Benllech
Anglesey
North Wales
LL74 8SW
08445 040 430
Website - http://www.goldensunsetholidays.com/
Open - March to September
Current fees per unit per night -
Caravans & motorhomes + 2 adults & 2 children - £24.00
Awnings - £2.00 Extra persons - £5.00 each
Tents - Adults £8.00 Children aged 6-14 - £5.00 (under 6 free)
Extra cars - £2.00 Boats/jet skis - £4.00
Situated just off the A5025 main road through Benllech village this is an extensive site with fields split into large open camping areas and smaller more sheltered enclosures. Access to and from the site is through electronically controlled barriers - reception is just by the entrance and when you book in you'll be given a swipe card which will last until noon on the day you leave. If reception is closed when you arrive then you'll find the warden in the static caravan next door. Certain areas of the site are set aside for caravans and others are for tents only, and certain areas have pre-payment hook-up points though if you don't need this facility you can pitch where you want, so it's ideal if you have a large tent. There's a designated family field and also separate rally fields with their own facilities, and many of the areas have stunning coastal views. The main toilet and shower block, which also has laundry facilites and chemical disposal point, is in the family field and there's a recently refurbished block also with cdp on the main part of the site; portaloo-type chemical toilets are situated in the fields furthest away and there are water taps dotted about the site.
Benllech village is only a few minutes walk from the site and has shops, take-aways, cafes/restaurants, three small supermarkets and three pubs which all do meals. Just along the road from the site is an enclosed childrens play area and a very pleasant bowling green. The lovely beach is only a couple of minutes drive away or a very pleasant 10-15 minute walk, either through the static caravan site next door (which is actually the 'sister' site to this one) or along the path from the bottom end of the site and round the cliff. There's a small grassy picnic area set back off the promenade, a large pay-and display car park, a fast food diner and gift shop, and a couple of small licensed restaurants, one with a very pleasant seating area built out over the rocks. Dogs are banned from the main beach area from the the beginning of May to the end of September but once you get away from there your best friend will have a great walk along the sand. Watch out for the beach warden though - you have to walk across the top end of the main beach area with your dog on the lead to get to where you can let him/her run free and if you stray from the 'designated route' the warden will pull you up if he's seen you! Go there early in the morning though or after 6pm and he isn't around - if the tide's out it's a lovely walk along the water's edge.
Now to the good and not-so-good bits about the site, starting with the not-so-good. Much of the site is sloping to varying degrees and angles with the main part being the steepest so if you have a caravan or motorhome you'll need to use levellers - there are some flat parts on the site though, but you'll need to drive/walk round to find them. Because there are no designated pitches you can't book in advance, you just turn up and book in when you get there, but the site is so extensive that unless it's August bank holiday you would be very unlucky not to find a space. To be honest, August bank holiday is busy to the point of being manic, the site does get crowded and some parts can be noisy - the headland field to the right of the entrance tends to attract groups of party-goers and late night noise-makers so it's best avoided if that's not your thing. Other parts of the site can be much quieter though - I stayed over the August 2011 bank holiday and was pleasantly surprised to find that the small field where I pitched was fairly quiet.
Back on the subject of hook-ups, these can't be booked in advance; there are a limited number and it's a case of first-come-first-served and pitch where there's one available, so if you want one it's advisable to arrive early if you can. There's a £10 refundable deposit for the pre-payment card which must be returned to the warden before noon on departure day, otherwise you won't get your deposit back.
On the plus side this site is in a good location with the village being only a few minutes walk away and the lovely beach not much further, and it makes a great base for exploring round the rest of the island. Because there are no designated pitches it means that if you have an odd-shaped tent or something the size of a ballroom you can use as much space as you need without fear of encroaching on someone else's pitch. Personally though I think the best thing just has to be the fantastic views - you can see past Benllech beach to Red Wharf Bay, Pentraeth beach and beyond, with Puffin Island, Great Orme at Llandudno, and Snowdonia in the distance. Admittedly this site is nowhere near 'posh', in fact it's only just about two steps up from basic, but if you can avoid the long school holidays and don't expect five star facilities then it's certainly worth a visit - I camp there several times a year so it can't be that bad!
