Camping and Caravan Club Certificated Site 158 129
Glyn-Coch Craft Centre, Ffynnongain Lane, Pwll Trap, St Clears, Carmarthenshire. Tel 01994 231 867
£8.50 per pitch per night. No extra charge. Wales' Most Beautiful Farm.
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OTHER PAGES |
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WITHIN THIS PAGE |
Welcome to Glyn-Coch | Description of site including directions and access | Pictures of Glyn-Coch Campsite | Definition of a Pitch |
| Prices (and availability) | The Camping Season | |||
| Local Attractions (incl Bluebird EV at Pendine) | Local Events and Festivals | Other local websites | About the Camping and Caravan Club | |
| Other Information | Notes on Welsh etc | Bottom of page | ||
| Important Information for readers of Tiny Campsites | ||||
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Huw and Thelma hope you will enjoy staying on our Certificated Site. We have a combined total of over 80 years camping experience (since 1954) behind us and try to run this site as we would wish to find a site that we were staying on. In March 2010 we were invited to the House of Lords to be given the Commended Certificate (SW Region) in the Beautiful Farm Awards and in spite of being so small (at 24 acres, we only just qualify for the term 'farm') were the highest placed farm in Wales. Our campsite is less then an acre and has been featured in Dixe Will's book, Tiny Campsites
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The site is licensed
by the CAMPING AND
CARAVANNING CLUB. You must be a member to camp here. You can
join when you arrive. Pitch fees are a fraction of the cost of
commercial sites. In spite of paying the annual subscription of £39:00 and
our pitch fee, most couples or families will find staying here cheaper then staying on an
equivalent commercial site after 5 or more nights. (See below for
detailed explanation and other advantages of the Club). Members save about
£8.50 a night compared to commercial sites. In rolling
Carmarthenshire countryside our sheltered site offers peace, history, wildlife,
and traditional crafts. Easy access to and from the M4 corridor (A40 dual
carriageway), National
Parks and Irish Ferry Ports. Glyn-Coch's Camping and Caravan Club certificated site is located just to
the west of St. Clears, Carmarthenshire.
The campsite at Glyn-Coch slopes gently to the South East and is sheltered
from the North West by mature hedges and trees. The grass is cut once a week
(depending on weather.) The view is of rolling grassland and mature hedges and
woodland. Facilities include a standpipe, chemical disposal point, toilets, and
a shower. (The shower is available between 6.00pm and 10.00am and is less then
150yds from your pitch. During the day the toilet block is also used by visitors
to the craft centre. ) Four electric hook ups are available. Access to the craft centre
facilities (including the
Craft Shop, Pottery,
Collection
of 20th century technology and Woodland
Walk - (the 4th best in Wales according to the Forestry Commission) is
free.
This quiet site attracts mainly older campers and young families, but all are welcome. For those interested in wildlife there is plenty to see from our woodland walk, which hosts
over 150 species of wild plants including some that are quite rare, over 70 species of birds, most mammals you would expect in this area. For the serious ecologists Glyn-Coch is one of the top 20 sites in the
UK for moth diversity. For crafty Campers our craft shop offers knitting and
weaving kits and items made by people from all over Wales, and the pottery offers the chance to make or decorate a range of china and ceramic products. Almost all our guests extend
or repeat their stay. .A list of local suppliers of
camping essentials and emergency information is displayed in the shop. St Clears
even has its own camping shop
as well as, gas, batteries etc. We keep a list of most of the dealerships for
cars and camping equipment in the area, and should be able to point you in the
right direction if spares or repairs are needed. The friendly
White Lion
Inn, 1/2 a mile away, provides bar meals and has a small restaurant. St.
Clears has a good range of food and general hardware shops. We have TWO prize
winning butcher's shops! (Butchers: Eynons.
and Phillip Hughes), and an independent bakery. About 100 tourist attractions
are open all year within 1 hours drive. (TIP: if you come early or late in
the year, look for smaller attractions as the proprietor usually lives on the
premises. Small businesses remain open when footfall does not justify large
attractions employing essential casual labour.) The AA estimate that we can be reached in about 4 1/2 hours from London, 3 1/2 hours from
north Wales and 4 hours from Liverpool. Irish Ferries at Swansea, Pembroke and Fishguard are less than an hour away, Brecon is just over. For more information please click here for Directions, approximate times and distances. Directions and Access: (Map)
Glyn-Coch Craft Centre is signposted from the A40 1/2 mile west of St Clears.
The signs are standard brown Tourist Board signs. The signs lead you into the
village of Pwll-Trap where you will turn into Ffynnongain Lane opposite the
White Lion Public House. (Note that the first few yards of Ffynnongain Lane is
quite steep and you, if towing, will need to be in bottom or second gear
for about 25yds.) Ffynnongain lane is a quiet residential street, but after
about 200 yds narrows to a single track country lane. Turn left at the next
brown sign in 200 yds. (At this point SATNAV tuned to our post code will start
to show concern! We are some distance from the centre of the post code area.)
