Shell Island: A Camping Beach Retreat
Fresh air, camp fires and huge views.
We love camping here at Visit North Wales and we know you do too.
In 2015, us Brits went on over 13.5m camping trips, a sure sign that we’re more than happy roughing it, especially if it means getting up close and personal with our glorious countryside. Even though the ‘glamping’ trend is getting more popular each year, there are still millions of us who will always prefer to take our tried and trusted tents from out of our lofts for a yearly excursion.
Although we’re reaching the end of August now, it doesn’t mean that you’re too late to book a camping holiday trip to North Wales. After a spectacular weekend spent on the sun drenched shores of Shell Island, we couldn’t resist telling you about this one of a kind coastal location and how it’s much more than just a campsite.
For decades, hesitant holiday makers have been put off camping by fears that their holiday will be ruined by a lack of basic home comforts. However, the notion that a camping trip is somehow ‘hard work’ and ‘unglamorous’ is quickly being dispelled by the people behind Shell Island, who have slowly transformed a 450 acre expanse of coastal land into one of the largest campsites in Europe.
There’s ample room to pitch up on Shell Island with 800 pitches available. As there is so much space, campers are given the freedom to pick their own pitching spot and those who would rather not sleep in a tent can rent one of two chalets or one of three flats. Campers can also enjoy the use of a recently refurbished shower block, toilets, washing up facilities and laundry services.
The huge amount of space on offer at Shell Island means that there’s plenty of room to kick a ball around on the soft grass, but with a big sandy beach just a minute’s walk away a game of rounders is just as fun. For younger kids there are plenty of good crabbing spots and there’s also a huge variety of shells that wash up everyday on the beach – perfect for young collectors.
If you’re staying for the weekend, you’ll have very little reason to leave this idyllic corner of Wales. Sports fans pining to watch the big game can make use of two widescreen TVs hooked up to sports channels that sit in the on-site Tavern Bar. Serving a wide selection of beers, spirits, soft drinks and snacks – there’s also an outside play area that can keep the kids busy whilst you take time to enjoy the expansive views of Snowdonia National Park.
A fully-licensed restaurant is also on-site, so you don’t have to miss your Sunday roasts and there’s also a large shop that stocks everything you’ll need for your trip. If you fancy a spot of fishing, a tackle shop sells everything that you might need to catch a local bass. But, should the worse come to worst and the rain comes down, your kids can make use of a games room/arcade until the showers pass.