Date of Visit: Easter Weekend 2023
Overall View
Min-y- Don site, (part of the Salop Caravan sites group) is situated on the Beach Road close to the town of Harlech and its world-famous castle and, allegedly, one of the steepest roads in the UK. Having driven up and down it on many occasions, yes, it is very steep, certainly one I would not envisage walking on. You can view the site arrival video HERE.
Access is very good, please see arrival vide Please note that the new Caernarfon By-Pass is now open so the driving time from the A55 is greatly reduced.
The site has undergone some extensive refurbishment over recent times and is now a 5-star facility with all that you would expect from such a site.
Facilities
There is an enclosed dog walk field where you can exercise your dog off leash and a dog wash.
Children are very well catered for with a play area, football pitch and grass bike track.
A very luxurious amenities block with showers; wash hand basins and toilets is provided for tourer use. There are also fully accessible facilities should you require them. There is also a laundry and dishwashing available. These are accessed via a range of keycodes – please note the accessible bathroom is a different number than the main bathrooms. In addition, for an additional charge you can have access to the two family bathrooms contained within the block.
A book and DVD library is available and there is free Wi-Fi throughout the site. A premium Wi-Fi, (highly recommended unless very low usage) is also available at extra cost.
Signal availability of mobiles was tested with EE and good 5G was available. Vodafone was 4G+. 02 and 3 reports excellent coverage up to 4G.
TV signal was strong but offered a reduced range of channels including the Welsh versions of the main stations.
Review of Site Pitch
Pitches are of hard standing, fully serviced with water and grey waste points to each site plus the usual electric bollards. The site is level throughout and the pitches are of a reasonable size with grassed areas, if an awning is used, then the car has to be parked to the front of the outfit on the grass. There are a 100 all-weather hardstanding pitches.
This did lead to a feeling of compactness with space between the pitches very limited.
Around and about
Harlech is obviously the nearest attraction, apart from the beach which is a level ½ mile walk in the opposite direction to the castle. There is a good pathway from the car park to the beach, apart from the last few yards. It is perfectly possible to walk from the site, care needed at busy times, and eschew paying for the car park if you so wish.
There is a small beach style supermarket at the entrance to the beach road on which the site sits which covers most necessities. Premier Supermarket runs the service and has a good range of foodstuffs you would require. There are a couple of shops in Harlech itself. The main supermarket – Tesco is a 20-minute drive away in Porthmadog. This also has fuel.
Harlech Castle is a must see visit and there is parking available. Entrance fee payable.
www.cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/harlech-castle
The golf enthusiast is well catered for with several high-class golf courses in the vicinity. The Royal St David’s Golf course being about ½ a mile away from the site.
Harlech town or High Street, has sadly suffered in recent years but there are a few shops and a couple of pubs and cafes available.
Slightly further afield is the seaside town of Barmouth with a typical seaside front, amusements, and fair rides for the little ones. www.barmouth-wales.co.uk There are a number of shops here with the usual cafes and pubs it also has a microbrewery called Myrddins Brewery & Distillery Ltd on the high street with a good range of local IPA which can be bought to take away, ordered online or consumed on the premises.
Harlech has its own national railway station and there is a regular service to Pwhelli and Birmingham International.
In the other direction, Porthmadog is the largest town in the area and has a wide range of shops, a marina and is one of the terminuses on the world-famous Welsh Highland Railway and its sister company the Ffestiniog Railway. Depending on your choice, you can either travel to Caernarfon or to the Blaenau Ffestiniog. The route to Caernarfon stops at Rhydd Ddu which is a well-used starting point for climbing Mount Snowdon. www.festrail.co.uk
Summary
This is a site for those people who enjoy a beach type of holiday. Families are very well catered for on site. That is not to say that people who prefer a more tourist style of break and visiting sites and attractions equally have a particularly good range to choose from. A very clean site with excellent facilities. I would certainly recommend a visit to the area.