Dare Valley Country Park

View prices & book 8.8 615 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.

Site type

Caravan sites 16
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

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

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

Reviews

8.8

Overall rating from 615 Pitchup.com customers

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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

91% would recommend this site to a friend

89% would stay here again

What customers say

Dare Valley Country Park: Stunning, tranquil spot. Loved for spacious, level sites & spotless facilities. Great for walking, cycling, with a cafe & playgrounds. Dog-friendly too! New management's improving things. Highly recommended for nature lovers.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 62
Arrival date (latest first)

Spotless shower block,reception staff excellent …

Overall

10 out of 10
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 9
Value for money
 10
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Phillip D.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Spotless shower block,reception staff excellent pitches good size, area excellent for outdoor activities very friendly area

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean and modern facilities. Nice and…

Overall

10 out of 10
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 10
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Louise C.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Clean and modern facilities. Nice and quiet site and arrival instructions were clear.

Disliked Shame other visitors cannot leave the facilities clean and tidy.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great stay

Overall

10 out of 10
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 10
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Storm M.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Great pitches, wonderful location, beautiful surroundings with so many acres to explore and different routes. Facilities were clean and plenty of them. The cafe is also open for great food with a huge choice and plenty of options

Recommend to friends Visit again

Had a very nice relaxing stay

Overall

10 out of 10
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Adam S.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Quite
Great walks
Very clean
Great welcom

Disliked No WiFi

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing campsite. Toilets immaculate, lots of…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
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 10
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 10
Jo D.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Amazing campsite. Toilets immaculate, lots of walks from site. Would highly recommend and staff so helpful cannot do enough for you. Will definitely be back. Thankyou x

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

The location, perfectfor short walks at…

Overall

8 out of 10
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Frans P.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked The location, perfectfor short walks at the edge of Brecon Beacon national park. Goods anitary facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Not to be missed in rain, hail or Shine.

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10 out of 10
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Value for money
 10
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cathy d.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Exceptional site, services and cafe. Outstanding setting with large pitches. Immaculate facilities, and friendly staff. This stop was at the end of our holiday and was perfect for farewell to Wales.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean well laid out site.

Overall

10 out of 10
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 10
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 10
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Jackie K.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked Lovely place to stay. Clean toilets and showers. Everything needed on site. Close enough for amenities. Nice level pitches. Staff friendly and helpful.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing little gem. Will return

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
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Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
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Tracy C.

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked The location was amazing. The places to walk were beautiful. Plenty for adults and kids to do. Town easy to walk to. Facilties lovely and clean.

Disliked Nothing to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site for walking and proximity to many attractions.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
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Anonymous

Powered concrete and grass motorhome site

Liked The location was superb for walking routes and for driving to nearby attractions. A beautiful easy walk around a lake on reclaimed mining works land on the doorstep. Penderyn distillery, The Four Waterfalls trail and the Brecon Mountain railway were all an easy drive away as well as Zip World. The facilities on site were great and clean and I saw there was an absolutely superb disabled shower room and toilet with hoists even. Parks for children. A cafe. A 25 minute walk into a great little town with a lovely park and a great market on Saturdays. We really needed more than four nights to be able to make the most of our stay. Of course, there’s the Bike Park too. We went at the beginning of September so it was fairly quiet and we had a choice of what were large pitches. I imagine it would be filled with families in the school holidays. We really hope to return.

Disliked The dishwashing facilities. We only saw two sinks and there was no roof to shelter you from the rain.

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 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

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 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:  1 p.m. –  6:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Dare Valley Country Park? From $65 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.