Carry on for 100yds round the right angle bend, and the lane merges with our
drive in about 50 yds. Carry straight on for 400yds and the campsite is on your
left. Drive straight onto the site and find a pitch, and then come to the house
to let us know that you have arrived, and we will sign you in and show you
round. If you need any help please ask. We are here to ensure that you enjoy
your holiday. In spite of the country lanes we are regularly (about once a
month) visited by standard sized 53 seater coaches, and the largest vehicle to
reach the campsite was 12 ft high 10 ft wide and 60 ft long. There is a 12ft
height restriction at the entrance to the farmyard, but that should not trouble
campers. The single track lanes are not a problem, but if you are worried about
them give us a ring on 01994 231 867 and we will escort you in. The entrance to the campsite has a slight uphill gradient and is
on grass (though we do add gravel each season) so some front wheel drive
motorhomes with long overhangs behind the back axle may have difficulty,
especially if they stop at the entrance. We suggest that a bold approach would
be rewarded. Drive straight in on arrival, do not hesitate and keep your speed
up as you turn in. Drive straight up to the highest point on the site so that
you have a choice of pitches. Some drivers of front wheel drive motorhomes achieve
better traction by backing in. In case of difficulty contact us as soon as
possible. We don't mind towing you in, but are not keen on digging you out of a
hole! Don't let this paragraph put you off, though. Most motorhomes
get in and out without trouble, and their occupants enjoy their stay. Cars, trailer caravans and tents have no problems. The site is rolled each year and the grass is kept short so
people with poor mobility should be OK on the site. A couple of years ago one of
our campers used an electric mobility trike on the site with no problems. The
craft centre buildings are old and only partially adapted, but we say that if
you are mad enough to attempt the assault course, we are mad enough to help you,
and it is our intention to make sure that everyone enjoys their visit, and gets
all that they had hoped for from it, what ever their ability. The toilet is only
accessible by the narrowest wheel chair, but should be accessible by anyone who
can walk with sticks. See our accessibility
statement for more information. Description
of the Site
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Club rules state that for fire control purposes units must be parked 6 m apart. So a Pitch is at least 6m wide with your unit in the centre of it.
We suggest that you can park a car, caravan, awning and pup tent (usually defined as a single person crawl in tent occupied by a child or used for storage) on your pitch.
Other combinations of Car and Tent, or Motor caravan or trailer tent etc., occupying an equivalent area are permitted.
We do not make a practice of marking out pitches (or appearing with tape measures) as everyone is different and different types of camping equipment have their own needs for orientation and access. However we request that you keep within the spirit of this guidance, and reserve the right to defend ourselves from extreme abuse.
Please do not park within 6m of your neighbours, and certainly do not park in front of their windows, or so close that they can hear you snoring!
Having said all that everything has gone swimmingly over the last decade. Thank you!
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. At Glyn-Coch, members of the club pay £8.50 per pitch per night with
no extras. £8.50 includes the pitch, electric hookup and free use of shower. If you are thinking of camping in the area you may like to
know that our last camper thought that we were not charging enough for their
stay and gave us 20% more then we asked! They said that the last site they had
stayed on had charged over £10.00 a night for poorer facilities then ours. (I
only hope that we can live up to that praise. The pressure is on us now!) Look at this section to learn how much
money you save by staying on our site.
Prices
£8.50 per night Electric Hook-up
£6.50 per night No Hook-up As at 02 there
were 4 pitches currently available please phone 01994 231 867 for details.
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At the beginning and the end of the season weather conditions may make access difficult for some vehicles, but we will always help you on or off, or find you some harder ground elsewhere.
We can also accommodate one or two camping units during the winter.
Caravan Storage
Under our license we are not allowed to store unoccupied caravans and DO NOT DO SO except in extreme emergencies. e.g. If one or more members of a family camping with us is unexpectedly taken into hospital. In this case we would hope that either normal camping is resumed or the 'van is removed as soon as possible. We are human and would not wish to add to your distress, but have to look after our licence as well.
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Booking is not strictly necessary, and if we have pitches available they will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
However, although we are allowed to take any number of tents we have a limited number of suitable pitches for tents, and we are, by law, only allowed to take 5 caravans. Therefore we strongly recommend that if you are traveling any distance, you at least, give us a ring (01994 231 867) before setting out. We will reserve your pitch up to the time of your intended arrival, but will not hold it longer. (I'm sorry, but we have to eat too!)
If you are camping here for a night before a strictly timed appointment the next day, (for example, if you are catching a ferry) we recommend that you do book your pitch in advance. We will normally take a deposit of £10.00. (Phone us on 01994 231 967 to arrange payment.)
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We welcome all types of well behaved and well cared for pets. We have even had free range tortoises here!
Pets must be kept under control at all times. (The tortoises carried their own unique tracking system, and were never out of visual contact with their owners.)
