Friels Bar and Restaurant

View prices & book 9.5 62 reviews
Bar terrace
Sunset at the pitches
Fully-serviced pitch
Pitches at night

  • Well-maintained tourer park at a pub in Swatragh, County Londonderry
  • Drumnaph Nature Reserve 10 minutes’ drive; Giant’s Causeway 40 minutes
  • Traditional Irish food and a covered terrace; live music each weekend
You’ll never be short of entertainment or far from a great meal when you stay on the hardstanding tourer pitches at historic Friels Bar and Restaurant, in the rural village of Swatragh in County Londonderry, halfway between Belfast and Derry (both under an hour’s drive), and just off the scenic Glenshane Pass. This award-winning pub is in a listed building dating from 1835 – formerly a doctor’s surgery, post office and coaching inn – and now in the hands of the fifth generation of the Friel family. The on-site visitor centre, Gorta, will give you a close look at the history of Swatragh village and Dr Mooney, who ran the former doctor's surgery. Chances are you’ll be spending a fair bit of time in the pub, what with the free-flowing black stuff, classic pub fare and family-friendly vibe. There’s live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday too, as well as a covered terrace for a pint or two on warmer evenings. And what about the practical stuff? The handful of pitches are fully-serviced with electric hook-ups, drinking water, showers and waste-disposal facilities.

Site type

RV sites 12
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • A charge of £2.00 ($3.33) applies for the use of the shower.
  • Continental touring caravans (caravans built with the passenger door on the right-hand side) are not permitted.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • No charcoal barbecues allowed.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • Dogs are allowed in all outside covered areas. They are not permitted inside the bar and restaurant.

Languages spoken

English

Reviews

95%

would recommend this site to a friend

97%

would stay here again

  • 80%
    10
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    8
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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Very good accommodation for a stop over food was excellent and staff…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Andrew K. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: Very good accommodation for a stop over food was excellent and staff were very friendly

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great place to stop overnight!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 4
Joseph M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: Restaurant/Bar
Friendly staff
Spotless pitch
Price
Food

Disliked: Nothing...highly recommend!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great stop to stop to recharge services beside a top Pub & Restaurant

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Duncan M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: Booked ahead and stayed overnight at a super motorhome park attached to the Friels pub and restaurant.
Spotless Toilets with showers and all services in a large well lit parking area.
Great menu in the Bar and excellent value all round.
Highly recommended for a full Mid Ulster service recharge.

Disliked: The showers were great and no Issues with £2 coin operated 2-Headed showers.
Just missed a bench seat to Undress/Redress and put socks & shoes back on.
Small gripe as otherwise very well set up motorhome park.
Nice touch with spring flowers around the pub and the moho parking area.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi
Many thanks for your great review of Friels and our Motorhome park. Delighted you enjoyed your stay with us and we will take your comments on board about a changing seat.
Wishing you the best and hope to see you again soon.

Good food friendly staff very welcoming…

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: Good food friendly staff very welcoming

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi
Many thanks for reviewing Friels.
Delighted you enjoyed our food and friendly hospitality.
Wising you the best and hope to see you again soon.

pub and food…

Overall 10/10
Location 6
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: pub and food

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi
Delighted you enjoyed our pub and food.
Many thanks for your review.

This place has everything...the food is first class the bar/restaurant is warm…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Cahir C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: This place has everything...the food is first class the bar/restaurant is warm and cosy.....the campsite is excellent...will definitely be back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Cahir,

Many thanks for this fantastic review of Friels.
Delighted you enjoyed our facilities and found our food to be first class.
See you again soon.

We'll definitely be using Friels Bar and Restaurant again

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: We looked for a campervan park up with facilities open in November. Obviously that narrowed our options down considerably.
I booked Friels bar in the expectation of just having hook up and access to water with an option for toilets and shower.
When I arrived I was blown away by the serviced area for motorhome/campervanners.
Safe, secure and relatively quiet despite it being next to a busy main road.

Disliked: NA

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi

Many thanks for your lovely review. Yes we are open all year round.
Delighted we exceeded your expectations with our facilities.
Hope to see you again.

