A major campsite in Wales has been left praying for rain this weekend after weeks of hot weather. Shell Island, in Llanbedr near Harlech, has one of Europe’s biggest campsites with a capacity for 800 pitches. It welcomes around 200,000 people a year.
While holidaymakers are regularly met with unspoilt countryside and lush green fields, 40 days of little to no rain has left the grass at the site with brown wilting grass.
With Porthmadog recording in excess of 30C on Tuesday, the ongoing hot weather has left the campsite hoping this weekend's forecast for some downpours holds true, North Wales Live reports.
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“Around three-quarters of the site is now brown,” said Shell Island director Richard Workman. “It’s the same with large stretches of the Gwynedd countryside. Farmers who have taken their first cut of silage may now struggle to cut their second by the end of July.
“We’ve had little or no rain for 40 days and we would like it to rain to freshen up the site for our visitors. But also because it’s a fire risk. We can’t cut the grass at the moment because it’s gone long and stringy - it would be like leaving hay on the ground. Cutting it when it’s so dry may also kill off the grass.” You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the Gwynedd coastline south of the Llŷn Peninsula often sees milder weather than other parts of Wales inland, as well as being shielded from north easterly winds by the Eryri mountains.
It means that areas from Porthmadog down to Llanbedr can often be some of the hottest during the summer months. Porthmadog has been Britain’s temperature pacesetter three times already in 2023.
Mr Workman said barbecues and fire bins were allowed at Shell Island as long as they were raised off the ground. But he said a ban was being considered.
“Last year we had to ban BBQs and campfires for four or five weeks during the summer,” he said. “It was the same the summer before, and now we are heading for three years in a row.”
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water has urged consumers not to waste water but has also said people should feel free to "use all the water that you need." It added: "A wet winter has meant our reservoir levels are currently in a good place for this time of year." March, 2023, was the wettest March in Wales for 40 years.
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