The Boat House, Llandrinio, Wales
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Campsite: |
The Boat House |
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Location: |
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Suitable for: |
Couples or families with slightly older children |
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Price: |
£20 per night for non-electric grass camping pitch |
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Website: |
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When: |
2 nights in May 2021 |
This was our first trip away in our campervan since lockdown 3.0 restrictions lifted and campsite facilities in Wales could open, so we opted for a small campsite not too far from home, to ease ourselves back into our van-ventures.
THE CAMPSITE:
The Boat House Campsite is located on the edge of the River Severn and adjacent to a charming bridge and surrounded by fields and the nearby hills of Llandrinio. On arrival we were met by campsite owners Peter and Freda, who couldn’t be lovelier - they gave us a tour of the facilities and let us pick our own pitch at the camping field adjacent to their lovely cottage. The camping field currently only allows 10 pitches, but these aren’t allocated so you can choose a spot to suit you. The field is long and thin with hedges running on the back and the River Severn at the front - in the middle the owners have created a raised bank to give protection from the river if it burst its banks. We chose to drive our campervan over the hump and park riverside.
The campsite encourages campers to canoe or paddleboard in the river and they also own a second field over the road with steps into the river if you wanted to use them.
Owners Peter and Freda trundle past on a quad bike to ensure you’ve got everything you need - they lay on free tea and coffee with fresh milk for guest and will bring you a firepit, swing grill and logs.
FACILITIES:
Amongst the best we’ve used! Inside an outbuilding next to the main cottage, and a short walk from the campsite field, you’ll find two self-contained bathrooms each with a shower enclosure, toilet and sink with plenty of changing space - showers are £1 for 10 minutes. There are also two separate toilets with basins and a well-equipped kitchen area with washing up sink. There are free tea and coffee facilities with a kettle, mugs and even fresh milk to use in the fridge. A toaster is also free to use as is the fridge and separate freezer - there are even plug sockets if you need to charge your phone - or use a hairdryer!
The kitchen and bathrooms are spotlessly clean, and I regularly found Freda inside giving surfaces and floors a wipe down. At the moment, facemasks are required to be worn inside and hand gel was available by the main door.
NEARBY:
Although we didn’t use it, there is a pub ‘The Admiral Rodney’ within walking distance (along a road) or a 5-minute drive of the campsite. As we had such good weather so set off on foot from the campsite to walk up to Admiral Rodney’s Pillar (insert your jokes here!) which you can see from the camping field on top of the hills facing you.
It took around 2 hours to walk to the top of the hill from the campsite. The start of the walk is along a main road - which isn’t too busy, but you can drive and park at the foot of the hill in the small pay and display car park. The walk itself is quite steep and a of gravel footpaths, steeper mud paths and a final steep climb. The views from the top a worth the effort!
WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE:
Not much! The only thing I would say is that the campsite is open to the river water’s edge with no barriers so if you have very small children you will need to keep an eye on them at all times as they play on the grass. The campsite is next to a local road with cars and lorries from the nearby quarry passing over the little bridge, but road noise wasn’t excessive - our friends camping in tents heard it a little in the mornings, but in our campervan we couldn’t hear it.
WHAT WE LIKED:
The campsite is in a wonderful location right on the edge of the River Severn - if the weather had been warmer, we would’ve put our paddleboards into the river, which the campsite encourage and don’t charge for. As the campsite only has 10 pitches available it is a quiet and friendly atmosphere. The facilities are amongst the best we’ve encountered and spotlessly clean - the owners can’t do enough to make your stay amazing - even bringing you a fire pit and swing grill complete with logs, firelighters and matches - they’ll even make you a cuppa if they see you!
FIND THIS CAMPSITE:
ABOUT US:
We have been travelling in campervans for over 15 years, taking in the best that the UK and Europe has to offer. By sharing our adventures, insights, recommendations and reviews we hope to inspire you to explore more!
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