Great stopover

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Gayle W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: Clean site and toilet/shower block, nice big cubicles. Pub now open 7 days, great food and hospitality. Do not miss the newly opened Gorta exhibit (for some local history). Stayed 2 nights, would definitely stay again

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Gayle,

Many thanks for leaving your review of Friels and glad you enjoyed your 2 night stay.
Yes we are now open 7 days a week in the Bar & Restaurant and our Visitor centre GORTA is also open 7 days a week.
We will pass on your great comments to the team.
Thanks and see you again soon.

Fab little family run site, with lovely pub!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Samantha G. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: Lovely family run pub. Very welcoming and friendly. The site is a gravel carpark at the back with electric hookup and water. Toilets are very clean. Showers are chargeable so take some pounds.

Disliked: N/A - all fab!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Samantha,

Delighted you enjoyed our Friels hospitality on your recent stay with us.
I will pass on your lovely comments to our team.
Thanks.

Excellent stay, highly recommend, will definitely return.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Alison M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

FHU gravel and cement/asphalt RV campsite

Liked: Friendly and helpful staff.
Excellent and spotless amenities.
Flat car park.
Wonderful food, good choice and gluten free varied menu.
Love music Thurs Sat and Sun.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Alison
Delighted you enjoyed your recent stay with us.
Yes we get alot of great comments about our amenities, with wonderful food, varied menu and great live music.
Many thanks for taking the time to review Friels and hope to see you again soon.


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Baby-changing facilities Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Local produce Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public internet workstation(s) Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Gastronomic delight

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market

Type

Pub campground Small (11-25 sites)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Level campground, no steep slopes Site close to accessible bathrooms

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Gray water hook-up for RVs/trailers Motorhome service point Water hook-up points for caravans

Location

Friels Bar and Restaurant

2-4 Kilrea Road

Swatragh

Co. Londonderry

Northern Ireland

BT46 5QF

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.91011°N
-6.66382°W

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Time to go exploring? The neolithic stone circle and riverside walks of the dramatic Sperrin Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are 10 minutes in the car. Further afield, the Causeway Coast offers natural attractions like the famed basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway (45 minutes’ drive) and the dizzying National Trust-owned Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (55 minutes) across an Atlantic Ocean cove to the islet of Carrickarede (book in advance). There are more alfresco adventures to be had on woodland tracks in Banagher Glen Forest Park (25 minutes) or Drumnaph Nature Reserve (10 minutes) – look out for the madcap sculptures en route – and on boat cruises of Lough Neagh (20 minutes to Ballyronan Marina). For more robust days out on the water, Lake Kilrea waterpark (15 minutes) has family-friendly floating obstacle courses, pedal boats and climbing walls, while Garvagh Forest (10 minutes) reveals tricky trails for mountain bikers. To inject a little culture into your holiday, check out the immersive displays at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in the poet’s home village of Bellaghy (20 minutes), before paying your respects at his grave in St Mary’s Church nearby.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Portstewart 29.4 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Castlerock 29.7 km Sea ExcellentGoodGoodExcellent
Magilligan (Downhill) 30.4 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Magilligan (Benone) 31.7 km Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Portrush (Curran Strand) 32.8 km Sea GoodGoodGoodN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Giant's Causeway, Antrim, Northern Ireland 37.2 km

National Trust

Springhill 24.7 km

Portstewart Strand 29.3 km

Downhill Demesne and Hezlett House 30.1 km

Wellbrook Beetling Mill 30.9 km

Giant's Causeway 37.2 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

LOUGH FOYLE (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 04/09/2006) 31.6 km

PORTMORE LOUGH (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 19/08/2002) 46.4 km

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Offers

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Friels Bar and Restaurant have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Friels Bar and Restaurant dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Friels Bar and Restaurant? Time to go exploring? The neolithic stone circle and riverside walks of the dramatic Sperrin Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are 10 minutes in the car. Further afield, the Causeway Coast offers … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Friels Bar and Restaurant?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  noon –  Anytime
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Friels Bar and Restaurant? From $36.88 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.