Lower Porthamel Camping

Lower Porthamel is a lovely quiet place, perfect for families, with a limited number of pitches, all nestled under the apple trees. Clare was very friendly and helpful on arrival. The shower and toilet block is lovely and clean and the showers are hot. Plus there is a great washing up area. Drinking water is available and there is a shop very close by (less than 5 mins drive) where you can buy logs for your fire, ice for your coolbox and gas for your stove. You can't park next to your pitch, but you are allowed to drive up to unload and then repark a few metres away, which works really well. We were after a semi-wild camping experience and that is exactly what we got. We loved that there are fire pits at each pitch, and it was so pleasant sitting around the fire at night, toasting marshmallows and listening to the silence. Lower Porthamel really is a lovely, relaxing place to be and our kids absolutely loved it. They got up every morning and ran to the rope swing to play before and after breakfast (and quite often during too!) It is a safe place so we could relax and let them run around and explore the campsite to their hearts content. There is so much to do in the Brecons and this is a fantastic place to use as a base to explore this stunning part of Wales. We are so pleased that we found this little gem, we loved our week there and we will return in the future. Thank you Clare!

Absolutely nothing - it was perfect.

The privacy of the pitch-up area, the cleanliness of toilets and showers, convenient location for walking, small town nearby for picking up essentials, handy little with fridge, freezer and drinking tap.

Hot water available in only one of many showers for first 24 hours of our stay (this issue was then resolved), signage to facilities and check-in location could be improved, majority of the pitching area was on sloping ground.

I almost don't want to write a review on this site so it doesn't become too popular!

As someone who hates big fields with rows of tents, electric hookups etc, for me, this is pretty much the perfect campsite: a lovely location in an orchard, grass pitches, seclusion possible unless it's really full, campfires, cars allowed on the pitches to get your kit there but then not after that (no irksome wheel-barrows but safe for kids to run about), no music allowed, no noise at night, clean water tap near pitches, fridge & freezer, toilet and shower block with mains hot water and plumbing and adequate water pressure.

The owner Claire seems relaxed about the whole thing and is pleasant to deal with.
Unlike some sites, you're not restricted to smaller tents or gouged for cash for having an awning. The other campers we interacted with the two times we've been have been polite and friendly. No loud or drunk groups so far.

Located on an active farm, it's a short drive to the local chip shop or Talgarth town for the Co-op and pubs etc. It has quick and easy access to the Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons and the Wye.

The only improvements I'd make would be extractor fans in the showers rather than open windows for colder days.

Not a criticism but personally I'd suggest the owner gets something for firepits rather than allowing people to make fireplaces where they like since after a few people have pitched in a spot, the number of burned out fireplaces then restricts possible pitching spots but TBH it wasn't a issue. Other sites have used old car wheels which I imagine are cheap and available.

IMO a great mix of wild seclusion and decent facilities. They thankfully haven't gone down the full "eco" route which often means foul composting toilets, luke-warm solar-heated water, long wet grass, no cars and those infernal wheelbarrows which rule a site out for us as we have a 5m bell tent with wood-burning stove, awning, kitchen unit, tables, chairs etc - takes hours to move all that.

Nothing of any importance.

It was a lovely place with lovely surroundings, kids absolutely loved it and also there were fresh apple trees around us. Lovely location nice and peaceful and relaxing would definitely stay again and recommend to friends and family’s stay

Nothing to not like about this place it’s was perfect

Toilets and showers cleaned twice a day. Beautiful natures walks around the site. Cars are kept in the carpark after setting up/unpacking and not next to tents so was very safe for children to run around freely.

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Very peaceful campsite and having your own campfire is great. Went on a mountain biking trip - super easy to cycle down to Talgarth and find some awesome mountain biking routes. Or is just a short drive away from others. Not noisy and a nice vibe.

Bathrooms could have been cleaner.

Lovely secluded setting just a quarter of an hour from the gorgeous town of Hay on Wye.

Facilities did not cope with influx of people at busy times. In fact toilets started blocking even before it got busy. Lights in loos went too. Hot water kept running out generally. Nettles needed to be kept down with young families around.

Chilled atmosphere, campfires, camping amongst the apple trees, lots of other children for ours to play with. Working farm, plebty of animals and lovely walks from the site. About 50 mins walk from Talgarth with young kids which isn’t too bad. Clean toilets, warm showers....until there were more than 10 tents and everything started breaking.

Says 10 pitches - there were 23 tents at one point!!! At peak of 23 tents the showers couldn’t cope, the lights in toilets and showers broke, no response from owner to texts and calls from many customers. Everything broke for three days :(
Too many cars for car park. Says no cars left in orchard but people were parking next to their tents which really killed the atmosphere.

Idyllic setting and walks from campsite

Lack of soap and hand towel in bathroom, no drinking water taps and no recycling

The zero waste policy - really makes you think about what you use.
The orchard setting - so idyllic and plenty of space despite visiting on a busy bank holiday weekend.
Campfires - the smell of campfires lighting up all around the site at night was very authentic!
Proximity to the Black Mountains for excellent hiking and exploring.
Village of Talgarth nearby for last minute buys. Talgarth also has a recycling point to dispose of your recyclables.

Toilets became blocked at peak times and there was often no toilet paper.
No obvious place to brush your teeth and have a quick wash. One sink in the toilets but not enough to cater to all campers. There were sinks for washing up but it wasn’t clear if they could/should be used for personal hygiene.
Nowhere to deposit dog waste. When charging £2 per dog I would expect some dog related amenities in return. Keeping your dog waste near the tent until the next time you leave the site to find a bin was a little off-putting!