I should start by saying that my family are not regular visitors to holiday parks like this so I…read morecan't make comparisons to other sites. In fact we didn't really plan on going to Brynowen, a resort run by the Park Holidays group. We ended up taking a short break there after taking advantage of a £9.50 holiday offer run by a national newspaper. We were required to select five possible destinations of which Borth was our number four. However we were allocated Brynowen so off we set. The park is located on the outskirts of the resort of Borth, which is just north of Aberystwyth on Cardigan Bay. Borth is a quiet resort to say the least, there are a handful of pubs and eating places but the the main attractions are the fantastic beach and the Animalarium, which is a small, overpriced zoo. Because of this you are reliant on the resort to provide facilities and entertainment which they do, with varying degrees of success. Having taken the cheap option we were only supposed to check after 4pm on our day of arrival, although we arrived slightly early and were allowed in at 3.30pm. Our Bronze standard caravan was on the flat part of the park towards the front. The caravans are quite tightly packed in but we didn't have any problems with noise from the neighbours, with the exception of a large dog in the next van. Our caravan itself was well equipped and clean, with a cooker, microwave, fridge, TV, digi-box and combined video/DVD player. Although we were expecting a two bedroom unit we actually found we had three bedrooms, the spare one being useful for storage and changing. The bathroom was slightly crampled but everything was clean and in good order and the shower worked well enough. Having moved in we decided to check out one of the park's attractions, including the indoor swimming pool (this was were being allowed to check in early paid off as the pool closes at 5.30, if we hadn't been able to move in at 3.30 we probably wouldn't have got there in time). The pool is a decent size but there are issues. The main problem is a lack of a proper changing area. You walk in through the door straight to the pool area, get changed and have to leave your towel and dry clothes whereever you can as there are no lockers. The floor also gets dirty due to people walking in with their shoes on, which you're not supposed to do but most people did. There was also no shower to rinse out the chlorine so we had to head back to our caravan after each swim to use the shower there. The pool also has an exciting looking water chute but during our stay (which was during the school holidays in July) the chute was never opened. The centre of the entertainment complex is the Mountain Bay club. During in the day there are various activities here for kids which revolve around Sparky's Krew Club for younger kids and The Mix for teenagers. SKC isn't a creche as parents need to stay if they have kids below a certain age. There are various activities, such as arts and crafts and spycraft, each morning and a show each evening. It wasn't exactly the most professional show while we were there although it was early in the season so with a bit of rehearsal it maybe got better later in the season. Having said that the Sparky's Krew Club song does tend to get into your head after repeated exposure! Following the SKC show in the evening the adult's entertainment starts. For 2010 the house band are (were depending on when you read this) Good 4 Tune, a vocalist/keyboard player duo. There weren't too bad but the fact that they had ended up with a summer season in the back end of beyond is a good measure of their talent (they are from the South of England). The guest caberet starts at 10pm but having young kids we never managed to last that long. The Mountain Bay also has a bar (not cheap but not expensive), a takeaway food bar (never tried it) and a small amusement arcade. Next door to the Mountain Bay is the Patio Bar. This is smaller and really more of a restaurant than a bar. The food is of reasonable quality, if you think of Wetherspoons you'll know what to expect. It's not all that cheap although certain main meals are available on a 2 for £10 offer between 2-5pm each day. We tried the Sunday lunch at £6.95 which didn't surprise but was quite nice nonetheless. The Patio Bar also has an outdoor seating area if the weather is good enough, which it wasn't during our stay. In addition to the pool and bars there are also a shop, laundrette, amusement arcade and kid's playground. The shop is typically expensive although there is a branch of Nisa only a short walk away which is much better stocked and also much cheaper. The amusement arcade has about half a dozen pool tables and a coin operated mini-bowling alley. The playground isn't easy to find (if you're on the lower part of the site) but the equipment looks quite modern. It is however mainly for older kids, there's not much there for toddlers. All in all a decent enough place

Good stuff. Clean, good working kitchen as well as can be expected in a hostel kitchen and able to…read morecook a proper meal without having to mess about. Otherwise there's Borth's few shops and services down the street. Right by the main front, the sea wall is just across the road. One can hear the sea gently all night if the window is open... I'll swap that for the usual snores of other dorm occupants any day! Showers work WELL and are a pleasure, the same with the toilets. The beds aren't bad, washbasins in the dorms, energy efficient motion-activated lights in some areas, very high-tech (and sensible). Friendly staff - the warden is the salt of the earth, quite sound and offered me a free bar of soap from his personal supply even though I ended up finding mine in the end. Maybe I stank and it was imperative to wash, but cycling in the incredible late April sun up a mountain can do that - cyclists are catered to fairly well, with secure bike storage. There's a TV lounge and a games room as well as a dining room - most of these are at the front, facing the sea. The vibe is relaxed, especially as I was really sleep-deprived and only vacated the place at 10am on the dot (10am check-out time). If it had good, cheap or complimentary internet, it would get pretty much full marks (too many businesses rely on their websites these days though, shame on them). This place can instead rely on its staff and vibe, nice one!

If you're bored of coming fourth and missing out on the medals, then you're Borth…read more This is a tiny old station on the coast of Wales, with a station house that looks a little bit like a pub or some old stately home or something. It's pretty remarkable and I'm definitely a fan. It's a listed building and should be because it's absolutely beautiful. The chimneys are an especially nice touch, but when you look out from the station all you see is fields and nothing for miles, so it's pretty romantic and one of my favourite little stops in Wales - especially with all the mountains in the background.