Centuries ago, the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire were totally covered by forest. At least that’s what the boffins who analysed local pollen have worked out. Today the area, parcelled up by overgrown country lanes, is better known for its expanses of open lowland and beautifully bare hills. On its southern edges, however, there’s a peaceful stretch of ancient woodland that still has a thoroughly timeless feel. Inhabitants cook food over campfires, the smell of wood smoke lingering in the air, and children play in the long wild grass. It is, of course, a campsite. And an excellent one at that.
There are just five camping pitches in total at Digs in the Wigs campsite, each in a private clearing with its own campfire pit and stack of free firewood. The place has been allowed to open as part of the Greener Camping Club scheme – meaning the highest standards of sustainability have to be adhered to – and, as a result, facilities remain minimal and the wild, natural ecosystems here are largely untouched. Grassy clearings are strewn with tall buttercups and wild garlic grows in springtime beside the shadier patches of trees. There’s still a toilet block, with three shower rooms and eco loos, and there’s a communal fridge that campers can use.
Along with the seclusion of each individual pitch, the campsite itself feels rather remote too. It’s two miles to the nearest village, Maenclochog, where there’s a newsagents, a café and a petrol station, so it’s best to stock up on food before you arrive. It lends itself, though, to those who want a peaceful camping experience and, of course, to those hoping to explore the Preseli Hills.
The Preselis have Special Area of Conservation status and are popular with walkers on the path of prehistoric ancestors. From hillforts and stone circles to ancient burial grounds, there are plenty of sights for those in the know historically, while newer Llys y Fran Reservoir is two miles away and offers sailing, windsurfing and canoeing (along with cycling and walking on the seven-mile-long perimeter track). Perhaps the most famous stretch in the Preseli Hills is Cwm Gwaun (The Gwaun Valley) a 15-minute drive from the campsite. Described by The Rough Guide to Wales as “a bucolic vale of impossibly narrow lanes, surrounded by the bleak shoulders of bare mountains" it is a walkers’ paradise, made all the better by the characterful Dyffryn Arms pub that awaits at the end of your trek.