Dolau Afon Camping

View prices & book 9.4 58 reviews
Pitches sheltered by mature trees
We won an award...
Around the site
Grass pitches

  • Quiet, sheltered site surrounded by forests next to the river Ystwyth
  • Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge Falls within 15 minutes' drive
  • Fly fishing on 15 miles of river (mandatory licence included in stays)
Pretty and peaceful Dolau Afon Camping is in a fabulous Ceredigion setting in the foothills of the Cambrian mountains, about 15 minutes’ drive from Aberystwyth. This small, friendly site is part of a family-run smallholding that dates back more than 200 years, stretching out over three acres of what was once the Trawsgoed Estate. This is a most serene spot, surrounded by forests and on the banks of the Ystwyth river – and as such it’s a top choice for outdoor activities with a scenic backdrop. Such outings might include walks or bike rides on the numerous footpaths, bridleways and forest paths nearby, or lengthier pedals along National Cycle Route 81, which passes very close to the site. Not that you have to exit the site to get stuck into the rural antics: the smallholding provides its guests with a complimentary (mandatory) local fishing licence that will allow you to go fly fishing on a fab 15 miles of riverbank. If you prefer being on the water than by it, you’re welcome to take a little dip in the river from the site instead (particularly welcome after a hefty hike, no doubt). Such peaceful surrounds are maintained by keeping facilities low-key, so the husband-and-wife team here have focused their attentions on the essentials, setting up a smart toilet block with heating, hair dryer, shaving point and family space, and making sure guests have access to drinking water, chemical disposal, dog wash and other handy bits. Barbecues are permitted on site, and there’s a communal firepit area for guests to use.

Campground type

RV & Motorhome sites 10
Caravan sites 10
Tent sites 10
Open now
Opens 17 April
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Group bookings of 3 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 5 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Guests under the age of 18 are not allowed on site.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • The campground/park caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • A cable measuring at least 25 metres is needed for the electric hook-ups.
  • Units heavier than 3000 kilograms are not allowed.
  • There is no reception building on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 17 Apr to

No availability here for your search criteria

Site types & availability

Reviews

  • 68%
    10
  • 17%
    9
  • 6%
    8
  • 3%
    7
  • 1%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
7

97% would recommend this campground to a friend

93% would stay here again

What customers say

Lovely, quiet riverside spot. Praised for being clean, with great facilities like spacious showers. Owners are friendly, the vibe's chilled, and you can swim/fish right from the site. No shop, but ice pack freezer available. Some found pitches a bit close when busy and advised smart use of loos/showers.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 03/06/2026

Reviews page 1 of 6
Arrival date (latest first)

Lovely, clean, tidy site. Would recommend

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
7

Powered grass site

Liked Very clean, good facilities. beautiful scenery and location. Very much enjoyed the stream at the bottom of the campsite. Small freezer to keep ice boxes cool.

Disliked The only thing i would note is no little on site shop or shop close by, quite a travel to get to a shop ( i think 20+ mins) so as long as you take all food etc its fine. We went in a heat wave so no way of keeping food cool all week so would have been handy to have a little shop of basics on site so we didn't need to travel, but not really a massive concern.
Just a heads up to future campers 😁

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you very much for the lovely review, we appreciate it, as it is informative for other campers who are thinking of booking.

However.... we are a little bemused by the 'Disliked' comments!
There is a fridge freezer on site for anyone to use, which you show in your photo.
There is no shop on site, you are correct, but it's not worth our while, we did think about it some years ago, but 99% of people do not require it or expect it once they have read about us on the listing, and there being no shop mentioned. But, there is a shop in the next village 5 miles up the road, about a 6 min drive from us.
With regards to the 8/10 for Location, well that is a matter of research really, if you don't want to be in a location like this, then why book to stay in it?

We have recently WON an award from Pitchup for having 9.4 out of 10 for good Reviews, we are proud of this because we work hard on our little site, to make it as welcoming as possible. We like our campers to leave us feeling GREAT about their stay.

