Our first campervan trip in Bela was to glorious Ardmore for the June bank holiday weekend. It was our family trip and an opportunity to learn more about our new campervan Bela.
It takes a Village ! The first learning from our trip is that you are never alone! There is such a wonderful campervan community out there, our seasoned camping neighbours and their friends were all on hand to help with our queries which was very comforting. So I want to reassure anyone who is booking a van for the first time that once you are pitching up in an area with other vans then you’re safe as houses….or campervans in this instance.
It took us a few hours to get our heads around the gadgets, the panel board, water, heating and power options but then we were able to relax into the holiday. And what a holiday we had in this beachy village on the coast of County Waterford. Firstly, the campervan site was equipped with an area for fresh water, an area for grey water waste (washing up) and black water waste (toilet) and sure that’s all you need. There is no mains power here but our solar panel kept us topped up with power for 4 days and it was still at 50% when we were leaving on the eve of the 4th day. The site is also right beside the beach when meant you can roll out of bed and enjoy your coffee on the beach as the sun begins to burn through the morning clouds. The kids spent the days rambling between the beach and the site with all their new pals which meant lots of time for the adults to read and snooze for 5mins!
On Sundays throughout the summer from 11am til 3pm you can visit the Ardmore outdoor market, a mix of fresh baked goods, coffee, smoothies, salads, and hot tasty bites. You’ll also find plants and crafts such as woodwork, jewelry and photography. It’s such a gorgeous afternoon to spend lazing around in the field overlooking the beach and right next to the Village.
The Village is equipped with everything you need and a few important things you may require while campervaning such as public toilets, water facilities and recycling bins for your bottles and cans. You must check out the beautiful Ardmore Craft Shop on the hill up to the cliff which sells amazing quality knits, contemporary art, pottery, books and jewelry from Irish artists, in fact they are artists themselves and you can see their studio behind the counter.. And of course there are two nice bars (our favourite is Keevers) but if you fancy dinner then pop up to the Tower Hotel or The Whitehorses Restaurant (pre-book as this gets booked out).
Walks…There is a fantastic walk that you must do at least once which starts at the Village roundabout and leads you on a trail up and around the cliff, the views are stunning. You’ll also pass the famous Cliff Hotel…pop in for a coffee on the veranda and take in the vista overlooking Ardmore Bay. And if you fancy going in the other direction then keep walking over the opposite side of the beach to the Village and if you keep walking around the cliff you’ll come to the blissfully peaceful and pretty much empty all the time Curragh Beach. This is very sheltered and great for kids paddling.
Overall, we felt like we had a week break not 4 days. We relaxed into the tempo of the place very quickly and Bela was fully equipped for us to cook up nice breakfasts and hot coffee, hot water to wash-up and have a shower and we’d all the comforts we needed by night with lighting and big beds to rest our sun stoked heads. We are already planning our return trip over the summer.
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