CONWY residents have been crowned Wales’ keenest campers, having purchased the most camping equipment per capita in the last two years according to a new study.

An investigation by outdoor clothing and equipment company Cotswold Outdoor also ranked Conwy 14th on a UK-wide list of the keenest campers, and found that the three most popular pieces of camping gear among Conwy residents are sleeping mats, stoves and cutlery.

Information was gathered based on the number of purchases made in 2020 and 2021 per 100,000 residents in each county, the year-on-year change of camping equipment orders, the average monthly searches per 500,000 residents, and the number of products sold per county.

Cotswold Outdoor said in a press statement: “As ‘Stay at Home’ rules continued to dominate our lives over the past year and a half, the great staycation has dominated our holiday plans.

“Whilst staying in quirky tiny homes might take your fancy, camping is undeniably a practical and grounding alternative. After all, the UK has a range of natural beauty spots to pitch up at.

“To celebrate the Great British camping craze, Cotswold Outdoor have released a new study showing where Britain’s most keen campers are from.

“The outdoor giants have analysed country-wide data and localised Google Trends to see how camping popularity has increased.”

The study also found that people of Cardiff, Ceredigion, Newport and Wrexham joined those from Conwy among Wales’ top five keenest campers, with camping equipment purchases in Wales showing an overall 27 per cent increase.

Monthly camping-related online searches peaked in May 2021, when they were 400 per cent higher than on an average month, while Searches for flights, were cut by more than half of the average monthly search volumes.

The full study from Cotswold Outdoor can be viewed via their interactive tool at: www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/the-knowledge/camping/keenest-campers.html.