Thanks again for the feed back, it was lovely to meet you, and thankyou for booking, you hit the weather just right for your stay. Glad you enjoyed your stay. x

Great little site. Well kept, kids…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
5
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Powered concrete slab caravan site

Liked Great little site. Well kept, kids loved the access to the river.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for the review, its always useful to know what our campers think of us. We get great reviews and its humbling, as we care and really want our guests to have a great holiday experience.
We love interacting and always happy and willing to help where we can, so we are a little baffled as to the rating you gave us on our customer service. We would love to know what it was that we didn't do, or get right, or perhaps your expectations were just too high for a small site and husband and wife team?

Gorgeous well kept very clean site in beautiful area

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Jo R. 12 reviews

Powered grass site

Liked Small site so no one is far away from the clean facilities. Recycling is very well organised. Zero light pollution area of a night.

Disliked Lots of bits have been got by small flys which I’m guessing is from the close river.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you, we are delighted you enjoyed your stay. Hope to see you again.

Patio pitch was great with our…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating

Patio powered concrete slab caravan site

Liked Patio pitch was great with our toddler for extra private space
Peaceful site
Friendly owners
Very clean and large bathrooms / facilities
Access to river from site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, high recommend

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating

Powered grass site

Liked Great place and lovely space. The showers/toilets/dishwashing facilities were fab. Lovely and clean.
Jill came to greet and check on me as I arrived when they were not available. Super lovely and friendly hosts. Enjoyed my stay here, was a peaceful night and felt very safe.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A really beautiful, tranquil location -…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating

Powered grass site

Liked A really beautiful, tranquil location - just a little road noise but quiet by late evening. A path leads down to the babbling river below the campsite.
Big pitches & spotless facilities. We chose a weekday night with just one other campervan staying. Very helpful owners, Vernon gave us all the information we needed and his wife was just a joy!
Would love to return with my husband for a walking weekend as there are so many woodland tracks from the camp site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really enjoyed our stay, thank you very much

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating
Rob v. 3 reviews

Patio powered concrete slab caravan site

Liked Nice, simple and well maintained campsite with lots of luscious green grass, in a charming and peaceful location. Lovely friendly owners, and spacious facilities, and not too many plots which is right up our street!

We had the patio pitch which we sadly didnt fully utilise as we were so busy exploring the area but it was still lovely to know we had the space if we needed it.

There isnt much for children to do but as we go away to spend time with them, thats a plus for us!

Disliked There are only 3 sit down toilets and 2 of these are also the (only 2) shower rooms. This means the morning 'rush' is a challenge as showerers wait for toilet users and vice versa, and there forms a queue by the facilities block... as well as the unavoidable smells if youre showering after a toileter!

There is only one washing up sink which wasnt a problem on this occasion but could foresee a wait at busy times!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for the review, its always interesting and important to hear what our guests thought of us. The only way we can improve is to get feed back, but not always are we able to do anything about our lack of facilities, but we do try to make them as good an experience as possible.

On Pitch Up, we try to give as much information as possible so that you know what to expect from us and therefore not be disappointed. We are a quiet basic site, away from the hustle and bustle, in a beautiful location with no facilities for children although they are welcome.

We cannot do anything about our toilet and shower facilities, they are what they are and within the recommended guidelines set down by the Council and the Caravan Club - there are sufficient toilets and showers for the number of pitches we have - we cannot provide
'en suite' facilities to our Patio Pitch I'm afraid. It is very common on campsites that you have to wait for a shower or a toilet to become available, its all part of the experience.

Regarding the washing up sink.... you just have to be patient and wait, as you had a campervan, you probably had facilities within your van for washing up.
Thank you for the review, its much appreciated, it also gives other people who are looking to book a clearer picture of what we are. We do hope you will try us again.

