Let’s face it, the word “camping” and “Wales” often means a bad night’s sleep in a damp tent with a sleeping bag pulled over your head to avoid hyperthermia setting in during the night! And that’s just in the summer!

But what if a weekend camping in Snowdonia could still have the wild mountain experience with the welcome addition of a hot shower, a proper bed, and all year round comfort?

We headed to North Wales, booking into a glamping spot that offered the perfect basecamp for getting outdoors without having to rough it.

The Digs: Llechwedd Glamping

Our base for the weekend was a safari tent at Llechwedd Glamping, located in the historic slate quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog. These aren’t your typical tents; they’re spacious, kitted-out canvas lodges with comfortable beds, an en-suite bathroom, and a well-equipped kitchen.

The real highlight, especially on a cool Welsh evening, is the wood-burning stove. We got it fired up shortly after arriving and the tent was genuinely cosy within minutes, making it a solid option for a trip any time of year (The glamping tents are open all year round).

The location is a major plus. You’re right next to Zip World and the Antur Stiniog Bike Park, so you can stumble out of bed and straight into an activity.

It was getting fairly late into the evening by the time we arrived and checked in. The process is super easy, and there will be staff around to help transport any gear from your car up to the tents as it’s only really suited to 4x4s and masochists who want to lug gear up by foot.

Once we settled in we set about supper for the night with one of the extras available at booking of Pizza dough and toppings to make your own pizzas with the Oven outside the tent. Cooking your own pizza outdoors, with a beer in hand, surrounded by the dramatic slate mountains, is a great way to kick off any weekend away.

Day 2: Zip World Llechwedd

With our legs feeling the burn from the previous day, we opted for some adrenaline at the nearby Zip World.

First up was the Titan zip line, which sees you flying over the vast slate quarry at speed. It’s unique feature is it’s 4 astride setup, so you can race your mates or family to the bottom. The scale of the place is impressive and seeing it fly past you as pace, from that height is an unforgettable experience. As with all of the Zip World locations, it’s a super slick operation with safety taking equal priority as adrenaline. They have a fleet of big overland style trucks to transport you around the site to the various launch platforms.

Activities at Zip World can also take you deep underground. You can explore the slate mine caverns along with a few activities you would never imagine would exist underground in a disused slate mine! Like a bounce park or even golf!  We headed down into the old slate mine to try the Underground Golf. It’s a surreal 18-hole course set up through the mine’s caverns, lit with neon lights. It’s a unique activity and a great backup plan if the weather turns, which lets face it, is a distinct possibility!

There’s also a really well presented café which has lots of options for food and drink!

We were really blown away by the Safari Tents and the activities on site. I can’t wait to go back again and bring the bikes too, as the bike park has some epic looking trails and the much-needed uplift service for flatlanders like myself to get up to the top without blowing a lung!

There’s so much more to do on the doorstep, from Historic Castles, picturesque towns like Portmeirion and even beaches not very far down the road!