For easy access to Snowdonia with enough on site or local to site for Kip Jr (age 3) and me whilst Mr Kip goes off getting log book days in for his ML.

Will consider a big old caravan/camping park with lots of tacky on site stuff for ease of having a free swimming pool if the weather is rubbish.

We are camping and have our own big Vango tent. Electric hook up would be nice but not essential. Showers/toilet block are essential, we’ve done roughing it already this summer and up to 5 nights of no proper washing is not my idea of fun with a 3 year old!

Where have you stayed and where would you recommend?

porthmaddog area has a few sites around, were booked up when I looked last minute a few weeks back (had to book an expensive rental flat instead)

nice beaches, harlech castle was good fun and 30 mins drive to antur stiniog 🙂

We always stay here (and have been doing for 20 years):
http://www.coolcamping.co.uk/campsites/uk/wales/snowdonia/conwy/195-rynys-farm?search=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coolcamping.co.uk%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Drynys&index=0&count=1

That’s my review at the bottom.

There’s a nice one just North of Beddgelert on the road West.

http://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/wales/beddgelert-campsite

Footflaps – that looks nice and there’s a play park as well, great for Kip Jr.

How bad were the midges? Annoying or not too bad?

Stayed here when the kids were younger. Really enjoyed it.

http://www.tyddynllwyn.com/

Short walk into Portmadog/Borth y Gest beach
Great views
Looks more expensive than I remember but I guess that’s the same with most of these sites now…

Second the Camping in the Forest site at Beddgelert. My parents used to take me there many, many years ago when I was a kid and I just remember spending hours and hours playing in the river. So we took our son (2 1/2) ealier in the year and he loved it.

There’s several little streams and wooded areas in the campsite to explore and the river at the bottom is great for clambering around in/building dams/swimming in/or just throwing stones in!

There’s also a play area and of course the steam railway runs past the campsite. There’s a station there so you can ride one or two stops down the line and walk back. There’s also a path from the campsite into Beddgelert now so you can walk in for a coffee/ice cream.

We took the balance bike and he used that a few times, I think you can hire bikes and trailers and there are loops on the forest fire roads. there’s a small shop on site and the sell pizzas in the evening 🙂

If you get to keep the car then you can easily get to all the beaches and castles on the coast. There’s also this place just up the road

http://www.greenwoodforestpark.co.uk/

As for midges, there were a few around in the evening, possibly more at this time of year, and we used a couple of midge coils/citronella candles which did the job.

http://www.bodnant-caravan-park.co.uk/ Is very nice and near to the Marin and Penmachno trails.

How bad were the midges? Annoying or not too bad?

can’t recall, not been there for a while, plus midges don’t seem to bother me.

Hmm, looking like Beddgelert may get a call. Haven’t been that way for a while and it would be nice to revisit old haunts.