Campsite off-grid systems
Llyn Gwynant Campsite has privately developed state-of-the-art water and waste treatment plants which have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. Being in such an isolated rural area far from mains services, these are our own responsibility and we take this very seriously. The aim is for the campsite to have only beneficial impacts on the natural environment.
The limited electricity supply is also supplemented with own solar arrays on buildings that are not in view. Tools and transport and on-site waste treatment are run from an off-grid electricity supply and water heating from a biomass boiler.
On the shores of such a lovely lake and river, in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) there are legal constraints and obligations too: only the best will do! A range of systems keep the camping footprint respectful of the wonderful environment.
Recycling and waste management
Strict laws in Wales means all waste must be sorted for recycling at source. Campers from outside Wales may not be aware how strict the rules are here and the need for them to sort waste carefully into our bins. A state-of-art Ecobot waste-treatment machine heat-treats and converts all food and cardboard waste into soil conditioner to be composted on site – reducing what needs to be carted away .
All brewing grain waste from y Bragdy brewery is fed to our herd of beef cattle which live on the mountain.
Our Ecobot machine processes food waste and cardboard which is then further composted. This reduces our overall waste disposal and aligns with the Welsh government’s strict recycling laws.
Water treatment
The campsite and Barns water supply, which is also used in Y Bragdy is from a combination of a 115-m deep borehole drawing 10,000 year old glacial water, two mountain streams and the lake (used for non-potable water only). Up to 50,000 litres of water a day is used on site and requires filtering and UV treatment to a high standard. The amount of water used needs to be carefully managed, hence push-button showers and taps to control excessive use.
On-site sewerage waste treatment is state of the art, serving a population of campers that often exceeds the local village of Beddgelert. Weekly testing of final effluent quality and discharge to ground ensure that the lake and river water quality is not compromised. Our discharge permit limits our discharge volume and imposes strict effluent quality limits, hence again we need to be careful to limit water usage where possible.
Our computer controlled SBR waste treatment system is automate and remotely monitored to adjust to the number of campers on site.
Energy on site
Energy is from solar arrays to supplement our limited grid supply: there are more than 50,000 watts of solar panels and a large 150kWh battery system that helps deal with peak-demand times for electricity. Our own solar power is used to recharge an extensive range of electric vehicles and tools, including a side-by-side buggy and our lithium powered forklift. Many of the strimmers, hedge trimmers and chainsaws used for ground maintenance are also battery powered, and our aim is to increasingly move to all electric power.
Solar panels on Y Bragdy (Brewery) are part of the extensive campsite array, with battery banks to match.
