Glamping in Wales

• Tents, pods and huts: Sites cluster around Pembrokeshire, Powys and the Swansea area, with canvas tents and timber pods sleeping up to seven guests.
• Comforts under canvas: Expect gardens, terraces, balconies, hot tubs and wide views, so you keep your creature comforts while sleeping close to the landscape.
• Where to base yourself: Eryri (Snowdonia) suits walkers, Pembrokeshire and Anglesey suit coast lovers, and the Gower works well for short breaks.
• Eating after a day out: Village inns and bistros around Betws-y-Coed and Cardiff serve generous Welsh plates built for refuelling after a long walk.
• Plenty to fill the days: Barry Island, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and the Vale of Rheidol Railway sit within easy reach of most sites.

Glamping in Wales runs from roomy canvas tents to insulated pods and shepherd's huts, scattered across Pembrokeshire, Powys and the Swansea region. Many sleep up to seven, so couples, families and groups of friends all find something suitable. Amenities on these sites are more generous than you might expect.

• Hot tubs for soaking after a day on the hills, common on glamping sites with a hot tub
• Private gardens and fire pits for long summer evenings
• Terraces and balconies looking out over valleys or coastline
• Wi-Fi and charging points, handy in remote corners of the country
• Pet-friendly pitches, useful if the dog comes walking with you

Together these touches make a canvas stay feel far closer to a proper holiday let.

What are the best areas to stay in Wales?

For first-time glampers, Pembrokeshire strikes the best balance of coast path, beaches and well-equipped sites. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests staying under canvas in Wales tend to mention the same things: how quiet the pitches are after dark, how welcome a hot tub feels after a wet walk, and how quickly you can be on a beach or a mountain path from the site gate. Hosts get warm mentions too, usually for local walking tips and for keeping the wood store topped up. Ratings on the platform are shown as a score out of ten, so a site rated 8.9+ has been consistently well received across the past year.

Wales occupies the western flank of Great Britain, a compact country of mountain ranges, three national parks, wooded river valleys and a long, deeply indented coastline reaching from the Dee estuary round to the Severn.

🥗Where to eat in Wales?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Abbasi's Indian Restaurant is the best rated restaurant in Wales. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Emma recommends the Pont y Pair Inn in Wales: after a wet morning on the Eryri trails she found it the easiest place to dry off by the fire, refuel on something substantial and swap route notes with other walkers before heading back to the pitch.

1. Spend a day at Barry Island
2. Cross the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
3. Catch a show at Wales Millennium Centre
4. Step into the Iron Age at Castell Henllys
5. Ride the Vale of Rheidol Railway
6. Find Great Britain's smallest house
7. Work through the Welsh classics

1. Spend a day at Barry Island

   Once cut off from the mainland and now joined to it by bridges, Barry Island is one of the best-known seaside spots in south Wales. The beach, promenade and funfair keep younger travellers busy, while the coastline, older buildings and clifftop views reward anyone who prefers a slower wander. It works equally well as a half-day trip from a pitch inland or as a first stop on a longer coastal drive, and there is plenty to eat within a short walk of the sand.

2. Cross the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

   Carrying a canal 126 feet above the River Dee, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is one of the strangest walks in the country. The structure runs 336 yards across the valley and is narrow enough that narrowboats appear to float in mid-air. A pathway runs alongside the channel, so you can cross on foot without setting foot in a boat. Bring a jacket: the wind funnels along the valley, and the views over the surrounding fields are worth lingering for.

3. Catch a show at Wales Millennium Centre

   Down in Cardiff Bay, the Wales Millennium Centre is the country's best-known arts venue and an easy indoor plan for a wet afternoon. Alongside its main theatre it houses the National Orchestra and a cluster of opera, dance and literature companies, so the programme swings from grand opera to comedy and family shows across the week. Even without a ticket, the slate-and-copper frontage and the poetry carved across it are worth the short walk from the waterfront.

4. Step into the Iron Age at Castell Henllys

   Castell Henllys, in the Pembrokeshire hills, is an Iron Age settlement rebuilt on the ground where the original once stood. Roundhouses, tools and daily routines from more than 2,000 years ago are explained by guides who encourage visitors to handle things rather than just look at them. It is a genuinely good stop with children, and the surrounding woodland walk makes it easy to stretch a visit into a full morning before heading back to your pitch.

5. Ride the Vale of Rheidol Railway

   Restored steam locomotives haul the Vale of Rheidol Railway up from Aberystwyth into the hills, climbing steadily as the valley narrows below the carriages. The journey is unhurried by design, with themed services and food served on board on selected dates, and it suits days when the weather rules out the higher paths. Book ahead in the school holidays, and sit on the valley side of the carriage for the better views on the way up.

6. Find Great Britain's smallest house

   Tucked against the town wall on Lower Gate Street in Conwy, the Smallest House in Great Britain measures roughly six feet across and ten feet deep. It takes about two minutes to see and rather longer to photograph, thanks to the bright red frontage and the queue of people doing exactly the same thing. Combine it with a walk along Conwy's medieval walls and the quayside, and you have an easy, low-cost stop on a driving day.

7. Work through the Welsh classics

   Welsh cooking is built for appetites earned outdoors, which makes it a good fit for a glamping trip. Work your way through Welsh rarebit, Glamorgan sausage, laverbread and Welsh cakes, and pick up a wedge of local cheese for the cool box while you are at it. Village shops, farm shops and market stalls all stock the basics, so you can cook most of it over a fire pit back at the site rather than eating out every night.