of the Watkin path.

But avoid on BH weekends

Mostly because it's even more expensive!  We recently avoided it on May BH for that reason.  £72 for two people for a weekend's camping is a touch steep. 

On the other hand, they close it once it gets full, compared to other campsites that just keep packing them in.  The campsite we eventually stayed at got disgustingly full, to the point where we couldn't actually park on site anymore.  Not ideal for somewhere with only three toilets in total.

If OP is planning on a bank holiday weekend they might do well to rough it a bit, and go somewhere like Nant Peris or the one by Llynnau Mymbyr as a compromise.  Both were pretty empty when we drove past on BH saturday.

Thanks - I've not stayed there, but did walk through it once, when we were staying in the Emily Kelly hut (no relation, I presume?).

At the time, it was hosting an annual bikers meet and we were greeted to the sight of a naked man riding a Honda C50 round the site before riding it into the lake. Apparently, he does it every year - no mean feat, considering it was November, or something!

They're going in August, but not the bank holiday.

No relation - if there was I'd make the most of it for easy accommodation!

Thankfully I have missed that gem.  Note to self:  Don't go in November.