| Hafan Y Môr | |
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| Location | Pwllheli, Wales |
| Holiday Camp chain | Butlins (1947-1998), Haven Holidays (1999-present) |
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| Opening date | 01/03/1947 |
| Management | Haven Holidays |
| Website | http://www.haven.com/parks/wales/Hafan_Y_Mor/ |
Hafan Y Môr (formerly Butlin's Pwllheli) is a holiday camp located near Pwllheli in Wales. It is currently run by Haven Holidays. When originally opened in 1947, it was named Butlins Pwllheli, but in 1987 was renamed Starcoast World. Since being taken over by Haven Holidays it has been renamed Hafan Y Môr.
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During WWII the Admiralty, who had already taken over his camp at Filey, asked Billy Butlin to construct two new camps; one in North Wales and the other in Scotland. Billy found 150 acres of farm land on the Lleyn Peninsula in Wales.[1] In 1946 after the war, Butlin took back ownership of the camp from the admiralty and Butlins Pwllheli was opened to the public after some reconstruction work.
Pwllheli holiday camp contained all the tried and tested Butlins ingredients: the famous Butlins Redcoats, funfair, early morning wake up, dining hall (with the cheers going up when a waitress drops a plate), indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a ballroom , a boating lake, tennis courts, a sports field (for the three legged and egg & spoon races and the donkey derby), table tennis and snooker tables, an amusement arcade, a medical centre, a theatre, arcades of shops, a chairlift system and a miniature railway.[2]
Penychain railway station, formerly known as (and still sometimes referred to as) Butlins Penychain railway station is located at the Penychain level crossing on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. This railway station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli, Porthmadog, Harlech, Barmouth, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury, the station still serves the camp but trains only call by request.
In 1999 the camp became part of Haven Holidays along with the Heads of Ayr camp as part of an internal reorganisation within Rank Group who, at the time, owned both Butlins and Haven (both have since been purchased by the owner of British Holidays, Bourne Leisure, in 2000). Since being taken over by Haven Holidays it was renamed Hafan Y Môr (Sea Haven) and the focus of operations was transformed from predominantly chalet accommodation to mostly static caravan accommodation. Most of the attractions were also removed including the chairlift, miniature railway, roller coaster and funfair.
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