Pembrokeshire
Organic clifftop farm above Caerfai Bay, five minutes from St Davids Cathedral
Caerfai Farm sits on the cliff above Caerfai Bay, about a mile south of St Davids, and is one of the best-positioned campsites on the whole Pembrokeshire coast. The site occupies four fields on a working organic dairy farm. The cliff field is the one everybody wants, pitched directly beside the coast path with the sea below and views west along the Pembrokeshire cliffs; the inner fields are more sheltered and a better bet in wind. Caerfai beach, a small sandy cove with rock pools, is a five-minute walk down the cliff path.
Facilities are decent without being elaborate. There are hot and cold showers, toilets and washing-up sinks, laundry facilities at the farm, and a supply of electric hook-ups for those who want them. The farm shop is the standout: it sells the organic Caerphilly and cheddar made on site, along with milk, vegetables and other local produce, and it saves the drive into St Davids for basics. Dogs are welcome under control, which matters given the livestock. There is no pool, no playground and no bar, and the site is deliberately kept that way.
The season runs from mid-May to the end of September, so this is not an option for early spring or autumn trips. Book well ahead for July and August, particularly for the cliff field, and be realistic about the wind: this is an exposed clifftop site facing the open sea, and a lightweight tent with weak pegs will not enjoy a gale. In return you get one of the few places in Britain where you can walk out of the tent onto a national trail, be at a cathedral in fifteen minutes, and swim before breakfast. It works especially well for coast path walkers and for families with older children who want to be outdoors all day.