Friels Bar and Restaurant

View prices & book 9.4 49 reviews
Bar terrace (added by manager 21 Jun 2023)
Bar terrace
Sunset at the pitches
Fully-serviced pitch
Pitches at night
Exterior of the bar
Eat by the fire
Inside the bar
Hardstanding pitches
1/27
Favourite
Sunset at the pitches
Fully-serviced pitch
Pitches at night

  • Well-maintained tourer park at a pub in Swatragh, County Londonderry
  • Drumnaph Nature Reserve 10 minutes’ drive; Giant’s Causeway 40 minutes
  • Traditional Irish food and a covered terrace; live music each weekend
You’ll never be short of entertainment or far from a great meal when you stay on the hardstanding tourer pitches at historic Friels Bar and Restaurant, in the rural village of Swatragh in County Londonderry, halfway between Belfast and Derry (both under an hour’s drive), and just off the scenic Glenshane Pass. This award-winning pub is in a listed building dating from 1835 – formerly a doctor’s surgery, post office and coaching inn – and now in the hands of the fifth generation of the Friel family, who will happily give you a free tour of the place on weekdays at 12 noon. Chances are you’ll be spending a fair bit of time in there anyway, what with the free-flowing black stuff, classic pub fare and family-friendly vibe. There’s live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday too, as well as a covered terrace for a pint or two on warmer evenings. And what about the practical stuff? The handful of pitches are fully-serviced with electric hook-ups, drinking water, showers and waste-disposal facilities.

Site type

Motorhome pitches 12
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • A charge of £2.00 (€2.29) applies for the use of the shower.
  • Continental touring caravans (caravans built with the passenger door on the right-hand side) are not permitted.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • No charcoal barbecues allowed.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • Dogs are allowed in all outside covered areas. They are not permitted inside the bar and restaurant.

Languages spoken

English

Reviews

9.4

Overall rating based on 49 reviews View breakdown

Gastronomic delight

Voted 53% of visitors View breakdown

94%

would recommend this site to a friend

96%

would stay here again

  • 79%
    10
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    9
  • 14%
    8
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    7
  • 4%
    6
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    5
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    4
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    3
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    2
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    1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Level pitches, sluice available, but no grey waste disposal.

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: The food delicious, atmosphere great, staff amazing. Motor home park was provided for a small fee.

Disliked: Wasn't fussed on the toilet/Shower arrangements, although clean and tidy, personally I would prefer separate male and female showers/toilets.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean, quiet, well laid out and all the services you need with…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: Clean, quiet, well laid out and all the services you need with restaurant nearby - staff member we dealt with was friendly.

Recommend to friends Visit again

An excellent find, good food, friendly.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Andrew C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: Friendly welcome, clean, good showers. Restaurant served excellent food, the bar has a great atmosphere, the people were very welcoming, good music. A very good night's stay. A bargain for the price.

Disliked: Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Super friendly, great food, clean facilities.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Louise H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: We had a fabulous time staying at Friels. The staff were all very attentive. Couldn't fault the friendliness. They really looked after us and our wee dog. Food was delicious. I would definitely recommend having at least one meal if staying at this site. The facilities were good. Clean toilets and showers.

Disliked: I would prefer male and female toilets and showers rather than unisex, but it won't put us off from returning, we definitely will.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: Well organised, great site, easy to book quick return to booking email, very pleasant reception in the bar. would revisit when next in Ireland

Disliked: No complaints what so ever

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect site…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: Perfect site

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Many thanks for your great review of our site. Wishing you the best and hope to see you again soon. Management.

Great stopover, nice, clean toilets and showers which were open all night.…

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Mark H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: Great stopover, nice, clean toilets and showers which were open all night. Food & Guiness at the restaurant was lovely including gluten free options (fish & chips were mega). Staff were very hospitable and made the effort to chat with us and make sure if we had any problems to let them know. Dog friendly at the rear of the bar outside, covered with heaters. Hard standing grounds were ok and levelish at some points but overall would definitely recommend as an overnight stop off.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Mark, Many thanks for taking the time to review your visit to Friels. Delighted you were pleased with the MH park, our food, hospitable staff and facilities. Many thanks for the recommendation. Wishing you well. Management.

