Brynhaul Clover Field Camping and S…

Cardigan Bay, St Bride’s or Barafundle Beach? Deciding which stretch of the beautiful Pembrokeshire coastline to head for can be a real headscratcher. But hang on a second; we’ve got another idea. Pick somewhere in the Preseli Hills and you’ll have all of them within a short drive. Not only that, but you’ll also get to experience Pembrokeshire’s other treasures: its ancient woodlands, neolithic standing stones and moorland hills. Choose Brynhaul Camping and Shepherd’s Huts, specifically, and you’ll also get an authentic Welsh experience that you’d be hard pushed to find on the coast.

Brynhaul is on the edge of Maenclochog village and looks across fields to the very highest point in the Preselis, Foel Cwm Cerwyn. If you struggle to find the campsite, just stop at the village café, shop or pub and ask for Elfrys and Steve. You’ll be pointed in the right direction before you’re bid a fond hwyl fawr. Welsh is the first language here and the people are proud; none more so than Elfrys and Steve whose enthusiasm for this land is infectious. They say that a lifetime in Pembrokeshire doesn’t stop you being regularly blown away by its beauty.

Staying at Brynhaul gives you a chance for that too. There are two shepherd’s huts and 13 spacious pitches. The huts offer everything that’s needed for comfortable cooking, eating and sleeping. They are insulated, cosy and open all year and a great place to stay for glampers, out-of-season campers or people adventuring by bike or on foot. All you need to bring is food and, if you’ve booked The Hedgerow Hut, your swimming kit as there’s a muscle-soothing hot tub too.

Over in the camping field, things are more back-to-basics but pitches do come with some practical bells on. Each has a campfire pit, a picnic table, its own compost loo and a tippy-tap sink (you’ll see). There are hot water showers and undercover washing-up sinks that are shared along with the best amenity; the field itself. It’s a hedgerowed, clover covered six acres with views to the hills. It’s bathed in sun when it shines and often blessed with the kind of sunset and stars that can make a camping trip. All this is just 500 yards from the edge of the national park, 15 minutes’ walk from the village, two miles from the top of the Preselis and 10 miles from the closest North Coast beach. It’s a rural idyll at the heart of Pembrokeshire, with Pembrokeshire at it’s heart.