Spacious pitches, quite, and clean.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating

Powered grass site

Liked Spacious pitches, quite, and clean.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating

Powered grass site

Liked Lovely quiet spot next to the river with easy access to nearby places of interest. This site is very much geared up for the comfort of campers! Fabulous facilities kept lovely and clean and nicely decorated with thoughtful touches like beautiful paintings, shelves and plenty of hooks, even a stool in the shower! Site in general is immaculately maintained, well equipped and pitches are spacious, all pretty much equal in distance to the facilities. Washing up area with very useful fridge/freezer for ice packs etc. Well done all round!

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stunning site with fantastic amenities. Perfectly…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating

Powered grass site

Liked Stunning site with fantastic amenities. Perfectly located on a quiet road, easily accessible. Beautifully maintained and well equipped and great value for money. Access to the river which runs alongside the site as well. Surrounded by forest walks

Disliked Nothing. Will definitely be back

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you very much for your lovely review, we are delighted you enjoyed your stay. We hope to see you again some time. Best wishes, Jill & Vernon.


Features

Leisure on site

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

Amenities on site

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets 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

Bush Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal freezer Communal fridge Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby

Type

Small (11-25 sites)

Accessibility

Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Bathrooms: Large spacious toilet Bathrooms: Step-free access Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible shower Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible toilet Bathrooms: Wide doorways (over 85 cm) Level campground, no steep slopes Step-free or level access

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby

Location

Dolau Afon Camping

Llanafan

Ceredigion

Wales

SY23 4BQ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

52.32524°N
3.92857°W

Route directions

There is a regular bus from Aberystwyth (the T21) that stops outside the site.

Nearest transport

Coach
9.6 km Penllwyn PO
9.6 km Penllwyn PO
13.9 km University Campus Penglais
Rail
14.4 km Aberystwyth Rail Station
20.2 km Borth Rail Station
25.6 km Penhelig Rail Station
Ferry
44.1 km Porth Penrhyn Ferry Landing
44.6 km Barmouth Ferry Landing

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

Up for exploring the surroundings? There are lots of great walking trails and footpaths around, along with National Cycle Route 81 for the cyclists. A couple of favourite routes nearby include the trail to Devil’s Bridge Falls (15 minutes’ drive) and the routes from Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest Visitor Centre (25 minutes). A little further away but worth the trip is the Elan Valley (50 minutes). Also close by are the medieval Strata Florida Abbey (10 minutes) and the chance to see some magnificent beasts up close at the Red Kite Feeding Station (50 minutes). For kids, Fantasy Farm Park (25 minutes) is a great choice – they’ll get to use the indoor and outdoor play areas as well as meeting lots of cute animals. Over at the coast, there’s a lovely beach in Borth (half an hour) and plenty to do in Aberystwyth (15 minutes) – the town has a castle, several museums and a classic cliff railway, and it’s also the start point for the Vale of Rheidol Railway for scenic journeys to Devil’s Bridge Falls.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Aberystwyth South 14.5 km Sea GoodGoodGoodGood
Aberystwyth North 14.7 km Sea ExcellentGoodExcellentExcellent
Clarach South 15.8 km Sea GoodGoodGoodGood
Llanrhystud 16.4 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Borth 20.3 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Vale of Rheidol Railway (Aberystwyth) 14.1 km

Llanerchaeron - National Trust 23.6 km

MOMA Wales - Y Tabernacl 30 km

Rheilffordd Talyllyn Railway 30.7 km

Dolaucothi Gold Mines - National Trust 31.2 km

National Trust

Dolaucothi Gold Mines 31.2 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Black Covert Walk 1 - Aberystwyth 2.3 km

Black Covert Walk 2 2.3 km

The Arch Car Park - Pen lan fawr - The Arch Car Park 8.9 km

Pont ar Elan - Esgair y Llwyn - Cerrig Llwydion - Pont ar Elan 21.6 km

Penybont - North Lookout - South Lookout - Penybont 23.1 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.

Want to know more about camping in Ceredigion?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Dolau Afon Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Dolau Afon Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Dolau Afon Camping? Up for exploring the surroundings? There are lots of great walking trails and footpaths around, along with National Cycle Route 81 for the cyclists. A couple of favourite routes nearby include the … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Dolau Afon Camping?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Dolau Afon Camping? From $47.10 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.