Friels Bar and Restaurant

View prices & book 9.2 92 reviews
Bar terrace
Sunset at the pitches
Fully-serviced pitch
Pitches at night

  • Well-maintained tourer park at a pub in Swatragh, County Londonderry
  • Drumnaph Nature Reserve 10 minutes’ drive; Giant’s Causeway 40 minutes
  • Traditional Irish food and a covered terrace; live music each weekend
You’ll never be short of entertainment or far from a great meal when you stay on the hardstanding tourer 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 live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday too, 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.

Campground type

RV sites 12
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • A charge of £2.00 ($2.43) applies for the use of the shower.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • No charcoal barbecues allowed.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • Continental touring caravans (caravans built with the passenger door on the right-hand side) are not permitted.
  • 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

  • 73%
    10
  • 7%
    9
  • 9%
    8
  • 3%
    7
  • 1%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 1%
    2
  • 2%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
8

95% would recommend this campground to a friend

96% would stay here again

What customers say

Friels is a top-rated stopover with level, clean pitches and great amenities, including electric. Staff are friendly, food is excellent, and the pub has a warm vibe. Some noted timed, coin-operated showers and road noise. Overall, great value and location. Many want to return!

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 10
Arrival date (latest first)

Excellent motorhome faculties, great food, staff very friendly

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
10
Marina M.

FHU gravel RV campsite

Liked Everything

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic spot with super friendly staff.…

Overall

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

FHU gravel RV campsite

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

Would highly recommend as a well located comfortable stopover.

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
Sarah F.

FHU gravel RV campsite

Liked Clean & well kept facilities, lovely pub with open fire, welcoming staff and great food/drink.

Disliked N/A

Recommend to friends Visit again

Brilliant place would highly recommend

Overall

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

FHU gravel RV campsite

Liked Everything... We stayed with our young son when the Christmas lights were switched on had a great time booked in for food and stayed in the campervan all the facilities were 10/10

Disliked nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Terence

Many thanks for your lovely review of Friels.
Delighted you stayed with us the night of our village Christmas tree switch on. There is always a great buzz round the bar at Christmas and glad you enjoyed our food and atmosphere.
Thanks for recommending our facilities and giving them top marks.
Wish you and your family well.

The bar and restaurant were amazing!…

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
10
Shona C.

FHU gravel RV campsite

Liked The bar and restaurant were amazing! Great size pitches and the toilet and shower facilities were spotless!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Shona,

Delighted you enjoyed your visit with us and thought our Bar and Restaurant were amazing.
Yes our pitches are a good size and the team works very hard to maintain high standards in our shower/toilet facilities.
Thanks so much for your high recommendation and taking the time to review Friels.

Eat in your van.

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
6
Value for money
1
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
3
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Andrew M.

FHU gravel RV campsite

Liked Convenient. Friendly clean.

Disliked £2 for a shower, lights and shower on timer. Quite noisy road traffic.
Lovely pub but very expensive, £18 for a posh burger. £24 for a bottle of chardonnay.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Andrew,

Many thanks for taking the time to review our business.
Delighted you liked our lovely pub and found it clean and it’s great that you would recommend it to friends.
I would just like to address some of your dislikes.
Yes we are near a road but rarely out of the hundreds of reviews we get do Motorhomers fine it noisy. It must have been a busy traffic day the time you visited.
Yes the showers are on a timer, and it does cost money to run these showers as I’m sure most people would understand.
Our Burgers served in a sesame Bun with Home cut Chips are priced at 17.50 and they include salad dressing, Ballymaloe relish , pork belly and a 6oz beef patty locally sourced from an award winning butchers. It’s one of the most popular dishes on our menu and this is the first time we have had the price queried. I personally don’t think it’s posh but you are entitled to your opinion.
£24 for a large bottle of very decent Chardonnay seems reasonable to me.
We are a multi award winning pub and to keep these high standards we have to charge for our high quality food , drink and showers.
Many thanks for your review.

Brilliant staff and great friendly customers

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
Dennis R.

FHU gravel RV campsite

Liked Fabulous pub and motorhome stop off , facilities excellent will be back again.

Disliked I wish i had planned to stay for longer.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Dennis,

Delighted you enjoyed your visit to Friels.
Thanks for your great comments on our pub and motorhome park.
Yes we get a lot of Motorhomers now staying with us for 2 nights. Maybe next time Dennis.
Looking forward to welcoming you back to Friels.

Food excellent. Clean friendly.

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
5
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
8
Theresa R.

FHU gravel RV campsite

Liked The set up was
Nice

Disliked Toilet and showers being for men and women

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Theresa

Many thanks for leaving us a review and glad you thought our set up was nice.
Yes our toilet facilities are communal for now.
Who knows, we hope to have them separate in the future.
We appreciate your honest comments and it’s great you would visit again and recommend us to friends.
Wish you the best.

Perfect place for touring around the stunning surrounding area,5 star!

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
10
Christian P.

FHU gravel RV campsite

Liked Friendly staff, great food, excellent beer!

Disliked Nowt

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Christian,

Many thanks for your great review of Friels.
Delighted you enjoyed great food and excellent beer served by friendly staff.
Sorry we cant do the free top up on the drinks !!!! ha ha
We wish you well!!!!

Great facilities next to a great pub. What's not to like

Overall

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

FHU gravel RV campsite

Liked Good flat hard spacious standing pitches. Electric hook-up. Very clean facilities. All look like new. Slight issues with shower as £2 allows 5 mins shower time and if you're not finished there is no way to top this up mid-shower. If you work around this then the whole experience is top class. The pub and restaurant are great. Very pleasant staff and great food.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi David,

Many thanks for leaving an outstanding review of Friels.
Thanks for valued feedback on our showers. We will look into this.
Yes we have great facilities thanks and delighted you found the whole experience to be top class.
We are glad you found the bar and restaurant to be great.Yes our pleasent staff go out of theIr way to make visitors feel welcome.
Wishing you the best on the rest our your travels.


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Baby-changing facilities Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Local produce Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public internet workstation(s) Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Gastronomic delight

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market

Type

Pub campground Small (11-25 sites)

Accessibility

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

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Gray water hook-up for caravans Motorhome service point Water hook-up points for caravans

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

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 18.3 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Castlerock 18.5 mi Sea ExcellentGoodGoodExcellent
Magilligan (Downhill) 18.9 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Magilligan (Benone) 19.7 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Portrush (Curran Strand) 20.4 mi Sea GoodGoodGoodN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Giant's Causeway, Antrim, Northern Ireland 23.1 mi

National Trust

Springhill 15.4 mi

Portstewart Strand 18.2 mi

Downhill Demesne and Hezlett House 18.7 mi

Wellbrook Beetling Mill 19.2 mi

Giant's Causeway 23.1 mi

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) 19.6 mi

PORTMORE LOUGH (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 19/08/2002) 28.8 mi

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  noon –  Anytime
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Friels Bar and Restaurant? From $26.39 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.