Fantastic site, spotless toilets and showers and great bar/restaurant.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Richard W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: A lovely bar and overnight stop in a quiet village. The staff are lovely and the food was amazing! Well worth a stop over. We will be back again as it looked like there was some great entertainment booked for the weekends. The toilet and shower facilities are spotless and possibly the best showers we have ever used on the road!

Disliked: Nothing really, but we could not see a facility to wash up dishes if you are in a smaller camper like us. It's possible we missed it.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Richard, Many thanks for your great comments about our Friels site. We encourage our staff to engage with our visitors and give them the best possible service. We are delighted you enjoyed our food and hospitality. Yes our new shower block is very popular and many thanks for your kind feedback. We will be providing a facility to wash dishes in 2025. Wishing you the very best of luck. Management.

Third visit here lovely place clean and neat pub and restaurant on…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
paul e. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: Third visit here lovely place clean and neat pub and restaurant on site and excellent staff polite and helpful can't wait until we return...

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Paul, We are delighted you are now a regular of Friels. I will pass on your great comments to our team. Many thanks for taking the time to leave us this great review. Many thanks, Management.

Absolutely first class site second time of staying.. peaceful setting Spotless toilets…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
paul e. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced hardstanding motorhome pitch

Liked: Absolutely first class site second time of staying.. peaceful setting Spotless toilets and shower block nice pub with excellent food served by very friendly,polite and helpful staff... cannot wait until our next stay....AAA+++

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Paul, Delighted you enjoyed your 2nd stay at Friels. You really liked our facilities by the sounds of your great comments. I will pass this lovely review on to our team. Best Management.

Features

Dogs allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Baby-changing facilities Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Local produce Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public internet workstation(s) Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Gastronomic delight

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Shop nearby

Type

Pub campsite Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at pitch Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Disabled facilities Level site, no steep slopes Pitch close to accessible bathrooms

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Drainage hook-up points for tourers Motorhome service point Water hook-up points for tourers

Location

Friels Bar and Restaurant

2-4 Kilrea Road

Swatragh

Co. Londonderry

Northern Ireland

BT46 5QF

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.91011°N
-6.66382°W

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Time to go exploring? The neolithic stone circle and riverside walks of the dramatic Sperrin Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are 10 minutes in the car. Further afield, the Causeway Coast offers natural attractions like the famed basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway (45 minutes’ drive) and the dizzying National Trust-owned Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (55 minutes) across an Atlantic Ocean cove to the islet of Carrickarede (book in advance). There are more alfresco adventures to be had on woodland tracks in Banagher Glen Forest Park (25 minutes) or Drumnaph Nature Reserve (10 minutes) – look out for the madcap sculptures en route – and on boat cruises of Lough Neagh (20 minutes to Ballyronan Marina). For more robust days out on the water, Lake Kilrea waterpark (15 minutes) has family-friendly floating obstacle courses, pedal boats and climbing walls, while Garvagh Forest (10 minutes) reveals tricky trails for mountain bikers. To inject a little culture into your holiday, check out the immersive displays at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in the poet’s home village of Bellaghy (20 minutes), before paying your respects at his grave in St Mary’s Church nearby.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Portstewart 29.4 km Sea Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent
Castlerock 29.7 km Sea Excellent Good Good Excellent
Magilligan (Downhill) 30.4 km Sea Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent
Magilligan (Benone) 31.7 km Sea Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent
Portrush (Curran Strand) 32.8 km Sea Good Good Good N/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Giant's Causeway, Antrim, Northern Ireland 37.2 km

National Trust

Springhill 24.7 km

Portstewart Strand 29.3 km

Downhill Demesne and Hezlett House 30.1 km

Wellbrook Beetling Mill 30.9 km

Giant's Causeway 37.2 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

LOUGH FOYLE (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 04/09/2006) 31.6 km

PORTMORE LOUGH (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 19/08/2002) 46.4 km

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Friels Bar and Restaurant have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Friels Bar and Restaurant dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Friels Bar and Restaurant? Time to go exploring? The neolithic stone circle and riverside walks of the dramatic Sperrin Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are 10 minutes in the car. Further afield, the Causeway Coast offers … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Friels Bar and Restaurant?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  noon –  Anytime
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Friels Bar and Restaurant? From €23.81 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.