Cwmdu Campsite

Sixty-two years in the black valley

Cwmdu Campsite is in the village of Cwmdu — the name means black valley — inside the national park and surrounded by the Black Mountains. Olive and Eric Farr started it in 1964, and it is still run by the family: their daughter Sarah Farr and her husband Calvin Clark. It is a Visit Wales four-star campsite, and it was named Best Campsite in Wales in 2022 and Best Family Campsite in Mid Wales in 2023 and 2024 by campsites.co.uk.

Camping and glamping

The site takes tents, campervans, caravans, motorhomes, trailer tents and roof tents, and there are electric hook-up points available. There are glamping units too, and holiday cottages on the site. Efail Isaf sleeps six in three bedrooms in an old smithy, and Efail Bach is the smaller of the pair. There is a children’s play area and a football field next door.

The shop, the coffee shop and the sauna

The site shop stocks local produce, fresh food, alcohol, gifts and camping essentials. The coffee shop opens daily from 9am, and there are evening catering pop-ups through the season. There is now a wood-fired sauna and ice baths as well. The site is dog friendly throughout and the WiFi is free across the whole of it.

At a glance

Family-run since 1964, in the village of Cwmdu near Crickhowell · Visit Wales four-star and Best Campsite in Wales 2022 · tents, campervans, caravans, motorhomes, trailer tents and roof tents · glamping units and two holiday cottages · wood-fired sauna and ice baths · shop and a coffee shop open daily from 9am.

Castell Dinas, the highest castle in Wales

Look up the Rhiangoll valley from the village and you can see it: a green hill with a broken crown of stone on top. That is Castell Dinas, and at 450 metres it stands higher than any other castle site in England or Wales. It began as an Iron Age hillfort, built somewhere between 600 BC and the Roman conquest, and the Normans put a stone castle inside the old ramparts around 1070. Its job was to hold the pass between Talgarth and Crickhowell. Not much masonry is left, but the earthworks are enormous and the walk up from the lay-by at Pengenffordd takes about half an hour. The view from the top is the reason to go: the Rhiangoll running down towards Crickhowell one way, the Wye valley the other, and the whole Black Mountains ridge behind you.

Getting here

Cwmdu lies between Abergavenny, Brecon and Talgarth on the A479. Crickhowell, with its award-winning high street, is four miles, about ten minutes by car. The campsite publishes its own walking route that keeps off the main road almost the whole way — worth asking for it, because the A479 is fast and full of blind bends. Abergavenny, ten miles south-east, holds the nearest railway station — the Welsh Marches trains call there.

Good to know

What does glamping cost? Camping is charged per person: £12 an adult, £10 for teenagers, £6 for children aged 5 to 12, and under-fives free. Hook-up is £7 and dogs £1.50. The log pod is £80 a night and the shepherd’s hut £99. The bell tent is £70 for up to three people, July and August only.

What does a pitch cost? Yes, in full on the campsite’s own website. Remember it is priced per person rather than per pitch, so add up the heads before you compare it with anywhere else.

Are dogs allowed? Yes, in all camping and all accommodation.

Is there electric hook-up? Yes, hook-up points are available.

Can I have a fire? Barbecues and fire pits are allowed, but they must be off the ground.

How far is Crickhowell? Four miles, about ten minutes by car. It is a long walk rather than a stroll.

Is there a shop on site? Yes, with local produce, fresh food and camping essentials.

Is there a sauna? Yes, wood-fired, with ice baths.

Are there cottages as well? Yes, Efail Isaf sleeps six and Efail Bach is smaller.