Nantcol Waterfalls - nr Llanbedr, Gwynedd

[Former Scout]

Nantcol Waterfalls
Cefn Uchaf
Llanbedr
Gwynedd
LL45 2PL

Nantcol Waterfalls Campsite Snowdonia

Nantcol Waterfalls has the potential of being a 10 out of 10 family campsite. No, strike that; Nantcol Waterfalls has the potential of being an 11 out of 10 family campsite.

Getting there on a busy bank holiday weekend can be an experience as the narrow roads around the nearby towns and villages, especially around Llanbedr, can make the M25 appear free-flowing! Even the driveway to the campsite can be a very frustrating affair as it is about 200 metres long, single track with a bend in the middle and trees blocking the view to the end; you can drive nearly 100 metres only to find that you have to reverse all that way and, believe you me, on the afore-mentioned bank holiday weekend this can easily happen two or three times.

The welcome is genuinely warm and there is an easy-going feel to the place; in some respects, as I go on to elaborate, perhaps a little too easy-going. There are three areas in which to camp: a fairly large field to the east for EHU, another large field to the south for non-EHU camper vans and tents, including a number of quickly-grabbed plots overlooking the stream, and a smaller field to the west for tents only. The first two offer the best views but were too large for my taste; over the busiest times they can look a little like tent-city. However, this could easily be rectified by a little careful landscaping as I've seen on some other sites. There was no marking of pitches in the second two fields which does allow you to spread out a little. By the way, bring a good supply of rock pegs.

Several reviewers "in another place" have mentioned how wonderful the toilet block is; however, I must disagree. They are good, at best, but totally inadequate for the size of campsite. As well as facilities for the disabled there are two covered washing up sinks, three unisex shower cubicles (one not really an option as the light wasn't working) and, in the gents, three urinals, two WCs and just two sinks. So if both sinks were being used by, say, men having a shave you even had to wait to wash your hands after using the toilet; and there was often a queue for the showers. The showers cost 50p and operate by a card that you purchase from the shop. They have a fixed temperature and varied from slightly too hot to merely warm. But worse was that the area to get changed in does not drain very well and, even with the provision of duckboards, getting dressed without getting clothes wet was a bit of a palaver. But the main thing is that three showers, a few hand basins and two washing up sinks for the entire campsite is totally inadequate; I've been on campsites that were half the size, even a third of the size, that had two or three times the facilities.

As I mentioned, things can be a little too easy-going. If there was a rule about keeping dogs tied to a leash (and I didn't see one) then it certainly wasn't adhered to; there was one dog freely roaming around the field that, if not an actual pit bull, then was far too close to being one for my comfort. Also there was a sign that had a very few rules including "No loud music";. Now I would prefer campsites to ban the playing of any recorded music (if you must then use your headphones!) but loud music was being played quite frequently and, at times, well into the evening. After complaining a few times I gave up; I was too embarrassed. Such rules need to be spelt out very clearly on arrival and the warden should have a walk around the campsite a couple of times each day just to make sure that everything is at it should be.

Finally, be aware that the campsite, the stream and walks are open to the public. At the busiest times the car park was so full because of day-trippers (4-5 dozen cars) that a dozen or so cars were parked on the main non-EHU field!

I'm aware that I've done a lot of moaning. So let me cover the good parts; and the good are very good indeed. There is enough room on the fields for the kids to play without getting under the feet of other campers; always important. The stream that flows through the site is a child-magnet and they loved playing there. Part of the stream is partially dammed with rocks creating a pond deep enough for a dinghy but shallow enough (about 18 inches max.) to be safe. Parents need have no fear about letting their children play here.

But best of all are the walks available. For relatively little effort the rewards are immense and it would be a sin to camp here and not take in the Main Falls, the Top Falls and the Woodland Walk. As we sat by the Top Falls being nourished by the beautiful scenery and our children messed about in the water, I found myself no longer being overly concerned about the faults of the campsite, and its rating slowly increased in my head.

Finally, the campfires. £4 bought you enough wood for a decently-sized campfire that lasted until bed time. From early evening there were plumes of smoke rising into the sky and the whole site was filled with the gentle perfume of wood smoke. There is something very primal and attractive about gathering around a campfire in the evening. I would, however, suggest that the warden either restricts where campers can build a campfire or provides braziers (no giggling on the back row); you often found that just where you wanted to pitch your tent there was the debris of a recent fire including, where we were, mussel shells (impressive!!), bottle tops and other half-burnt rubbish.

Any further points? There are facilities to recycle, which is good. As for shopping, there is a small village shop in Llanbedr, just under two miles from the campsite, but much better is the SPAR about four miles along the road to Barmouth which has a butchers shop attached.

It's easy to see why Nantcol Waterfalls is so popular and, in many ways, it is an ideal family campsite. Our own children want to return sooner rather than later but even they picked up on the same faults that I have. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would we go again? Absolutely. But to fulfil the potential that nature has provided and to put this among my very favourite campsites there are several tweaks required.