Dare Valley Country Park

View prices & book 8.8 601 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
1/413
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

Camper sites 16
RV sites 16
Open all year
Opens

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Reception is unmanned after 4 p.m.. Please inform the park while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time so that the team can provide information about your unit/site.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Campsite types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCamper sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsMobile homes for rentRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

8.8

Overall rating from 601 Pitchup.com customers

  • 56%
    10
  • 4%
    9
  • 25%
    8
  • 1%
    7
  • 6%
    6
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    5
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    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 5
Hikers’ paradisePeaceful

90% would recommend this campground to a friend

88% would stay here again

What customers say

Dare Valley Country Park is a peaceful, scenic escape lauded for its beautiful setting, roomy, level sites, and clean facilities. Guests loved the ample trails, cafe, playgrounds, and dog-friendly vibe. Recent management changes are underway for service improvements. Highly recommended for nature and outdoor fun.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 61
Arrival date (latest first)

Exceptional site, welcoming and peaceful.

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
Ceris P.

Powered cement/asphalt and grass RV campsite

Liked Liked Everything! Made to feel very welcome, the hosts at the cafe were fantastic and so helpful. Cafe is fab, food lovely, everything on site was clean, great warm showers. I had the whole place to myself and loved it! The walks around the area are fantastic, even in the rain. I will be back.

Disliked Nothing, apart from only staying one night!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Quiet location. All pitches level. Heated toilet and shower block.

Overall

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

Powered cement/asphalt and grass RV campsite

Liked Standard of facilities and location

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice site in a fantastic location.

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
Ian S.

Powered cement/asphalt and grass RV campsite

Liked Nice site in a fantastic location. Lots of easy walking and biking on the doorstep. Toilet block was clean and warm and everything was just fine. The cafe next door (open 9-4 every day) was truly fantastic; welcoming, great service, nice food and exceptional value.

Disliked Nothing, other than the signs to the entry are extremely difficult to read in the dark! Tiny writing and unlit so the first night arrival was a bit tricky (need a torch). Also, there's no wifi and the mobile phone reception (O2) was extremely poor which is awkward in this day and age where you really need internet access. There's wifi in the cafe but it doesn't reach to the site itself.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very friendly young lady from the Cafe who booked us in.

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
Denis W.

Powered cement/asphalt and grass RV campsite

Liked Lovely site, Very clean, And a down hill walk to town, Only £5.00 for a return taxi.
Young lady who booked us in from the Cafe was so friendly, She is a credit to the company.

Disliked Walk from the site towards Town is very dark. Not a single light so be carefully due to the speed ramps you can not see.
Mobile phone service can be hard to find

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely peaceful site, great views and fog walking.

Overall

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

Powered cement/asphalt and grass RV campsite

Liked Locality for Hiking and fig walks

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location, shower block, views…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 1
Susan S.

Powered cement/asphalt and grass travel trailer campsite

Liked Location, shower block, views

Disliked Needed a new security lock for gate

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would definately return.

Overall

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

Powered cement/asphalt and grass RV campsite

Liked Very impressed, lovely site. Wash Room and Toilet facicilities very good, but did only stay overnight.

Disliked No pitch allocation, bit of a free for all. Ok as quite season and only overnight, not sure if works differently in High Summer.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location and quiet…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 4
Wifi
 No rating
Les H.

Powered cement/asphalt and grass RV campsite

Liked Location and quiet

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site nice and clean and…

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
Michael T.

Powered cement/asphalt and grass RV campsite

Liked Lovely site nice and clean and quite and very friendly staff will definitely go there again

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great well laid out site, with…

Overall

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

Powered cement/asphalt and grass RV campsite

Liked Great well laid out site, with nice walks and a nice cafe nearby.

Disliked Whilst the toilets and showers were very good they would benefit from a deep clean

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Leisure on park

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

Amenities on park

Baby-changing facilities Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Scouts 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

Budget/backpacker Forest Hikers’ paradise Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/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 Horseback 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 7PS

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

51.71267°N
3.46943°W

Route directions

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

Nearest transport

Bus
1.2 mi Bus Station
4.5 mi Bus Station
10.5 mi Lidl
Rail
1.1 mi Aberdare Rail Station
2.5 mi Cwmbach Rail Station
3.6 mi Fernhill Rail Station
Ferry
20.1 mi Cardiff Castle Waterbus Stop
20.6 mi Taffs Mead Waterbus Stop
20.8 mi Swansea Queens Dock Ferry Terminal
Airport
22.4 mi Cardiff International Airport
26.8 mi 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 17.1 mi Estuary N/AGoodGoodGood
Trecco Bay Porthcawl 18.7 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Sandy Bay Porthcawl 18.8 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Rest Bay Porthcawl 18.9 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Southerndown 19.3 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Penderyn Distillery Visitor Centre 4.2 mi

Brecon Mountain Railway 7.4 mi

National Showcaves of Wales 12.2 mi

Aberdulais Falls 13.4 mi

Caerphilly Castle 14.2 mi

National Trust

Aberdulais Falls 13.5 mi

Aberdeunant 25.5 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Treherbert to Aberdare 4 mi

Pontneddfechan - Hepste Waterfalls - Pontneddfechan 5.7 mi

Pontneddfechan - Scwd Einion Gam Waterfall 6.2 mi

Porth-yr-ogof, Nedd and Mellte Waterfalls 7.1 mi

Waterfall Circuit 7.1 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.

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  6:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    On-park 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 $37.37 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.