Camping with kids is a different sport to camping on your own. You are not chasing the wildest, most remote pitch any more. You want a flat patch of grass, a clean shower block, somewhere the children can run that is not a road, and water of some kind within reach. North Wales does all of that well. You get mountains, lakes and proper sandy beaches inside the same hour's drive, so a single campsite can be the base for ten different days out.
This is a guide to the best places to camp with kids in North Wales, picked for families rather than for hardened backpackers. Every site is open for the 2026 season. Prices are what each one listed for 2026, so treat them as a starting point and check before you book, because school holidays and bank holidays cost more and fill up fast.
A quick honest note before the list. North Wales weather does what it likes, even in August. Pack for all four seasons in one afternoon, bring midge repellent for the wooded valley sites, and book early if you are tied to the school holidays.
What makes a good family campsite
The sites that work with children tend to share a few things: flat pitches you can get a car next to, hot showers that are not a long walk in the dark, a shop for the milk you forgot, and either a play area or somewhere safe and natural for kids to roam. Water helps too, whether that is a lake, a river or a beach. The list below covers all of those, across different budgets and styles.
1. Bryn Gloch Caravan and Camping Park, near Caernarfon
If you want a family campsite with proper facilities, start here. Bryn Gloch sits at the foot of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) on the banks of the Afon Gwyrfai, about ten minutes from Caernarfon. It is a 38 acre, family-run site with play parks, a football field, a games room, heated bathrooms, a shop and free WiFi. The Welsh Highland steam railway runs right through the site, which most under-tens think is the best thing that has ever happened.
Pitches start from around £20 a night. There are tent and touring pitches plus shepherd's huts and static caravans if you want a roof. The start of the Snowdon Ranger Path is a five minute drive away, so it doubles as a base for an attempt on the summit, and Caernarfon Castle and the beaches of Anglesey and the Llŷn are all close.
Best for: families who want facilities, a playground and an easy base for Snowdon.
2. Llyn Gwynant Campsite, Nant Gwynant
This is the one for the postcard. Llyn Gwynant sits in the valley below Snowdon, on the shore of its own lake, surrounded by mountains. It is more back-to-basics than Bryn Gloch, but that is the point. Kids can swim, paddleboard and kayak straight off the site in summer, and you can launch your own boat for free.
Pitches are from £28 a night for two people, with extra car at £5 and dogs at £4. The site is open from 13 March to 31 October. There are hot showers, a family shower and baby changing, a launderette and food tents doing pizzas in the evenings. Campfires are allowed in the fire pits, which makes for a good end to the day. One rule worth knowing: no radios or loud music, so it stays peaceful. Payment is card only and there is a small booking fee.
The Watkin Path up Snowdon starts close by, so older children with stamina can have a crack at the mountain from the tent.
Best for: outdoorsy families who want swimming, campfires and a wild-feeling pitch.
3. Glanllyn Lakeside Caravan and Camping Park, Bala
Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid) is the largest natural lake in Wales, and Glanllyn has its own private pebbly stretch of it. There is a shallow bay that is good for younger children to paddle in, and the site allows wild swimming straight from its beach. If your kids are old enough, you can buy permits to launch kayaks, paddleboards or windsurfers, or to fish.
This is a sixteen acre site with more than 150 pitches, a play area, a well-stocked shop and an enclosed dog walk, with views across to the Aran and Arenig mountains. Pitches start from £28 a night. It takes families and couples only, so it stays calm.
Bala itself is set up for a family day out. The little Bala Lake Railway runs along the shore, and the National White Water Centre (Canolfan Tryweryn) is a short drive for the braver, older ones.
Best for: lake swimming, watersports and a calm, spacious site.
4. Nantcol Waterfalls, Llanbedr
Nantcol is the budget pick, and it is a good one. The site sits on seven acres of flat ground beside a river and a set of waterfalls in the Nantcol valley, under the Rhinog mountains. There are rope swings over the water, a short waterfall walk that starts five minutes from the pitches, a Children's Island walk and a geocache to hunt down. Kids tend to disappear into the river and not come back until dinner.
The 2026 rates are about £14.50 per adult in high season (£12.50 in the low season) and £6 per child aged four to sixteen (£5 low season). So two adults and two children come in around £41 a night in peak summer, which is hard to beat for a family. Dogs are £2, electric hook-up is £7 and you can hire a fire basket for £5. There is a two-night minimum and the site is open from 1 April to 30 October.
