Lovely
little Beddgelert (meaning the grave of Gelert) is a quaint Welsh village,
made up of stone buildings, purple heather hills and the weaving River Glaslyn.
Its name is said to refer to an old wive's tale (or should that be dog's tale) regarding
Llywelyn the Great, who believed his hound Gelert had savaged his baby boy. Llywelyn
attacked the dog, and it soon fell to the ground gravely injured. However, moments
later he heard a cry and stumbled through bushes to find his son snug in his
cradle. Today, the 'grave' of Gelert is a popular tourist attraction, reached by
one of the numerous riverside trails of the stunning Snowdonia National Park.
Situated
in the heart of Wales’ very first National Park (established in 1951), Beddgelert is a
charming, isolated campsite in a region brimming with dramatic foothills and
lush forests. This unadorned site certainly harks back to traditional camping from
days gone by. You’ll find nothing fancy or flash here; pitches are large, flat
and well laid out, whilst ablution facilities (showers, toilets and washbasins) are on the basic side but more than adequate. The site's friendly and informative wardens can be seen wandering the dense
forest, and advise all campers to pack rock pegs, especially in the summer
months.
Snowdonia National Park is Wales' most notable (and most frequented) chunk of nature,
with around 350,000 visitors choosing to climb, walk or ride the train to the summit
each year. However there’s plenty more to discover than just Snowdon. Spanning almost
40 miles east to west and over 50 miles north to south, it covers sandy beaches,
craggy cliff tops and glorious estuaries. Thankfully, Beddgelert is located
slap bang in the middle of this natural nirvana.
In
these chaotic urban days, with alarm clocks beeping, computers glaring and headphones
thumping, it may well be a blessing in disguise that there’s no mobile phone
coverage at Beddgelert. So why not take the opportunity to leave the modern
world behind and escape to Snowdonia National Park, to camp by a serene stream
and fairytale forest. Sounds tempting, right?