Pets should not be allowed to disturb any other campers, members of the public, our livestock or wildlife at any time.
Pet owners. Please do not allow your pet to foul heavily used areas on the campsite, woodland walk, or round the buildings. If you have to clear up an 'accident', please remove it to rough grass areas (road verge, or woodland away from the path) where nature will deal with the problem within a few days. Only use polythene bags when absolutely necessary, as the council only collects once a fortnight, by which time (in warm weather) a very smelly bag needs to be carried in the back of our car to the collection point. Please do not exercise your dogs (or leave dog mess) in the fields as parasites that are normal to dogs can kill sheep.
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Offsite attractions include (5 miles south ) the village of Laugharne, famous as the setting for Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood', about 3 miles further on is Pendine, famous for its 7 mile long sandy beach which once hosted World Land Speed Record Attempts. Beyond Pendine quiet country lanes take you Amroth which is the start of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. A few miles West of Glyn-Coch is Whitland where Hywel Dda (the only Welsh King known as 'Dda' or 'the Good') unified Welsh law before the Normans arrived in England. Hywel's laws gave equal rights to women, and divided inherited property equally between all the children. While they overturned English law the Normans allowed Wales to keep Hywel's law for a further 300 years. To the West of Whitland is the pretty village of Narbeth, with its wonderful little shops. North from Narbeth roads lead into the beautiful Preseli Mountains (the B4313 to Fishguard is not to be missed in summer) packed with prehistoric monuments and fascinating folklore. And don't forget the castles of the Landsker line, or the resort towns of Saundersfoot and Tenby. The National Sailing Centre at Dale on Milford Haven is only just over an hour away. We are also lucky to be surrounded by golf courses and nationally famous fishing lakes. To the SE of us are the pretty estuary villages of Llansteffan and Ferryside. I could go on, but better to leave you something to find for yourself, there is plenty here! (We have a comprehensive set of leaflets in the shop.)
World Lawnmower speed record Learn more about Project Running Blade or the Beaulieu Motor Museum who organise the UK record attempts. If you want to buy a high speed lawnmower then these are the people to contact. And don't forget that the motivation for project Running blade was partly to support the Wessex Heartbeat foundation and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Links can also be found from the Project Running Blade website.
In August (13th and 14th) 2011 an attempt is to be made on The European Land-speed Record for Electric Vehicles on Pendine sands. Read about the history of this project here. Read about the planned attempt this August here. I'm told that they chose the 13th and 14th August only after checking the long term weather forecast, so you really ought to be here! And read about the local company that builds Bluebird Land-Speed Record cars and a host of other interesting vehicles.
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Learn about Craft events at which we will be present.
Wales takes culture very seriously with the emphasis being on enthusiasm, quality of performance and fun If you feel the same, why not come here to enjoy one of the local festivals.
An early summer event is the St Clears Young Farmer's Club (YFC) Agricultural Show (21st May 2011), traditionally held next to the road between St Clears and Pwll Trap it has recently been held on the Carmarthen Showground where it has proved to be one of the most successful shows of the year. A great day out for all the family! (Click here to learn more about one of the best youth organisations I have come across YFCs You don't have to be a farmer to join. When I was a member in Hereford in 1974/5 most other members had jobs in the town, or came from 'towny' families.)
Details of other events on the Carmarthenshire County Showground can be found on their website. (Also includes antiques, caravans, monster trucks circuses etc.)
June to July Trinity University Arts Festival. The Trinity Arts Festival (not advertised by 24 February 2011) is a feast of music, art and literary events including the Stuart Burrows International Voice Award which will be held on the 12th June 2011
One of the biggest events in the area is the Pembrokeshire Fish week 25th June and 3rd July 2011 which though centered on one of that county's major historic industries celebrates much more then just food. They usually manage to include a Tall ship visit into the main celebrations in Milford Haven, but events take place throughout the county so some are quite close to us, and the most distant are not much more then an hours drive away. The quality of these events is indicated by the fact that the 2009 opening in Milford Haven Marina was attended by 14,000 people - the equivalent of 8 million people descending on an event in Hyde Park! You really ought to be there! For 2011 they have already planned to have over 250 events during the week, so there must be something for everyone!
Later the Laugharne Festival takes place between the end of July and the end of the first week of August takes place between the end of July and the end of the first week of August. The Laugharne Festival is centered on performances of Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas's wonderful play which was written in Laugharne. In the play the people of the small fishing village of Llareggub, muse about their lives, their relationships and their dreams -some of which were MOST unexpected, and caused great offence to the people of Laugharne who thought they recognised themselves! Needless to say the quality of writing, the humour, and the playwright's obvious affection for his neighbours soon won them over. Find out more about Laugharne here.
The National Eisteddfod will be held at Wrexham from 30 July to 6 August 2011 (Wrexham is about 136 miles from St Clears - about 3.5 hours drive))
Pembrokeshire County Show will be held between the 16th and 18th of August 2011 on The Showground at Withybush, Haverfordwest.
