Friels Bar and Restaurant

View prices & book 9.3 98 reviews
Bar terrace
Sunset at the pitches
Fully-serviced pitch
Exterior of the bar

  • Well-maintained motorhome park with bar, restaurant and visitor centre
  • Drumnaph Nature Reserve 10 minutes’ drive; Giant’s Causeway 40 minutes
  • Irish food and covered terrace; traditional live music every Thursday
You’ll never be short of entertainment or far from a great meal when you stay on the hardstanding motorhome 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. The on-site visitor centre, Gorta, will give you a close look at the history of Swatragh village and Dr Mooney, who ran the former doctor's surgery. Chances are you’ll be spending a fair bit of time in the pub, what with the free-flowing black stuff, classic pub fare and family-friendly vibe. There’s traditional live music every Thursday at 8.30pm, 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. A bus stop with hourly services to Belfast and Derry is five miles away; the team can arrange a local taxi for you if needed.

Site type

Motorhome pitches 20
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 3
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Continental touring caravans (caravans built with the passenger door on the right-hand side) are not permitted.
  • A charge of £2.00 (€2.29) applies for the use of the shower.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • No charcoal barbecues allowed.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Dogs are allowed in all outside covered areas. They are not permitted inside the bar and restaurant.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

  • 75%
    10
  • 7%
    9
  • 10%
    8
  • 3%
    7
  • 1%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 2%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
8

96% would recommend this site to a friend

97% would stay here again

What customers say

Friels is a popular stopover with good, level pitches and great facilities. Staff are friendly, the food is excellent, and the pub is welcoming. Showers have a timer and fee, and there's some road noise, but it’s good value and well-located. Visitors want to come back.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 10
Arrival date (latest first)

Brilliant motorhome site. Excellent facilities and…

Overall

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

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Brilliant motorhome site. Excellent facilities and spotlessly clean. Meal at the pub was superb too.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Der Platz ist sehr gepflegt. Ausreichend…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
6
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Der Platz ist sehr gepflegt. Ausreichend Platz - auch für große Wohnmobile.
Wir konnten im Restaurant gut essen. Der Pub ist gemütlich. Am Samstsgabend gab es tolle Livemusik.

Eigentümer sind sehr freundlich und um Feedback bemüht.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Thorsten from lovely Hamburg

It was lovely to meet you last week and yes feedback is very impoprtant. We are always looking to improve our offering in Friels.
Delighted you found our pub cozy and enjoyed your meal with live music.
Yes we can accomadate all sizes of Mortorhomes, including Van converstions.
Pleased to hear you found our Motorhome park well maintained also.
Many thanks for your review and high recommendation of our business !!

Excellent site soaked in history and heritage

Overall

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

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Absolutely excellent, pitched spacious clean and modern, toilet and showers spotless clean, beautiful local drives, bar just 1st class, food is exceptional,
Our miniature dachshund GINO was very well looked after by a gentleman who spoke fondly off his boxer dog & happened to be a staff member such kindness and nothing was an issue. We didn’t have reservations however the staff ensured we get a table to eat. I do recommend booking a table in advance as it is a busy wee spot. Such personal touches though out this place it’s breathtaking, a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into the detail & craftsmanship can be seen in every nook and cranny of this little gem, The magic really lies in those hidden corners, seamless transitions, and thoughtful touches that elevate the entire established, to the current owner your forefathers would be extremely proud of the history you have upheld it’s a credit to u and your team. We will definitely be back.

Disliked Nothing! We will most definitely be back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Bernie,
We are absolutely delighted with your outstanding review of our local area, Friels Bar and Restaurant and our Motorhome park.
So pleasing to hear of our staff going the extra mile with our visitors. 🙌🙌🙌
We all work together to make sure our visitors and locals all have a nice experience when they visit for an overnight stay or a pint.
We are privileged to be the current key-holders of this property and it’s great to read such a lovely review about our business.
Wishing you well and hope to see you again soon.
Many thanks. 😊❤️

Excellent all round

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

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Everything was excellent at this park, there was plenty of space with level gravel pitches , both electric hook up and a water tap close by at every pitch, the facilities where in excellent order, very clean and tidy.
The staff were more than helpful and made you feel very welcome, the food was excellent and the atmosphere was just as good, the area is very centralised and within a short drive of various places to visit
I would highly recommend Friels for a stay and at £20 a night you can't go wrong

