Ffynnonddewi Camping

You know you’ve found a special spot for a holiday when you wish your getaway could last forever. It’s a feeling that Gareth and Luci Chapman know only too well, having experienced it year after year during their camping trips on the Pembrokeshire coast. Not content with poring over the photographs of cliff-top walks and salt-water-washed coves, the couple decided to up roots and harness that holiday feeling. The result is Ffynnonddewi Camping, just a few miles from St Davids and some of the best beaches on the Welsh coast.

Pitch up on one of Ffynnonddewi’s grassy pitches and you’re surrounded by miles of farmland with a 20-minute walk across fields to Porthmynawyd Cove. From here, you can turn left on the Wales Coast Path for a two-mile walk to the sand and surf of Newgale Beach or right towards the harbour village of Solva. But this is Pembrokeshire, remember, so expect some fairly challenging ups and downs on the way. And, if that sounds too much like hard work, just ignore the path and take a few more steps for Porthmynawyd’s low-tide sands and swimming in sheltered, turquoise waters.

It was coast and country that lured Gareth and Luci to Pembrokeshire’s quieter, northern end and that’s exactly what their campsite showcases. There’s nothing flashy about the place — apart from the gleam from their immaculate facilities. Aside from that, it's a relatively simple site with a couple of family bathrooms, an undercover washing-up area and a few convenient camping facilities which reveal that this pair know a thing or two about camping. Communal-use freezers, little phone-charging lockers and free Wi-Fi are solar powered and all part of the deal. Perhaps, best of all, this site sets itself apart from much of the competition with the rustic luxury of a compost loo per pitch saving midnight dashes across the field when nature calls. Firepits are available to borrow and campers with dogs are well-catered for too – there’s a separate field where four-legged friends can run free and even a dedicated doggy shower.

Those walks on the coastal path are great for a day out with the dog but for two-legged campers there’s more besides. Days on the beach, wildlife watching and eating the freshest fish and chips are some of the simple pleasures that make trips to Pembrokeshire memorable. And they’re easy to find from Ffynnonddewi, with Newgale and Whitesands beaches, St Davids city and quay, and the harbour villages of Solva and Porthgain all within a 10-minute drive. But campers be warned: get a taste for these Pembrokeshire pleasures and you might find it hard to drag yourself away too. Maybe you'll end up returning to start your own campsite one day just like Gareth and Luci...