Graig Wen Glamping

Graig Wen is one of the smartest operations in the book; not only a campsite with around 30 pitches but a glamping and self-catering site too, with  yurts, a shepherd’s hut, Quarry Wagons and holiday cottages available.

On the glamping side, there are four cosy yurts – a small one sleeping two and a larger one with room for five – and a bell tent sleeping four, while a couple of other ‘pop-up yurts’ move around the site according to the season. There’s also ‘Jones’, a romantic shepherd’s hut that can comfortably accommodate two or a young family of four, with a double bed and two bunks that can swing down when needed. Built by local craftspeople, it has – like the yurts – a wood burning stove (a basket of logs is provided), a kitchenette with a gas hob and fridge and crockery and cutlery, and the double bed is covered with a sheep’s wool duvet. Isolated and sheltered among dense woodland, both the yurts and shepherd’s hut offer total privacy from the main campsite, and the beautiful Mawddach Estuary Trail is just a short walk away through the woodland and meadows. Their newest additions are two quarry wagons. Cosy whatever the weather, the wagons are in a little less secluded than our yurts and shepherd’s hut, giving you easy access to a few more mod cons and parking close by.

The great thing about Graig Wen is that there's so much to do nearby, with or without your car. Intrepid walkers could tackle Cader Idris, the spectacular mountain right at the back of Graig Wen. Bikes are available to hire nearby and using the estuary cycle path you can cycle all the way to Barmouth without even seeing a road – and virtually the entire route to Dolgellau in the other direction is road-free, too. There's also a stack of more challenging mountain-bike trails at nearby Coed-y-Brenin, around 5 miles north of Dolgellau. And you should know that Graig Wen is an ambassador for the Snowdonia Dark Skies Reserve and has various special events pertaining to this in the latter part of the year.

Is there anywhere that has such a wide choice of high-quality holiday accommodation as Graig Wen, and is also such a great base for exploring Snowdonia? We doubt it.