Tenby Arts Festival between 17th and 24th September 2011. The programme for 2011 will be published in early summer. Tenby Arts Festival 2010 was a wonderfully successful eight days, with the usual interesting mix of music, drama, poetry, talks, a writing competition, ‘Tenby’s Got Talent’ and fun for all the family. There was a good spirit around the town and record size audiences. Read the reviews written about the Festival on this page
The famous Whitland Choir's season of public performances starts in April, but if you miss them you can buy a CD. See their website for further details. They are very busy, touring Cornwall and Waterford in 2009, and perform in many paces around the county and in Eisteddfods. 2011 programme is here
Tenby Choir is a newer outfit (only 35 years old), but no less enthusiastic and with a respectable number of awards to their name. I last saw them on a cold evening on the slipway at Tenby Harbour, and guess what, their website has some video clips of a similar event! Needless to say this was a very enjoyable event in spite of the weather! Their 2011 programme includes concerts almost every week from April through the summer.
Other local choirs include Llanelli, Haverfordwest, Haverfordwest Ladies, Côr Merched Côrisma, Pembroke
Other Welsh Choirs
The very busy Whitland Cricket club is just over 5 miles west of us.
Taf Running and Orienteering Club (TROTS) based in St Clears holds several open runs during the summer.
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St Clears is visited by people following the Cistercian Way which links all the Cistercian Abbeys in Wales. We are on the Neath to Tenby Section.
The St Clears website also gives a lot of local information
The St Clears page of the UK Villages website is also informative
One of the UK's busiest campsite directories, launched in 2005 we are now one of the busiest and largest directories. http://www.bigfreeguide.com/camping/detail/campsites/glyn-coch/1857.html
| Millets, Carmarthen | 1 Red Street
Carmarthen Dyfed SA31 1QL T: 01267 235906 |
| All Seasons, St Clears |
All Seasons Camping & Leisure Ltd, Unit 11 St.Clears Business Park, Tenby Road, St.Clears, Carmarthenshire, SA33 4JW. Tel: 01994 232808. E Mail: info@onlinecampingshop.com Originally a tent shop, now includes basic range of essentials and accessories for all forms of camping. Open 7 days a week in the summer. |
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Cross Hands Business Park, Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire, SA14 6RE Tel: 01269 831 151 Sell, service and repair most makes of motorhome and ALKO trailers |
| Ennis
Caravans |
Carmarthen Road, Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire, Wales UK, SA14 6SP Tel: 01269 832381 Fax: 01269 845347 e-mail sales@ennis-caravans.co.uk Dealers for Lunar, but sell everything from Static Caravans to Kayaks and have 5* repair service for caravans and most equipment. Accessory shop Stocks parts and equipment from many manufacturers. For example, they stock most Whale parts for caravan water systems, and parts that are not in stock can be obtained in 2 working days. One of the longest established of the local caravan specialists, and the first port of call for us for 11 years.) |
| 3As
Caravans |
Stevens Way, Carmarthenshire, SA31 2BG, Tel: 01639 814 879 Dealers for Coachman, Eldiss, Sprite and Sterling Also many motorhomes. Accessory shop |
| Three
C's Caravans |
Esgairordd, Crymych, Pembrokeshire, SA41 3SQ Tel: 01239 831275 Dealers for Swift and Sprite, Dorema awnings, Accessory shop, Service and repair |
| Specific LOCAL camping equipment dealers | Adria, Alko, (ABI Ownersclub), Abbey, Ace, Autohome, Autotrail, Bailey, Bessacar, Chausson, (Devon), Bucaneer, Compass, Eccles Owners Club (see Swift), Eldiss, Excel, (Hymer?), Lunar, Sprite, Sterling, Swift, Tribute, (?Vanmaster?), |
| Motor Factors |
David Harris & Co Carmarthen, Blaendewi Fawr Carmarthen -
County Motor Factors (01267) 234678 - 2 Anthony Way, Johnstown, SA31 3RB Carmarthen
Brown Brothers (01267) 237977 - Pensarn Road Stephens Way, SA31 2BT Carmarthen
Vals Waterloo Terrace, Carmarthen Excellent at recognising parts and knowing how to replace them! |
| Autoelectricians |
South West Electro Diesel Ltd. (Recommended) Tel. 01267 234952Johnstown, Carmarthen, SA31 3RB
Tel. 01554 75436673a Lakefield Rd, Llanelli, SA15 2TS
Tel. 01269 871121Erwlas, Bancffosfelen, Llanelli, SA15 5DP |
| Car Problems |
Recommended local garages Where the garage owner gets his hands dirty and makes your car sing, what ever the problem, and the mechanics are enthusiasts. These two are very highly recommended. G and R Anthony, (Whitemill Garage, Llangynyn Road St Clears. General repair garage. Work on all makes of car. Pleasant reliable and don't overcharge. Used by us for 9 years.) Lyndon George, (Blaenwaun Garage, Blaenwaun. Non-dealer, Land Rover specialists/enthusiasts, approved by LR to sell and service/repair new vehicles, but will take on anything from a student's first car to prestigious supercar. Pleasant reliable and don't overcharge. Used by us for 11 years.)
