Camping in Tregaron

The hills and bog around Tregaron offer some of the wildest camping country in Wales, but it comes with an important caveat: wild camping without the landowner's permission is illegal in Wales, unlike in parts of Scotland, so pitching a tent on open moorland or beside Cors Caron without asking first is not permitted, however tempting the scenery. The reserve itself, as a protected National Nature Reserve, does not allow camping at all. The right approach is to use one of the established campsites and farm-based sites in the area, several of which sit right on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains and offer genuine dark-sky views once the sun goes down, since this part of mid Wales has very little light pollution.

The terrain here is a real contrast to Ceredigion's coastal campsites: expect open moorland, forestry plantations, fast-running upland rivers and the flat wetland expanse of the bog itself rather than dunes or cliff paths. Ground can be soft and exposed on the higher mountain sites, so a good four-season tent and proper waterproofs are worth having even in summer, and weather on the open tops can change quickly. Facilities tend to be simpler than at bigger coastal parks - expect small, farm-run sites with basic amenities rather than large holiday parks with pools and entertainment complexes, which suits the quiet, back-to-nature character of the area.

Late spring through early autumn is the most practical camping season, when access roads are clear, daylight is longest for walking, and the bog's breeding birds and summer wildflowers are at their best; the mountain roads and higher pitches become considerably harder going once autumn rain and winter snow set in. For those who want the scenery without a tent, glamping pods, shepherd's huts and static caravans have become more common on farms around Tregaron in recent years, offering a warmer base from which to explore Cors Caron's boardwalks and the drovers' roads into the Cambrian Mountains, while still waking up to red kites overhead.