The best areas for camping in Wales, from Snowdonia to the Gower

Wales is the most concentrated camping country in Britain. Three national parks, two long coastlines, a mountain range that fills the horizon and an International Dark Sky Reserve, all inside a country you can cross in three hours. Choosing where to camp is the hard part. This is our guide to the regions.

Eryri (Snowdonia): mountains and lakes

The north of Wales is mountain country. Campsites in the Llanberis, Ogwen and Nant Gwynant valleys sit at the foot of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the Glyderau and Tryfan, and lakeside sites at Llyn Gwynant and Llyn Padarn double as paddleboarding and swimming bases.

Go for: hillwalking, scrambling, lake swimming, adventure sports at Zip World and Surf Snowdonia.
Best months: May–June and September.
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Pembrokeshire: the coast path

Britain's only coastal national park is a 186-mile ribbon of cliffs, coves and islands. Campsites sit above beaches at Newgale, Whitesands and Manorbier, and boat trips to Skomer's puffins leave from Martin's Haven. The north around St Davids is wild; the south around Tenby is family-beach heaven.

Go for: coastal walking, surfing, coasteering, wildlife.
Best months: June–September.
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Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons): dark skies

Under an hour from Cardiff and Bristol, the Beacons are the weekend escape for the whole of southern Britain. Pen y Fan draws the crowds, but the Black Mountains to the east and Waterfall Country to the west are quieter. Riverside sites on the Usk and Wye are perfect for paddling, and the whole park is an International Dark Sky Reserve.

Go for: stargazing, waterfalls, Pen y Fan, river camping.
Best months: April–October.
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The Gower and Carmarthenshire: beaches within reach

The Gower was the UK's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has some of Britain's most photographed beaches — Rhossili, Three Cliffs, Oxwich. Campsites sit right behind the dunes. Further west, Carmarthenshire is quieter, with Pendine's seven-mile beach and the estuary country Dylan Thomas wrote about.

Go for: beach days, surfing at Llangennith, easy access from the M4.
Best months: June–September.
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Mid-Wales and the Cambrian Mountains: the empty middle

Between the national parks lies the least-visited upland in Britain. The Elan Valley reservoirs, the Cambrian Mountains and the coast around Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay offer red kites, dolphins, empty roads and farm campsites where you might be the only tent.

Go for: solitude, wildlife, road trips, dolphins at New Quay.
Best months: May–September.

Anglesey and the Llŷn Peninsula: island time

Ynys Môn (Anglesey) is ringed by a coast path and blessed with sheltered, sandy beaches. Across the Menai Strait, the Llŷn Peninsula is Wales's Cornwall — surf at Hell's Mouth, sailing at Abersoch, and pilgrim paths to Bardsey Island.

Go for: family beaches, sailing, coastal walking with mountains behind.
Best months: June–September.

Choosing between them

• First trip to Wales? Snowdonia or Pembrokeshire. Both are spectacular and well served by campsites.
• Families with young children? The Gower, Anglesey or south Pembrokeshire for safe beaches.
• Walkers? Snowdonia for mountains, the Brecon Beacons for ridges and waterfalls.
• Want to be alone? Mid-Wales.
• Stargazing? The Brecon Beacons or Anglesey's Dark Sky Discovery Sites.

Whichever you choose, book ahead for summer weekends and pack for rain — the greenest country in Britain earns it. Start with every campsite in Wales on Firecamp.