Dare Valley Country Park

View prices & book 8.9 610 reviews
Beautiful
Beautiful
Rainbow days
The big lake at dare valley country park
View of the lake
On the site
Nice spacious site
One of the lakes in dare valley country park
The views from dare valley
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Rainbow days
The big lake at dare valley country park
View of the lake

  • A scenic 500-acre site on an old colliery at the Brecon Beacons’ edge
  • A five-minute drive to Aberdare and 15 minutes to Penderyn Distillery
  • Playgrounds and cafeteria on site; walk to a family bike park
If you’re wanting a countryside Welsh holiday close to southern Wales’ mightiest mountain range, settle in for a few days or more at Dare Valley Country Park: this site in Mid Glamorgan sits on top of an old colliery a five-minute drive from the old mining town of Aberdare on the outskirts of the Brecon Beacons. The whopping 500 acres of space at the park means wanders (among lush valley views) are par for the course, with trails leading off into the countryside straight from the site too. Within the country park, make your way to the Dare Valley Gravity Family Bike Park, which has uplift services. You might also be hard-pressed luring kids away from the two playgrounds (the biggest has a sandpit, slides and swings) or partners from a cafeteria that opens daily for freshly prepped breakfast, lunch and snacks... If they’re really not keen to come away from this scenic place, bribe them with the mountain biking trails at BikePark Wales, about 20 minutes away. For grownups, golf at a parkland course with manicured meadow lawns and mature oaks is less than a 10-minute drive from the site. And if you really need to bring out the big guns (for the big folk, that is)? There’s always the lure of a tour and tasting session at Penderyn Distillery Visitor Centre (within 15 minutes)… This whisky making centre’s in the southern part of the Brecon Beacons; travelling a touch further (half an hour in all from the site) leads right into the middle of the national park for ambles around green hills.

Campground type

Caravan sites 16
RV & Motorhome sites 16
Open all year
Opens

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5 p.m.. Please inform the campground while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time so that the team can provide information about your unit/site.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

Languages spoken

English

Site types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCaravan sitesRV & Motorhome sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

8.9

Overall rating from 610 Pitchup.com customers

  • 61%
    10
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    9
  • 24%
    8
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Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 5
Walkers' paradisePeaceful

90% would recommend this campground to a friend

89% would stay here again

What customers say

Cracking, tidy, chill campsite with heaps of space. Top-notch facilities, especially the dunny/shower blocks. Friendly staff, great country setting for a walk or ride, close to heaps of stuff. Kids love the playgrounds and bike tracks. Cafe's a ripper for good tucker.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 61
Arrival date (latest first)

The staff were friendly and helpful in the caffi, Bathrooms were of…

Overall

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

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked The staff were friendly and helpful in the caffi, Bathrooms were of a good size and standard. Close to a playpark which was great for the kids.

Disliked Was a little loud in the evening.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site will definitely visit again

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Sam J.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Site was great, but the on-site uplift for mountain bike made it! Loads to do on site the cafe is brilliant and reasonable

Recommend to friends Visit again

I would score Dare Valley a solid 9 even with the minor issues.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 4
Anonymous

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Mother & Daughter team. Bit familiar but super friendly & welcoming.

Disliked Exterior Aberdare water shut off problems.
A one off but water is a must so we went home a day early.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful quiet site. Clean facilities. Great little cafe. 5min cycle to town.…

Overall

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

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Beautiful quiet site. Clean facilities. Great little cafe. 5min cycle to town. Will go back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great well kept site with clean facilities Playground on site Very family friendly Great…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Adam B.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Great well kept site with clean facilities
Playground on site
Very family friendly
Great of cycle trails
Lovely cafe
Nice walks with lake nearby
Quiet time well observed
Great value for money
Thumbs up for me

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stayed here for a weekend, lovely little site, laid back but secure.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 4
Rachel H.

Powered concrete and grass caravan site

Liked Stayed here for a weekend, lovely little site, laid back but secure. Toilet/shower facilities immaculate, always clean and plenty of toilet roll.

The site is set in a country park, large playground for children, great bike park just opposite the site and plenty of walks. The cafe is situated next to the site also, open every day 9-4 serving a varied menu. We had lunch and breakfast on our last day, good value for money.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice stay - hopeful the folks will get into a customer-centric groove

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Peaceful, large pitches and very hot showers!

A safe place for us ladies to camp together with a short walk into town for a coffee and cheeky beer at Grey Trees.

