Escape to the Country

This weekend we eschewed the hustle and bustle of city living and escaped to the country for two blissful days of fresh air, a wood fire ... and an outhouse.

I recently discovered a great website (www.canopyandstars.co.uk) and was inspired to try out this thing called “glamping” (glamour camping, which, as the name suggests, combines camping with a bit of glamour); how apropos for this glamour girl turned green goddess?

We were not disappointed. We arrived in the heart of Wales by train on a stormy Friday night. The clouds were so heavy that the raindrops permeated even our train carriage (but a glamour girl can survive if delicately wrapped in the right combination of cashmere, wool and leather). “The Cabin”, our home for the weekend, was purpose built as “somewhere where guests can relax, cook outside and in, sit under cover on a veranda when the weather is stormy – and when it gets cold, be snug inside. The idea was to craft a light and airy space in the grounds of [our hosts] Tim & Fiona's house, made from sustainably sourced materials and powered by electricity from the stream above.” It is nestled into the hillside, and when we awoke early Saturday morning, this was our incredible view:

The cabin aims to be eco-friendly, with tap water running only cold (direct from their well - drinkable and more crisply delicious than a bottle of vintage Laurent Perrier) and a small water heater for dishes, etc. The kitchen features an induction hob, which only turns on once the pot and contents are in place, ensuring that no energy is wasted pre- or post-cooking. Heating comes from the wood stove – so warm that I actually removed the cashmere – and due to some good insulation, the heat sticks around. I found this a very low maintenance way to warm up (although my husband may have a different view, as he was the one building the fire and chopping the wood). And in terms of electricity, according to Tim, the nearby stream generates enough power to make a cup of tea and do a bit of vacuuming, so living off the grid is possible, for both eco-enthusiasts and/or spies. 

 

It was wonderful to wake up to silence, save for the gurgles of the stream, to be able to see millions of stars (not just the few visible above the London night glare, - which my husband keeps telling me are airplanes, anyway) and to breathe air not filled with car fumes or other people’s C02. The surrounding hills and trees were a multitude of beautiful shades of green - I was getting tired of seeing shades of grey in the city – and the wildlife (mostly sheep and birds) was delightful (I am a city girl, after all). We hiked, we played chess, we chopped wood, Jonathan chopped wood, we sampled local fare (delicious!), and we tried to buy some local free range eggs by putting money in the “honesty box” (honest!). Side note: 5pm is too late in the heart of Wales to obtain local free range eggs via the honesty box.

The only part of the weekend calling for improvement, was the 3am Number 1 wake-up call and the necessity of using the outhouse (I say necessity, because there was no indoor toilet). I braved it nonetheless, and was not accosted by bog dwelling night creatures covered in sawdust (used to keep “eau d’outhouse” at bay). I did have an outhouse chaperone/sentry (it must be true love), so I won’t claim to be wholly onboard with the outhouse experience, and let’s face it, having an outhouse in the city - whilst eco-friendly - is really not practical. I can’t say I’ll be jumping back on the outhouse bandwagon anytime soon – 3am in October loves a warm toilet seat more. 

It was a lovely weekend, and we were all too sad to leave the gloriously green heart of Wales, which now has a special place in my newly green heart.

GG rating - good for Flaxseed Fanatics due to the outhouse experience