Glamping at Wildernest

 We started the month the right way with a short break near Aberaeron This was the second of this year's glamping trips through Canopy and Stars agency which specializes in cabins, treehouses and 'wild' holidays - the first was to the Wye Valley near Tintern back in May. This time we'd chosen The Stoep at Wildernest in mid-Wales - a fairly remote spot reached along roads which grew increasingly narrower - the approach being made worse by the awful weather.

The day of our journey had started in rain, briefly brightened during a stopover at Attingham Park near Shrewsbury, and then descended into a combination of mist and torrential rain. Not ideal conditions to arrive at our holiday home in.

Inside though, all was warm and snug - the cabin was constructed with fleece and heated by an air source pump.- and despite it not being technically sunset we decided to stay in for the rest of the day.

Next morning things had improved. From our verandah (the stoep which the cabin was named for) we could see across the farm and to the hillside opposite. Nearer at hand birds were flying to feeders - we spotted jays, robins, a woodpecker, sparrows and various species of tits plus an owl! - dragonflies landed om the wooden boards, and somewhere not far away was the sound of a goat's bell. 

It felt like a morning for doing little. We explored the site - saw the goats and geese, squelched through mud, found the pond which had seemed so terrifyingly close to the track the previous night.

 

I'd brought a crochet project along with me to keep my hands busy and get into the granny-core vibe, but otherwise it was good to just settle back and relax.

Tempting as it would have been to stay put for the whole of our holiday, we did venture out - to Aberaeron with its brightly painted Georgian houses, to New Quay where we ate ice cream and fish and chips in the sun, to the National Trust estate at Llanerchaeron. and to Llangranog where the sea and rain were so blustery that we took shelter in a pizza restaurant.

Walled garden at Llamerchaeron

For our trip home the sun shone and the sky was blue. We stopped off at Aberystwyth and slightly further up into the mountains at Bwlch Nant yr Arian to see the red kites being fed.


Another short break which felt like a lot longer than its five days.