The beaches at Shell Island are about fifteen minutes away, and Llanbedr village, with a pub and a shop, is a couple of miles down the valley.
Best for: families on a budget, and younger kids who just want to splash in water all day.
5. Tyddyn Isaf, Dulas, Anglesey
For a beach holiday feel, cross to Anglesey. Tyddyn Isaf overlooks Lligwy Bay on the north-east coast and has its own private footpath down to the sand. Lligwy is a sandy beach about a mile long, gently shelving and fairly sheltered, which makes it good for paddling, swimming, kayaking and a full day of sandcastles.
It is a five-star, multi-award-winning park, run by the same family for fifty years, and it was named AA Best Park in the UK for 2025. There is a playground, a shop, a licensed coffee shop, a takeaway and a gym. Worth knowing: it is more of a polished caravan and touring park than a rough-and-ready campsite, the camping pitches are limited in number, and a lot of the statics are privately owned rather than for hire. Check current pitch rates and book early, especially for the school holidays.
Best for: families who want a beach on the doorstep and high-end facilities.
6. Llechwedd Glamping, Blaenau Ffestiniog
Not everyone wants to pitch a tent with small children in tow. If that is you, Llechwedd is the answer. Six en-suite safari tents sit on a hillside above the old slate quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog, each sleeping up to five, with a kitchenette, microwave, wood burner and barbecue. Bedding, linen and logs are included, so you turn up with food and clothes and nothing else.
Tents start from £120 a night for the whole tent. It is about ten minutes from Blaenau Ffestiniog and fifteen from Betws-y-Coed. The real draw for families is what is on the doorstep: Zip World Llechwedd, the underground trampolines at Bounce Below, and the Antur Stiniog mountain bike trails. It is a strong base for an adventure-heavy few days with older kids.
Best for: families who want comfort plus big-ticket adventure days, with no tent to put up.
When is the best time to camp with kids in North Wales?
Late May to early September is the safest bet for weather and water warm enough to swim in. The school summer holidays and the late May bank holiday are the busiest and the priciest, so book those months early. If you can travel outside term time, the back half of September can be quiet, cheaper and still mild, though some sites start to close for the season from late October. Whenever you go, pack waterproofs and warm layers. The mountains make their own weather.
What to pack for camping with kids in North Wales
You will want more than you think. A few things that earn their space: wellies and waterproofs for everyone, warm layers for the evenings even in summer, midge repellent for the valley and riverside sites, swimming kit and old trainers for rivers and lakes, a head torch each, and a few quiet activities for the inevitable rainy afternoon. A flask and a stove for hot drinks turn a grim morning around fast.
Camping with kids in North Wales: FAQs
Where can you camp with kids in North Wales?
The best family camping in North Wales is spread across four areas: the Snowdonia (Eryri) valleys around Snowdon, the shores of Bala Lake, the southern coast near Harlech and the Rhinogs, and the beaches of Anglesey. The six sites above cover all four.
What is the best campsite for toddlers and young children in North Wales?
For very young children, Nantcol Waterfalls is hard to beat for shallow river splashing on a budget, and Bryn Gloch wins on facilities, with a playground, a games room and a shop close to your pitch. Both keep the showers and toilets a short walk from the tent, which matters at 2am.
Can you have a campfire at campsites in North Wales?
Some allow it and many do not, so always check first. Llyn Gwynant has free fire pits, and Nantcol Waterfalls lets you hire a fire basket and burn manufactured logs (no foraging for wood, as it sits in a tree preservation area). Plenty of other sites ban open fires entirely for safety, so never assume.
Are there campsites near the beach in North Wales for families?
Yes. Tyddyn Isaf on Anglesey has a private footpath straight down to Lligwy Beach. Nantcol Waterfalls is about fifteen minutes from the beaches at Shell Island, and the whole Llŷn Peninsula around Abersoch is lined with family beaches if you want sand as the main event.
Do you need to book a North Wales campsite in advance?
For the school summer holidays, bank holidays and any lakeside or beachfront pitch, yes, book well ahead. The best family pitches go first. Outside the holidays you have far more freedom, and midweek in spring or autumn you can often turn up with much less planning.
North Wales packs more into a short drive than almost anywhere else in Britain: a mountain in the morning, a lake at lunch, a beach for the afternoon. For a family, that variety is the whole point. Pick the site that matches the holiday you actually want, pack for rain you hope never comes, and let the kids loose on the water.