I'd consider myself a seasoned camper and have done my fair share from tame camp sites in the UK, to basic DOC sites in New Zealand, to staying in a ger on the Mongolian steppe with no toilets to speak of (unless you consider a pit in the ground a loo....) All of these experiences have left me something of a camping snob, so I've never really got the whole 'glamping' or luxury camping thing. And yet, our tipis and yurts have been very popular this summer. So, I donned my wellies and headed off to stay at Broome Retreat in the Tanat Valley in Wales to see what it was all about.
First things first, anyone who knows me knows that I always underestimate how long a journey will take me and my sense of direction is wobbly to say the least. Given that I have an inherent mistrust of our GPS and Ben had mis-spelled the name of the town we were heading to (Llan something he said helpfully) we were soon lost. Lesson 1. Always take a map. With three tired and hungry children in the back, I decided to admit defeat and call Kate to tell her we were lost, but realised there was no mobile reception. Lesson 2. Don't rely on your mobile, take a map. It was getting dark, so I popped into a local pub where a very friendly couple directed us to our destination. Which was where the GPS had been directing us all along. Lesson 3. Trust modern technology. Or buy a map.
So, tired, grumpy and hungry, we pitched up at the yurt site which is sited on a horse farm. We received an incredibly warm welcome from Kate who took us down to our accommodation for the night. Inside the spacious yurt was a double futon and 2 armchairs, which converted into 2 single futons. With no electricity in the yurt itself, all light was from the many candles around the room. There was a gas heater to heat the room, which was really needed, as it was the end of October.
At the top of the site is a covered amenities block. The bathroom has a toilet and a warm shower and is shared between the only 2 yurts on the site. In the kitchen block. there is a woodburning stove, an oven, sink and all the cooking utensils you might need. There was also a small collection of books and games, although no chance of that with young children around! There was enough room around the kitchen table to seat all of us and a high chair for the baby, so we were soon tucking into our sausages and beans that we had brought with us. There was also a fridge and freezer to store your food in.
The children were so excited to be sleeping in the same room as their parents and settled down into their beds very quickly. With all the beds laid out, it was clear that there was plenty of space for the 5 of us and we were soon all snoring away in perfect harmony.
The wonderful part about sleeping in a yurt is that you don't have any electricity and with no mobile reception, we were looking forward to being awoken by the sunrise and the noise of the birds singing. Wellies on, and we emerged from our cocoon to views of a beautiful and rugged landscape. Chickens roam freely around the site, as do the dog and the cat, which the children just loved. The yurt is sited on a solid base, with a verandah to sit on and stare at the hills around us. For summer days, there was a bbq pit and a table in front of the yurt.
There are just 2 yurts on the site and we were the only people staying, so I don't know whether the 5 of us would have disturbed the other people staying there. It did occur to me, that this would be the perfect place for 2 family groups to come to. The kitchen and the bathroom are both communal, so you do have to take it in turns with the other guests.
After breakfast, we headed off for a walk - you can walk up to the hills on a public footpath leaving from the site. Suffice to say that by the time we reached the top, I was gushing that we should move to the Tanat Valley - it really was so beautiful.
Sadly, however, it was soon time to for us to leave. After a lovely chat with our hosts, we headed off deeper into Wales.
Conclusions to be drawn and lesson learned from our stay. I am no longer a camping snob, in fact, I'm a total convert to 'glamping'. Why not sleep in a proper bed and enjoy all the benefits of camping (outdoors, fresh air) with a comfy bed and candle lit surroundings? A yurt is an incredibly peaceful and tranquil structure and even being woken up by our children at 5am didn't mar it. Broome Retreat is perfect for families and a great value break for couples. Sold to the lady in wellies!