Dealers For smooth 'service managers' in white coats, deep carpets and bored apprentice mechanics doing some things by number, if they remember. But for some reason the money people like them. WARNING, SOME OF THE following OVER-HYPED WEBSITES ARE VERY SLOW TO LOAD. Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, SAAB, Skoda, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki , Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagon, |
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Your membership fee of about £39.00 pa gives access to 1400 basic sites all over the UK, and 110 fully equipped Club Sites. The club offers all sorts of specialist services, special interest groups, special holiday sites, discount ferries etc etc)
You save money the moment you join the club. The table below shows what you might expect to pay at Glyn-Coch and a typical commercial site with equivalent facilities. (Read the rest of this page and then check the prices of commercial sites that you like the look of.)
| Commercial | Glyn-Coch | |||
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Pitch fee per night. |
Pitch fee for 5 nights | Pitch Fee per night | Pitch Fee for 5 nights | |
| Advertised pitch fee | £10.00 | £50.00 | £8.50 | £42.50 |
| Electric hook up fee | £2 | £10 | Included in Pitch Fee | Included in Pitch Fee |
| Extra per person (2 people) | £4 | £20 | Included in Pitch Fee | Included in Pitch Fee |
| Use of shower | £1 | £5 | Included in Pitch Fee | Included in Pitch Fee |
| C &CC Sub | NA | NA | - | £39.00 |
| TOTAL | £17.00 | £85.00 | £8.50 | £81.50 |
On your 6th and subsequent nights at Glyn-Coch you will still pay £8.50 a night, but you will be saving £8.50 compared to commercial sites. That should pay for a little petrol for site seeing! (If you don't use the electric hookup at Glyn-Coch you can save an extra £2.00 a night.)
After staying at Glyn-Coch your Camping and Caravan Club membership will be valid for the rest of the year, and can be used hundreds of fully equipped club sites and thousands of small sites (like Glyn-Coch) all over the UK and Europe. There will almost certainly be a choice of weekend campsites within 10 miles of where you live or close to the distant homes of friends and relatives. The Camping and Caravan Club also offers specialist insurance and financial advice, equipment advice, practical instruction courses (including towing) discounts on European and Irish ferries. Specialist groups include one for lightweight campers and another for those (like me) who like to take their boats with them. Local 'District Associations' organise holiday sites that may be in unusual places (like Headingham Castle in Essex - which boasts the biggest Norman Arch in Europe) for pitch fees which are often even lower then those charged by certificated sites! Camping and Caravan Club Youth caters for younger campers. The club also organises large events such as Camping Week, or the National (and Regional) Feast of Lanterns.
Certificated sites (like Glyn-Coch) are owned and run by the landowner but are inspected every year by trained inspectors authorised by the Camping and Caravan Club as obliged by act of parliament. In Spring 2010 the club site inspector used our site as his base for several weeks, while he inspected other sites in the region. Our electric hook ups are also officially tested every year (copies of the test certificate going to the County Council and to the Club) and we are subject to random water board checks and have to be properly insured. (These procedures are common to all Certificated Sites.)
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(In addition to the one that says everyone must enjoy their holiday!)
Most of the rules are common sense, and if you have not yet joined they can be summarised (with additional information in italics for campers at Glyn-Coch ) as follows :-
Sign in on arrival,
drive carefully (max speed 5mph) on site and in the craft centre, and 10 mph on the drive. (Please give way to oncoming traffic on the drive)
units (e.g. caravan, awning and pup tent) should be 6m away from other units,
open fires are not allowed, (Apart from the normal risk on a campsite, Glyn-Coch is totally surrounded by our award winning woodland nature reserve, which in summer is vulnerable to fire. We don't light any sort of fire in the summer.)
all units must have a BSI approved fire extinguisher, fire blanket and must have fire bucket at front of pitch,
each unit should have a first aid kit, (The nearest accident and emergency unit is in Carmarthen, 10 miles away.)
gas cylinders should not be more then 15kg
Children must be supervised at all times. ( A shop in Tenby has the following sign on the door, "Unattended children will be taken and sold as slaves." We don't usually go that far, but farms can be dangerous places, and while we do our best to ensure that you do not need to put yourself at risk, normally inquisitive children will soon find ways to put themselves in danger that adults could not have predicted!)
Respect trees, fences, buildings equipment and livestock
All pets must be kept under control at all times
Kites should not be flown at Glyn-Coch. (Risk from power-lines)
Archery and shooting should not be carried out on site
Ball games only allowed with site owners consent
Pitch should be left clear on departure
Noise should be kept to a minimum and the site should be quiet between 11.00pm and 7.00am
Units are not allowed to be left unattended at night.
