Meet the owners - Islawrffordd Luxury Holiday Park

Located at the southern end of Snowdonia National Park, Islawrffordd Luxury Holiday Park has direct access to the beach and 76 fully-serviced hardstanding touring pitches. Also on site is an indoor heated swimming pool and fine dining restaurant and you can upgrade your stay by hiring one of the new Cader Suite washrooms. The site is situated between Barmouth and Harlech and just 30 minutes from pretty Portmeirion village.

How long have you been running your campsite for?
The farm has been in the family for many generations however my great grandmother and my grandfather made the decision to diversify from farming into tourism in 1957. My twin uncles have been working on the park since they were children and many of our current customers still recall them collecting rubbish from the age of around 4. They took over the day to day running of the park from my grandad in 1992 and in 2016 I joined the team to be the 4th generation to work on the park.

How did you first become owners of the site/what made you want to own and run a campsite?
The park has been inherited through the generations and it has always been where our heart lies which is why we all put everything into the business. We couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Tell us a little about your site and how it first began?
The site was originally a farm and in 1957 the family decided it would be a good idea to open a field for camping as ‘staycations’ were becoming popular and with Barmouth being the nearest seaside town to the Midlands it proved a rather popular area. We have gone from only having a field for camping 60 years ago to having 201 static holiday homes and 75 touring pitches and the park has seen year on year reinvestment to achieve its current accolades.

What did you do before becoming the owners of this site?
Dylan and Geraint have been working on the park the whole of their lives, they went to school in Barmouth and then went on to college however they still helped out on the park in their spare time. I also helped out in reception from the age of 12 before going to Hartpury college to study Equine after finishing school. It was during this time that I realised that I wanted to be part of the family business as this is where my heart was longing for whilst being away.

What do you like most about being a campsite owner/manager?
We all enjoy working on the park as everyday is different, there is always something going on and we get the opportunity to meet some lovely people, many of whom become friends over time. It has also been rewarding to see how the park has changed over the years and how every aspect has improved.

What are the challenges?
We are lucky to not really be faced by any major challenges however the biggest challenge we face other than Covid-19 is the constant battering by the sea. Being situated right by the coast has its positives as well as its negatives. Annually we have to make repairs to our sea defences which is very costly in order to keep the park safe.

What is a typical day like for you?
Every day is different but during the summer our day typically consists of checking the swim-ming pool chemical levels first thing before getting all the keyfobs set up for the arrivals that day and getting all the paperwork out for the departures. The lads on park will clean the toilets, make sure all the bins are empty and the park is tidy before cutting the grass around the park in the afternoon.

What do you feel makes your site special and appealing to the guests who return every year?
We like to think that everyone who visits the park feels as if they are part of the family during their stay. We pride ourselves on being a friendly bunch who will go above and beyond to make our guests feel welcome. We also believe that we have some of the best facilities in the area and having an award-winning restaurant and bar really helps us give our customers the best experience.

 

What do you love about the region your site is based in? Do you have any favourite locations/attractions?
What I love mainly about the region is the scenery, it doesn’t matter where you go everything looks very picturesque. There is also such a variation of walks in the area, you could either be walking along the beach or up in the mountains. You could be walking through a nature reserve and woodlands or hiking up the two highest mountains in Wales – we have it all on our doorstep. It’s hard to pick a favourite attraction however I do enjoy a trip to Portmeirion village and on my bucketlist is a go on Zip World’s zipline. Despite growing up here my uncles have rarely had the chance to explore the local area, however with the lockdowns that took place earlier this year it did give them the opportunity to have some time off work where they enjoyed a walk into Barmouth and along the famous Barmouth Bridge during their daily hour of exercise.

What do you like to do on a rare day off?
On a day off I enjoy taking a scenic drive to a nearby village/town, having some lunch and browsing through the shops before heading out on a new walk to get some photos for our In-stagram/Facebook page (or at least this is the excuse I use to get a day off work!)