Disliked Having to leave to go back to work on Monday

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Jonathan,

We are delighted you had such a wonderful time during your visit with us.
Yes we have great range of facilities on site and we are ideally located for touring the North of the island.
We are halfway between Belfast and Derry, 30 minutes to the famous North Coast and Giants Causeway.
So pleasing to hear the feedback about our great staff and delicious food.
Yes we feel we are value for money at £20 per night and glad you thought so to.
Wishing you the best and hope to see you again soon.
Ps
Many thanks for taking the time to leave us such a detailed and great review. 🙌🙌🙌

Excellent park up. Great facilities.

Overall

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

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Fabulous motorhome park up. Clean and tidy. Wonderful showers and loos. Amazing value for money.
Ate in the restaurant. Yummy roast beef dinner and fantastic mango cheesecake. Dermot Friel and his family are the 4/5th generation owners and gave us loads of personal info. He was great. Do not miss this place!!!

Disliked Nothing. It’s fabulous.
Thanks from Johnny and Jo

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Johnny and Jo,
We are so pleased you really enjoyed your stay with us so much.
Yes we have a wide range of facilities and glad you found these to be fabulous and value for money.
It was lovely to meet you both and it’s great to hear you enjoyed our Food.
We really appreciate the pictures on your review and many thanks for the high recommendation of Friels.
Wishing you both the very best and hope to see you again soon.

Emplacement tres bien placé pour visiter Très…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
9
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
1

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Emplacement tres bien placé pour visiter
Très sympa!!!

Disliked Ras

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Frederic,

Many thanks for your nice review and for your overall 8 rating.
We are pleased that you thought we were very well located for sight seeing and that it was a very nice site.

Thanks for visiting us and we wish you well!!!

Hard standing pitches with/without water. All…

Overall

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

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Hard standing pitches with/without water. All electric. Lovely showers £2 for 5 mins. Very friendly staff. Lovely atmosphere

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Sandra,
Delighted you found our staff friendly and that Friels had a lovely atmosphere.
Yes we do get great comments on our facilities and showers and it’s pleasing to hear in this review.
Many thanks for taking the time to review us and we wish you the best.

Very clean site meals in pub…

Overall

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

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Very clean site meals in pub very reasonable priced the staff very friendly

Disliked Lovely site really enjoyed it will be back the staff were fantastic

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Glen
We are delighted you enjoyed your visit to Friels and found our staff fantastic with value for money meals in our historic pub.
Many thanks for the high recommendation on our lovely site and hope to see you again soon. 😊

Excellent motorhome faculties, great food, staff very friendly

Overall

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

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Everything

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Marina,
Many thanks for visiting Friels and also our Visitor Center Gorta.
Delighted with your great comments about our food and friendly staff.
Yes our Visitor Centre is a good visit and we are glad you found it worthwhile and were made welcome.
Looking forward to welcoming you back when you are back in Ireland.
Thanks for your lovely review.

Fantastic spot with super friendly staff.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Mark B. 1 review

Fully-serviced gravel motorhome pitch

Liked Fantastic spot with super friendly staff. We stayed an extra night just to spend new year here. Perfect spot for exploring the North of Ireland. Would highly recommend

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Mark,
Thanks for your great review of Friels.
Yes alot of our guests find we are very central to expolore the North of the island also.
Many thanks for the high reccommendation and will see you again soon.


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 On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Baby-changing facilities Bath available 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

Budget/backpacker Gastronomic delight Peaceful

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 Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Pub campsite Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

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

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Drainage hook-up points for tourers Motorhome service point Seasonal pitches 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

Route directions

Public transport is available to Belfast and Derry from a bus stop five miles away. The site can arrange a local taxi to the bus stop.

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 2020201920182017
Portstewart 29.4 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Castlerock 29.7 km Sea ExcellentGoodGoodExcellent
Magilligan (Downhill) 30.4 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Magilligan (Benone) 31.7 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Portrush (Curran Strand) 32.8 km Sea GoodGoodGoodN/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.

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:  12:00 –  Anytime
    Depart by:  12:00
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Friels Bar and Restaurant? From €23.09 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.