Planning a glamping site may seem simple at first – buy some
accommodation, fill it with the most luxurious items you can find and install
some plush facilities – but the reality of blending these comforts with the
back-to-nature camping ethos is easier said than done. How refreshing it is,
then, to find a site as subtly sublime as Sloeberry Farm in West Wales – a
place where glamping is done right.
The first thing that strikes you about the place when you arrive
is the sheer space of it all. The buttercup-dotted meadows and naturally
irregular lines of mature trees seem to have been left to their own devices.
Bushes bulge and tiny birds flitter along the hedge lines. For children, the
exploration opportunities are endless.
The accommodation, meanwhile, seems to fit within the space just
as a harmoniously as a herd of cows might have done some years ago. There are a couple of timber cabins and four ginormous
canvas lodges, built of wood and a forest-green canvas
that camouflages them among the surroundings. Although the accommodation, with private facilities and hot tubs, is comfortably and undeniably glamping, it retains the rustic vibe of a
good old-fashioned farm campsite with ample space to roam. Little wonder then that Sloeberry Farm has been awarded the prestigious Gold Award by Visit Wales.
Each of the cabins and lodges features comfy made-up beds, a fully-equipped kitchen, old-style lanterns and a log-burning stove. And outside every one has a private wood-fired hot tub, picnic table, barbecue and fire pit. Crucially each has its own facilities too — en suite for the lodges which can sleep up to six and just out back of the cabins which cater to families of up to four.
From the farm you can join local lanes and footpaths heading
down to the coast – it's about a three-mile walk all the way down to Aberporth
beach. Or you can drive there and enjoy a walk along the coastal path instead.
The choice is yours but when you stay at Sloeberry Farm you’re certainly
starting in the right place!