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I’m lying in a warm bed in North Wales. As I drift off to sleep, the sound of gentle rain patters on the roof above my head; the following morning, I awake to a smattering of soft birdsong just outside the window. I wonder to myself: have I fallen into a meditation app? I certainly feel calmer than I have in weeks, the ongoing soundscape very different to my usual city concerto of bleeps, pings and bustling tube platforms. But no, I am in fact nestled in a shepherd’s hut without Wi-Fi in the haven that is Bert’s Kitchen Garden.
I arrived at Bert’s as a frazzled Londoner in search of a place to switch off, where I could turn to the most time-trusted of all remedies to soothe my soul: good old-fashioned nature. It’s the staycation that I’d heard much about. People vowed they’d never camp again until they pitched up in this spot. Being heralded as a remedy for family holiday disasters. It all sounded great – the only problem was… I hate camping. I set a lot of store by my creature comforts; you know, things like hot showers, cosy duvets, not going for a wee in a bush.
Fortunately, Bert’s doesn’t just cater for campers. It’s a campsite that is equally welcoming to camping sceptics like me. It was set up in 2019 by Ali and Ian Paice, who were exhausted Londoners themselves when they decided to look for a place to truly put down roots with their three children. The criteria: find a place that cost less than £500,000 in a community where they could build a new life. They alighted on a farmhouse and its surrounding land in the dainty Welsh village of Trefor and made it their home.
Bert’s – named after the campervan they had travelled the world in, which was later used to serve food from – became their business, a place that would offer the chance to “sleep, eat and escape”. Here, visitors would find a place to eat great food grown on site, where families could let their kids run free (multiple rope swings adorn the trees), where the site could act as a base for exploring the beautiful Llyn peninsula or just hanging out at the beach round the corner, and where, of course, non-campers could still flock without fear.
It took a year to prepare the site, which back in 2018 was in a battle against bushy, out-of-control undergrowth. But Bert’s has harnessed some of that wildness to its advantage. Those in tents will find their pitch is carved out of thigh-high fields of wildflowers, amping up that sense of being immersed in nature and striking a good balance between the private and communal.
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But we were staying in one of Bert’s three shepherd’s huts – it also has one bit of bricks-and-mortar accommodation, the Piggery – which put my camping phobia at ease as soon as I walked in. A comfy bed! A fridge stocked with treats! A shower that’s just as good as any fancy hotel! Outside, a fire pit allowed a spot of night-time stargazing. Comfy chairs meant we could eat our breakfast – pastries can be ordered on site each evening – while soaking up the dewy morning air.
The hut alone would have made a sufficient sanctuary for the weekend, a place to happily snooze in the peace and quiet, only occasionally interrupted by the trill of the birds. But there is a beach around the corner. There’s also a spectacular nearby walk on the Wales Coast Path, which offers high-up views of the blue ocean seas below, as well as the chance to spot wildlife (and see lots and lots of very chilled-out sheep). Look up the cliffside and you’ll see the imposing Trefor Quarry; once one of the largest granite quarries in the world, it closed in the 1960s, but has had a recent afterlife as the filming location for Dragonstone in House of the Dragon.
We arrived at Bert’s on public transport, which was perfectly doable (you’ll need to get a train into Bangor then a bus or two), but those looking to spend longer than a weekend will need a car to get around and make the most of nearby attractions. Trefor itself is tiny and, in terms of amenities, only has a local village shop and pub. Go further afield and you’ll easily fill up a week’s worth of activities. Less than half an hour away is the royal town Caernarfon, worth visiting not least to see the castle where King Charles had his investiture as the Prince of Wales in 1969 (a moment later recreated in – where else? – The Crown). Forty minutes away is the beautiful Isle of Anglesey, full of walks, food spots, and a world-famous sea salt factory, while a 20-minute drive will take you to Pwllheli, where you’ll find the stately home-turned-art gallery, Plas Glyn-y-Weddw.
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Without our own means of transportation, we relied on dinners at Bert’s restaurant – and had a lot of fun eating our way through its menu. That Bert’s is particularly praised as a foodie spot is no accident; Ali has a background in hospitality. If the rain stays away, you can sit outside in the actual “kitchen garden” of Bert’s Kitchen Garden, surrounded by veggies and herbs grown and cooked right here. You’ll have to put any guilty thoughts of salad aside, as Bert’s menu mainly consists of pizza, steak or mac and cheese (the latter of which is, frankly, to die for). We didn’t eat a bad dish, and could tell that the tomatoes and greens had been grown nearby – this, I thought, is what happy, clean food tastes like.
After a first seven years that has included getting up and running as well as surviving a pandemic, Ali tells us she is keen to let Bert’s now run happily as it is, without thought of further expansions. But they have just opened a new cafe on the shore, named Beachside, which was funded by the local Gwynedd council. It offers coffees and pastries for campers and locals, and is staffed – like Bert’s restaurant – by local young people, who receive training and development from Ali to help them move up through the ranks and take on more responsibility. Plus, each year Bert’s is host to supper clubs from visiting chefs, as well as the First Camp festival, in which a line-up of activities from screenings to workshops to group outdoor pursuits take place over a few days.
So, there is a lot to do. But, for a frazzled Londoner like me, I was very happy to laze in the hut, listen to the chirping of the birds, eat pizza – and contemplate how a non-camper like me found herself wanting to stay at this campsite for just a little bit longer.
The season at Bert’s Kitchen Garden runs from April to September. Huts are £175 per night; £46 per pitch for two people. bertskg.com
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