Bala Camping & Caravanning Club Site Campsite Review
Tucked a few minutes from the shimmering waters of Llyn Tegid in the heart of Eryri (Snowdonia), Bala Camping and Caravanning Club Site offers the perfect kind of quiet, friendly and spotlessly clean camping experience that makes you wish you could stay longer.
I pitched up here for three nights on a solo camping trip over the August bank holiday weekend, with horse riding, swimming and lots of reading and relaxation planned. Read on to find out more about my trip and the campsite itself.
Quiet, friendly camping with spotless facilities
Located within Eryri National Park, the Bala site is easily accessed, just off the A494. Carry on southbound down the main road and in under 10 minutes you’ll reach Llyn Tegid, perfect for swimming, paddle boarding and kayaking with plenty of lakeside parking, along with places to eat as well as kayak and SUP hire.
The Bala club site is a few minutes’ drive from Llyn Tegid, often referred to as Bala lake, and the little town of Bala itself, with plenty of places to eat, drink and enjoy an ice cream.
My goal of camping more this year meant that I was last in Bala just the previous month, passing through on my way to camp on the coast with friends. This time, returning over the August bank holiday weekend, I was on a solo break.
Did I need to take such a big tent for one person? Well yes and no. My medium-sized tent with enough space for my full kitchen setup doesn’t have good waterproofing. Knowing we were due torrential rain, I decided that the tent with the best waterproofing made most sense; hence the gigantic Vango Stargrove.
Friendly wardens and a warm welcome
I’m yet to have a negative experience at a Camping and Caravanning Club site, I’ve always been warmly greeted by friendly wardens which always helps to make me feel welcome and immediately at ease. On arrival I was given the choice of several pitches, and chose pitch 14 and began set up, nervously glancing up at the sky as the rain clouds gathered.
Within minutes of me locking my car and zipping up my fully setup tent, the heavens opened, the first of many downpours over the 4 days I was there. Tent campers will absolutely no that smug feeling of popping the kettle on (or pouring the first glass of wine) once set up is complete and the rain holds off just long enough.
I got lucky during setup on Friday and then again during pack down on Monday morning. Driving home, I’d only been off site for just 5 minutes, when another torrential downpour hit. I didn’t get quite so lucky with the weather on Saturday; the day I’d chosen to go out on a hack.
I left the site before 9am to drive across to beautiful Gwydir Forest near Betws-y-coed, a place I last visited earlier this year for a lovely, if soggy, waterfall walk. This time I headed to Gwydir stables for a 2 hour canter hack.
Despite none of the expansive views I was expecting and being soaked through to my underwear, exploring the forest on horseback was a fabulous experience and one I’d definitely repeat. Huge thank you to the staff and the experienced mum and daughter, who I shared the hack with. They were all extremely gracious and lovely with this novice being a wobbly, unconfident canter.
A lovely site, fab facilities and a great location
Apart from riding and a visit to Bala, I really didn’t do an awful lot and this was by design. My visit came after three straight weeks of hormonal chaos – for some of us, saying that perimenopause sucks is the understatement of the year – suffice to say, I’d had almost no sleep for several weeks and had continual vasomotor nonsense to cope with. I made it to the bank holiday, barely hanging on, and the site provided the gentle peace I needed to rest fully.
I made risotto, reheated a veggie bolognese I’d made at home, ate a mini Toblerone whilst watching a romcom on my iPad and listened to a lot of paranormal podcasts whilst snuggling up on my bed. Totally guilt-free and with absolutely no need to do anything else – the joy of solo camping!
Every time I used the facilities they were pristine. Bright, airy and clean toilets and showers and the washing-up area provided plentiful hot water and again, was always spotless. Regarding facilities, I should also mention the motorhome service area, chemical loo disposal point and the children’s play area towards the top end of the site.
Did I do this wonderful region of Wales justice? Absolutely not, but did the campsite provide me with the peace and calm I so desperately needed? I returned feeling grounded, rested, more resilient and ready to take on life again, so that’s a resounding yes, making this another club site I’d absolutely choose to return to.
Find out more or book your stay at Bala Camping and Caravanning Club Site.