Use Chemical Disposal Point, dustbins and recycling facilities provided.
SITE OWNER'S WORD IS FINAL (that's me!)
They seem to have grown from the 12 rules I remember, but I suppose that sad events create new rules. You are here to have a good holiday, and don't want to be constantly looking over your shoulder. (I remember having a holiday all but ruined when a warden came up with a tape measure and decided that as our caravan awning was 6 inches too near one neighbour, and that as there was 7 inches to spare on the other side we must take the awning down and move the 'van 6 inches sideways!) Still, with goodwill on all sides I don't suppose we will have to check up on any rules! If you want to know more about the rules or anything else please contact us.
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There are power lines (on wooden posts) over the SW corner of the site. For this reason we ask people not to fly kites. (Most of the pictures on this web page show the lines, and have always done. You can also see them on the Ordnance Survey map) When we first applied for permission for the site we were only talking about, what is now, the upper 2/3 of the site. There was a small paddock between the site and the drive. It soon became clear that, particularly in poor weather it was difficult for cars to move uphill through the two gateways, so gradually we widened the gateways, until the lower paddock ceased to be any use, and it became incorporated into the main campsite. At this point we decided not to cut the grass in the corner under the power lines and have a small wild flower meadow instead, but we found that in spite of long grass people continued to camp there. In fact some people even bring extra long electric extensions so that they can park their caravans in this area while still being connected to our hook ups. They tell us that this is because they like the evening sun. Others park at the other end of the site which has more shelter and better views. In the end we gave in to customer demand and now treat the whole area as the campsite and regularly mow every bit of it. As far as we are aware there are no health risks associated with the lines, and they do not interfere with radio or TV reception. Indeed in the early days of DAB radio our only way of receiving it was to stand under the power lines with the radio held above our heads! Reception is better now.
There is also a railway line running round the edge of Glyn-Coch Farm. It is part of Brunel's line from London to New York, but these days only connects the towns of Tenby, Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Haverfordwest and Fishguard to the South Wales Mainline at Carmarthen. Where the line passes the Craft Centre and Campsite it is in a cutting and sheltered by trees so most of the sound goes straight up. From early morning to the end of the working day the main traffic consists of 2 or 3 small diesel multiple trains every hour - often only single carriages. Later on, trains of refined petroleum products rumble past at infrequent intervals. If you want to watch the trains there are better vantage points on the Woodland Walk over the top of the hill from the campsite. Sometimes more interesting trains can be seen, such as the Army's Rail Unit, taking tanks and ammunition, to the practice range at Castle Martin. If you are lucky you will see various quarry trains or rail maintenance vehicles and 2 or 3 times a year a steam excursion train passes. Last weekend we saw the very powerful King Class Steam engine King Edward 1st roaring past with at least 12 fully loaded passenger carriages and 100 tonnes of diesel locomotive as ballast. If you want a good view, you must walk round the woodland walk to the other side of the hill. Which is why, although we have good vantage points to see these trains, they won't disturb your sleep. (Or at least, none of the campers over the last 10 years have complained, and our house is closer to the line then the campsite, and we sleep very well thank you!)
Children should be free to enjoy their holiday, but we would strongly advise parents not to let their children out of sight. Whereas we try to avoid the necessity for anyone to get into danger, we have to acknowledge that there are potentially dangerous tools and activities and unfamiliar vehicles and animals on farms and in woodlands that might catch out people who are not used to them. (On campsites people may be backing trailers for the first time.) And children are people who are encountering many things for the first time. Small children do not always recognise that a door or gate is shut for a purpose, or that a rope is there to warn people of a hazard. It is also very important that children should wash their hands after touching any animal (domestic, farm or wild) or material that the animal has touched or that they are not familiar with. To this end we provide antibacterial soap in our toilets. We would also suggest that parents carry antiseptic wipes (Baby Wipes or similar) with them so that they can sterilize their children's hands immediately after they have had contact with animals or items that animals have touched. Antiseptic wipes can also be a soothing and protective first aid measure after tumbles or scratches, even after nettle stings etc. Please do not allow children to eat the attractive red Guelder Rose berries that can be found on the Woodland Walk in late summer, as they are poisonous.
We do not go quite as far as a shop in Tenby that advertises "that unattended children will be taken and sold as slaves", but we would hate an accident to happen because a child was not being properly supervised.
Complaints
We and the Camping and Caravan Club are committed to quality and maintaining our standards. The Club inspect all sites registered by them every year. In 2010 the Inspector used our site as a base while he inspected other sites in the region.
