The bunkhouse is a transplant from the ranches of America, where cowboys and farmhands slept in rows because nobody had thought to build them anything grander. It has taken root rather well in North Wales, where a large room of simple bunks suits walkers and backpackers who want a roof over their head and very little else. Miss Mostyn considers it an honest sort of accommodation, and asks only that you bring your own sleeping bag as instructed.
Some bunkhouses run to a cooker and a kettle, others amount to boards and a cushion, and the difference matters a great deal at eleven o’clock at night. Read the listing properly before you commit a group of eight to it.
What Miss Mostyn Checks Before She Books
Pets
Often allowed. Plan ahead regardless.
Smoking
Ask directly. Policies vary site to site.
Sleeping equipment
Pillow, mattress and quilt at some, boards and a cushion at others. Confirm which before you pack.
Cooking equipment
Many provide a stove and tea-making facilities. Where they don’t, bring your own, and make it portable.
Location
Rural Snowdonia bunkhouses often need a car to reach and a nearby shop for supplies, which are both scarce in the national park.
Bunkhouses suit
- Groups and walking parties
- Those on a tight budget who still want a secure roof
- Outdoor lovers heading into Clwyd or Snowdonia
Look elsewhere if you want
- Real privacy, in which case see Bed and Breakfasts or Self-Catering
- Meals cooked for you, in which case see Hotels
- A tent under the stars instead, in which case see Campsites
Miss Mostyn has opinions on every kind of Llandudno stay, not only bunkhouses.
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