Beach and dog-friendly campsites near Monmouth
With the Wye Valley AONB and Brecon Beacons nearby, Monmouth is a magical place to pitch.
- Monmouth
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12 top beach and dog-friendly campsites near Monmouth
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Beach and dog-friendly campsites near Monmouth guide
Overview
Bounded by the River Wye and with the Wye Valley AONB kicking off on its periphery, handsome market town Monmouth is one of the first spots you hit in Wales travelling west from England, and its proximity to both gentle and dramatically rugged nature makes it a huge hit with outdoors lovers. With well-established grassy caravan and camping parks near the centre, it’s a long-term favourite with the under-canvas crowd. Offering a contrast to the Wye Valley’s benign wooded slopes are the wilder nearby outdoor playgrounds of the Black Mountains and the Eastern Brecon Beacons.
Where to go
Wye Valley AONB
Back in the 18th century, the Wye Valley became the birthplace of modern UK tourism, when people flocked to the picturesque landscapes described in William Gilpin’s influential work Observations on the River Wye. This steep-sided woodsy AONB straddling the Wales-England border remains popular today with a wide mix of full-facility camping complexes and small farm campsites, plus fantastic hiking that includes paths like the long-distance Wye Valley Way.
Black Mountains
The Black Mountains fall within the Brecon Beacons National Park, a dark, brooding wedge of hills running from Abergavenny to Hay-on-Wye, beginning about 15 miles northwest of Monmouth. The long-distance Offa’s Dyke Path trundles across the range, but hiking opportunities are limitless. The main access for campers is the Vale of Ewyas, with its Abergavenny-Hay-on-Wye road bisecting remote countryside below the ridges. Sites are simple and small-scale.
Eastern Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons is a national park of four parts. Its eastern area lies west of the Black Mountains, south of Brecon and north of Merthyr Tydfil. It is the park's most-visited area, with the highest peak (the 2,907-foot Pen y Fan) and easy access from the region’s bigger towns, including Monmouth, about 20 miles southeast. Campsites in this rugged expanse are typically in the verdant valleys around the edge.
When to go
Being close to major population centres means Monmouth and the Wye Valley AONB’s tourist season extends a little beyond the conventional Easter-September window, with March and October also seeing many visitor facilities open, and weather mild enough to camp out. Sites near Monmouth often open year-round. In the Brecon Beacons National Park, though, sites are shut outside Easter-September. April and May are delightful, uncrowded camping months in the Wye Valley.