In 11 years no one has ever complained to us about any aspect of the site, (apart from passing on timely information about a shortage of consumables, developing potholes on the drive etc, which, I'm afraid will happen from time to time even in the best regulated circles) and we hope that you will continue to tell us of such things. In fact if there is any way in which we can improve our service I hope that you will tell us long before it affects your enjoyment of your holiday. As campers ourselves we understand what it is like when things go wrong, and welcome your suggestions for maintaining standards and news of new or better systems or equipment. If we need a kicking then go ahead! Your suggestions will be acted upon.
(Just to show we respond, we installed high capacity toilet roll holders and paper towel holders last year and in pre season maintenance filled 84 potholes this year one or two more like thimble holes, but if it needs doing we try to get the job done!)
However we understand that someone - who did not tell us directly of their concerns - has published complaints about the power lines and dustbins on a blog, which we have not yet even been able to find. We would like to apologise to that person, most sincerely, for any shortcomings they found while they were here, and beg them to get in touch with us so that we can be sure that we have understood their complaint correctly, and can ensure that the problem never happens again if it is remotely within our power. So far we can only guess at what was wrong.
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About 60% of the population of Carmarthenshire speak Welsh as their first language.
Almost all Welsh speakers are bilingual, speaking both Welsh and English. and locally will reply to you in whichever language you use.
(Except me. Although my Paternal Grandfather was a pioneering teacher of the Welsh language - teaching at the time that the anti Welsh laws and customs were repealed after nearly half a millennia- and wrote the first ecology textbook for Welsh elementary schools, I have had to spend nearly 50 years in England before I could afford to come home! Mind you I could blame my lack of Welsh on my Mother's family who lived in SW Pembrokeshire - "Little England Beyond Wales", and used to talk about "going up to the Welsh" as if Wales was a foreign country)
Welsh pronunciation is much simpler then some English people seem to believe. Every letter you see on the page is pronounced. There are no silent letters or irregular pronunciations. The secret of Welsh pronunciation is to know the Welsh alphabet.
Imagine what it is like for us when we go East over the border and encounter places with names like Workester (Worcester), Glowkester (Gloucester), or Leominster which you pronounce 'Lemster'. Do you ever hear Welsh people complain?
Some of the most problematical place names are not actually Welsh at all. For example the name of a nearby village is Laugharne. Laugharne became world famous when Dylan Thomas wrote Under Milk Wood there. The name Laugharne is English, and is meaningless. The Welsh name is Tal Lacharn and means the 'End of (the river) Lacharn'. Apparently some English officials thought that the 'gh' in the middle of Laugharne was how you spelled the 'ch' in the Scottish word 'Loch'. Am I making sense? Anyway, the English pronunciation of Laugharne is 'Larne' which confuses people who think that they have arrived in Ireland. (You have to laugh, or should that be lach or larf? Or to us Welsh Laff - with an accent on the 'a'. But I can't put the accent on, I've got an English computer. To spell it properly I have to go into 'symbol' and find â and type lâff, which is how the sound of the word laugh would be spelled in Welsh. Anyway, instead of laugh we would say chwerthin . which you might pronounce ghoowe.... oh well, vive la difference!)
And what about Llanelli? The 'Ll' sound is produced by pressing your tongue sideways so that it contacts your upper molars and premolars and breathing out over it. It is much the same as the English aristocratic lisp. So why do BBC newsreaders have to pronounce Llanelli as 'Klanelli'? Doesn't this display a certain lack of consistency?
The English versions of place names are very dull. What about our county town? Carmarthen. The Welsh name is Caerfyrddin which means Merlin's Fort. How magical is that? Merlin is the same chap who appears in the Arthurian legend. But the 'f'' in Caerfyrddin is a mutation of the 'm', and therein lies one of the real beauties of the Welsh language especially for intellectuals with an IQ of about 700. Mutation is really something to get your teeth into. I wonder, could Merlin put an 'instant mutation comprehension' spell on me?
If you visit Glyn-Coch you will, no doubt, become familiar with Whitland a village with a meaningless English name. However the Welsh name is Hen Dy Gwyn, which means the Old (hen) White (gwyn) House (ty which mutates to dy). I have seen two explanations of this name. One refers to Whitland Abbey, the place where St David is supposed to have received much of his religious education. The other explanation refers to the palace of Hywell Dda, the only Welsh King to be called 'Dda', which means 'good'. Hywell is famous for gathering representatives from every village in Wales, and combining all the local laws into one unified legal code, in about 900AD. These laws gave equal inheritance rights to all children regardless of gender, and gave men and women equal property rights. After 1066 the Normans were so impressed by Hywell's law that they allowed us Welsh to keep our legal system for another 300 years before English law was imposed by force following Owain Glyndwrs defeat. Many people would say that in many respects UK law still hasn't caught up with the laws that emerged from Hen dy Gwyn over 1100 years ago. Hywells laws were not immune from unintended consequences, though. If you look at an Ordnance Survey map that shows field boundaries, you will quite often see an old farm house in the centre of a large field system. However you may notice there are very large fields on one side of the farm, and tiny fields on the other. This is sometimes a consequence of equal inheritance where one child (and their descendants) had many children and divided the land into smaller and smaller fields, while their siblings had fewer children, and perhaps their descendants were able to purchase property from each other to retain larger and more practical fields.
