Plas yn Llangoed

If you’ve been to Anglesey once, you’re probably already planning a trip back. If you’ve been to Anglesey a few times, you might be trying to work out if you can move there. And if you haven’t been to Anglesey at all, be warned: this island county off the north coast of Wales is so captivating that most visitors end up returning time and time again. With a 125-mile coastline, plenty of walking and watersports, a World-Heritage listed castle, and a location within view of the mountains of Snowdonia, it’s easy to see why. But where on this island might a Cool Camper find a suitable spot to pitch their tent? Try Plas yn Llangoed, a small and simple site just three miles outside Beaumaris.

From your pitch at Plas yn Llangoed, you should be able to see two of the things you came for: the mountains and the sea. The site sits in a fairly lofty position with distant views across the Menai Strait to Snowdonia National Park. It’s this outstanding vista and a combination of friendly elements that makes this place special. It’s campfire friendly, eco friendly and family friendly, with some friendly owners thrown in for good measure. Emily, who grew up here, and Antony (or Trig) will welcome you to the site they’ve built within the family land.

The campsite is spread over three acres, which is more than enough room for the numbers they allow. There are eight pitches for people with their own tents, two pre-pitched but unfurnished bell tents, and two pitches for campervans too. The main camping field is kept car-free and campfire free so it’s safe for kids to run about in. It is, however, only a short walk to the site’s communal campfire area; a lovely stone and tractor wheel construction that, like much of what you see on-site, has been hand built with reclaimed materials. The facilities are in this area, too; proper flushing loos, hot water showers, and the very welcome Campers’ Shack where you can plug in phones, boil a kettle, and make a cup of tea.

From Llangoed it’s just three miles down to Beaumaris where the never-finished, 13th-century, World Heritage-listed castle is the must-see attraction but there’s also the seafront, the beach, the pier, and a street full of places to get fantastic food. You can walk from the site to Penmon Point at Anglesey’s easternmost edge, or take a boat from Beaumaris to see it and the nearby wildlife hotspot, Puffin Island. There are more opportunities to take to the water, seven miles around the coast at Menai Bridge. Or if those mountains are calling you, keep going across the Thomas Telford-designed suspension bridge towards Snowdonia. But don’t worry if you haven’t got time to do it all. Chances are, you’ll be planning your next holiday to Anglesey before too long.