A new Gem
We booked for 7 days and stayed 14 days – and that says it all – with the site being just what we wanted. The site is set back from a quiet country lane so you rarely hear more than nature’s noises and it’s far enough away from towns for there to be no light pollution. The site is level, big enough for 5 vans to not feel crowded, the electrics are 16w and we discovered, being at the site during the Olympics, there’s good TV reception. On three sides there are trees and shrubs and on the fourth side there’s a view of the distant sea through and over the hedge. The feeling of tranquillity is enhanced by sleepy sheep in an adjoining, fenced off field but they’re only there during the day because the lady who owns the sheep takes her pets home at night (yes, her husband told us, approx 20 sheep really are kept as pets!!). At the site you can buy home grown and reared produce and at local smallholdings/farms nearby there are similar foods and preserves on offer. The nearest biggish supermarket (Tesco) is a few miles away in Cardigan but we came across a several local stores to replenish essential items and enabling us to buy what we needed. Talking of essentials - an all year charity book sale is within a mile or so at Pea Pod Junction and it's worth a visit with many of their books appearing have never been opened. One caravaner’s van had a fault and a mobile repair man came to the site a couple of times so there must be a local caravan repairer handy, if needed. A national footpath passes the site and this leads to many other marked and unmarked paths including, a short walk away, the Ceredigion Coastal path with its interesting and rugged views. Bays, beaches, caves, waterfalls and woods are all within easy walking reach but be warned if you venture to the Cwmtydu beach, it’s a very steep walk up the hill (perhaps that’s one trip to take your car). There are a few towns and places of interest a short drive away and if you want more there are several others (including Lampeter, Cardigan, Aberaeron) that take a little longer to reach. When chatting to another caravaner he told us about the range of birds (including Red Kites, but they seem to be everywhere now!) that can be seen at the site and when on a coastal walk we saw seals and dolphins. We met many locals (and visitors) and everyone was friendly and helpful with time to chat, which seems to be a characteristic of the area. Roger and Fay, who are new to running a CL and a self sufficient “Good Life” smallholding, were welcoming and very friendly and they’re receptive to new ideas so things will get even better as the site becomes more established. We did miss WiFi and being able to see our granddaughter on Skype, but maybe that’s part of the technology detox Fay talks about. We didn't notice any negatives at the site that need a mention. However, the entrance to the smallholding does need care when towing but most of us visitors seemed to have few problems and only one (long) outfit appeared to have a bit of difficulty.
Maybe we all want different things from sites but we enjoyed this site so much we stayed longer than planned and will definitely return when visiting this area again.