Welsh, especially in South Wales, but I'm biased, is a beautiful language to listen to, and as most Welsh people like listening to each other we get on with each other very well! It makes for very laid back communities.
If you don't hear the language very much, treat yourself to a few minutes of S4C, or Radio Cymru. Mind you, you have to like phone-ins, sport and pop music to listen to Radio Cymru. We don't have a grown up National radio station like Radio 4 yet, and in spite of the fact that the audience for Radio Cymru consists entirely of people with an IQ of 700, it doesn't broadcast anything that might challenge them until they have gone to bed!
Watch your road signs. Any word on a sign that has a 'ch' at the end of it is an order, and there will be a police disobedience camera on the other side of it.
A relative of ours who had just moved over the border was trying to give us directions to her new house. She said 'turn right just after the sign for our hospital. It is a very famous hospital, you see signs for it everywhere'. What's its name we asked. 'Ysbyty' she replied. (Do I really need to explain? Oh all right, I can see that you haven't got an IQ of 700, Ysbyty means Hospital.)
And what about the mobile phone conversation. 'Where are you now?' 'We've just past a sign for Swansea Abattoir' (All right, if you don't know, Swansea and Abertawe are the same place. We call Swanswea, "Abertawe", which means "the mouth of the (river) Tawe". (Pronounce the e in Tawe so it sounds like ''Taw eh'' Swansea means something like the see (or property) of the Swain, but who the swain was, no one knows,)
As for the word for Celtic Manor, the barracks that overlooks the M4 as you approach Newport from the East, we just call it 'eyesore', especially when you compare it to the beautiful woodland that it replaced. It may take us a few hundred years to accept it in the way we now accept all the castles that were built to suppress us and force us to speak English. There are plenty of them near St Clears, which is on the Landsker line, a defensive line built to defend 'Little England'. The main frontier (stone built) castles include Laugharne, Narbeth, Llawhadden, Wiston and Roch, but the line between the English and Welsh Language (and also between the DNA and the surnames of local residents) stretches from St Davids in the West, across the north edge of the Gower to Swansea bay. There are over 50 castles in SW Wales, many of them being fairly simple earthworks like St Clears, which you can still see. If you climb to the top of the mound in St Clears you will have a fascinating view over the top of the old Norman Village. Turning South the beautiful view over the estuary explains why St Clears had strategic importance. Whatever one's view of the rights and wrongs of the colonial suppression practiced at the time, one cannot help but be impressed by the courage of the garrison of 12 bowmen who would have defended St Clears Castle 1000 years ago. And while you are about it, go down to the little river port, now a boat club, and read about the industries which supplied lime for local farmers, bricks to build local houses and boats for Admiral Horatio Nelson's navy.
Some useful Welsh phrases
| How its spelt | What it sounds like* | What it means |
| Croeso | Cro-eeso | Welcome |
| Shw mae | Shoo mahee | Hello |
| Bore da | Boreh dah | good morning |
| Shwd ych chi | Shood eech chee | How are you? |
| Da iawn diolch | Dah eeawn deeolch (the 'ch' as in 'loch') | Very good, thanks. (Equivalent to 'very well thank you') |
| Pob hwyl | Pob hwoil | So Long |
| Ma hi'n braf | Maee hee'n brahv (Roll the 'r') | It is fine (weather) |
| Un peint, os gwelwch yn dda | Een pah-int, os gwelwch un tha | one pint please |
| Un peint o olew a dall / galwyn o betrol | een peint oh olèw /gallon oh petrol | one pint of oil /gallon of petrol |
| Rydw i'n mind i Abertawe | Rudoo een mind i Abertawè ('i; in mind as in pin Abertaw eh) | I am going to Swansea |
| Rydw i'n mind dod o Hen dy Gwyn | Rudoo een mind dodd o Hen Dee Gwin | I come from Whitland |
| Ble mae'r sinema agosaf/ | Blair my'r cinema ag-o-sav | Where is the nearest cinema? |
| Ty bach | tea bach (like the composer Bach) | The little house (toilet) |
* What it sounds like based on 'Welsh is Fun: Learn welsh through cartoons!' by Heini Gruffudd and Elwyn Ioan 1971 reprinted 1999 Y Lolfa isbn 0 9500178 4 1
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We have been included in the book "Tiny Campsites" by Dixe Wills, but unfortunately he forgot to mention that you needed to be a member of The Camping and Caravanning Club to stay here. Never mind, even after you have paid your membership subscription you will be saving about £8.00 a night after your 5th night. If you haven't yet read "Tiny Campsites", then you really should get hold of a copy. People are telling me that they are traveling around the country using the listed sites and think that they are all marvelous.
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