Disliked Chaotic arrival with no one to book in with.

Luckily a Friendly camper gave us the code to get in to use the bathroom in the shower block.

New operators so teething issues apparent with check in and check out. One staff member told us to leave when ready due to poor experience arriving and then another came around an hour later and was very rude.

Confused.com!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Top site and Staff

Overall

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

Powered concrete and grass caravan site

Liked The Staff was so friendly and caring they made us so welcome the site was was well kept 5he facilities were spotlessly clean at all times well pleased 😢

Disliked Nil

Recommend to friends Visit again

Will definitely be back.

Overall

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

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Really love this site, amazing park for the kids, great for bikes, dog friendly, lovely walks near by and the cafe is lovely - nice breakfast.

Disliked Would love to bring friends that we usually camp with but only allow camper vans or caravans.
Phone signal wasn’t good but that’s not the camps fault.
There no big field area for the kids to play football or rounders.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent Site, but could be in better shape and under control

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 3
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 1
Klaus S.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Beautiful landscape,enough Space, very friendly staff in the cafe

Disliked No Daily Cleaning on the Facilities, Dirty Walls, Crying People on the ground at 10 pm,

Recommend to friends Visit again

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/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

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

Groups welcome

D. of E. 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

Budget/backpacker Bush Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 sites)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Bathrooms: Large spacious toilet Bathrooms: Step-free access Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible shower Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible toilet Level campground, no steep slopes Site close to accessible bathrooms

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Water hook-up points for caravans

Location

Dare Valley Country Park

Aberdare

Glamorgan

Wales

CF44 7RG

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

51.71267°N
3.46943°W

Route directions

If you are using a satnav, please use the postcode CF44 7PS.

Nearest transport

Coach
1.9 km Bus Station
7.2 km Bus Station
16.9 km Lidl
Rail
1.8 km Aberdare Rail Station
4 km Cwmbach Rail Station
5.9 km Fernhill Rail Station
Ferry
32.3 km Cardiff Castle Waterbus Stop
33.1 km Taffs Mead Waterbus Stop
33.5 km Swansea Queens Dock Ferry Terminal
Airport
36.1 km Cardiff International Airport
43.2 km Swansea Airport

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

Head about half an hour west of the site into the Brecon Beacons and get to the national park’s waterfall country, home to falls with nicely tongue-tripping names like Sgwd Gwladys (30 minutes’ drive) and Sgwd Yr Eira (35 minutes). The former’s just the place for wild swimming in a deep plunge pool surrounded by woodland... Drier times are to be had at stately piles about 35 minutes south of the park, including Caerphilly Castle with its massive moat and towers or smaller Castell Coch reconstructed in a fairytale style in the Victorian era by well-known architect William Burgess. Cardiff (40 minutes away) also has its own castle with renovations by Burgess – head to this swish city for cool concerts and sports events at the Principality Stadium or just check out the boutiques in the Victorian shopping arcades. For another architecturally intriguing manor home from a different era, the Tudor-style Tredegar House is 45 minutes away from the park.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Aberafan 27.4 km Estuary N/AGoodGoodGood
Trecco Bay Porthcawl 30.1 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Sandy Bay Porthcawl 30.3 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Rest Bay Porthcawl 30.5 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Southerndown 31.1 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Penderyn Distillery Visitor Centre 6.8 km

Brecon Mountain Railway 11.9 km

National Showcaves of Wales 19.6 km

Aberdulais Falls 21.6 km

Caerphilly Castle 22.8 km

National Trust

Aberdulais Falls 21.7 km

Aberdeunant 41 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Treherbert to Aberdare 6.4 km

Pontneddfechan - Hepste Waterfalls - Pontneddfechan 9.1 km

Pontneddfechan - Scwd Einion Gam Waterfall 9.9 km

Porth-yr-ogof, Nedd and Mellte Waterfalls 11.4 km

Waterfall Circuit 11.4 km

Local events

  • Green Man Festival (Thursday 14 August 2025 – Thursday 14 August 2025)

    Crickhowell, Wales 26.5 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 campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Want to know more about camping in Glamorgan?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Dare Valley Country Park have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Dare Valley Country Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Dare Valley Country Park? Head about half an hour west of the site into the Brecon Beacons and get to the national park’s waterfall country, home to falls with nicely tongue-tripping names like Sgwd Gwladys (30 … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Dare Valley Country Park?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  6:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  6:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Dare Valley Country Park? From $58.35 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.