It’s easy to see what drew Sinead and Tom to buy this three-acre plot in West Wales. It’s 10 minutes to the nearest beach – a National Trust-owned gem approached through an enchanting wooded valley – and the views from the hilltop down the Ceri Valley are sublime. Yet while location, as daytime television presenters will tell you, is everything, it’s what they’ve done with the place that really marks it out.
Delicately balancing the wild with the luxurious, Wild Wellingtons is an off-grid family getaway, where campfires, ball games and hide-and-seek remain the norm but parents can still kick back in king-sized beds at the end of the day. The site has just two geodesic domes in total, plus a hilltop cabin built in the corrugation-clad style of an old shepherd’s hut. Inside expect proper beds, cosy furnishings and sleek new wood-burning stoves, as well as thoughtful touches that show the couple’s attention to detail: The four-poster bed in Cromen Ddôl (Meadow Dome), for example, was crafted by a local carpenter using Welsh ash trees grown less than half an hour away.
Along with the accommodation, extra structures make life more luxurious. The wash block has plush, wet-room style showers, big enough for families, and there’s a beautiful raised kitchen cabin with large windows and a glass veranda that makes the most of the views. Two sinks, two fridges, two hobs and all the cooking clobber you need means no one’s going hungry, though a better place to cook is over the flames in the octagonal campfire cabin, a Hobbit-esque structure where you can happily cocoon away the hours.
With so much space, Wild Wellingtons is a particular hit with families. There’s a climbing frame, see-saw, a field for ball games and Sinead and Tom’s two children are happy to share their trampoline. It’s nature, though, that usually wins the day. An ‘activities box’ in the kitchen cabin includes nets and a guide to all the bugs in the glampsite pond, while the long grass and a woven willow dome make great hiding spots. Such wild spaces have been truly nurtured by Tom and Sinead since they took over the place in 2016. In the first couple of years alone they planted 25 beech trees and over a kilogram of wildflower seeds.
A welcome hamper of Welsh goodies seals the deal. You can perch beside your wood-burner eating Welsh cakes and perusing the folder of local recommendations that Sinead and Tom have compiled. To the beach, a local castle or a walk in the Preseli Hills. What to do first?
Hosted by Sinead / Tom W.
Joined in January 2019Its 4½ miles (a 10-minute drive) to the nearest beach – Tresaith, Aberporth and Penbryn (National Trust-owned) – are the closest and, if you extend that to a 30-minute drive there are no fewer than 10 sandy beaches within reach. A walk on the Ceredigion Coast Path is a great way to link together a few of them and there's a handy welcome pack provided in your accommodation with information on local walks and the best family routes. If you want to liven it up a bit, try coasteering (a mix of rock hopping, shore scrambling, swell riding, cave exploring and cliff jumping), which is easily arranged. Boat trips from New Quay are also popular, taking you out in search of dolphins – West Wales has the largest population of bottlenose dolphins in Europe – with day trips to St Davids' Ramsey Island and Skomer Island. If you don't have the sea legs but still want to see wildlife, the Cilgerran Wildlife Centre (01239 621212) is a 25-minute drive away and has family activities on during school holidays. While you're there, the National Trust-owned ruins of 13th-century Cilgerran Castle (01239 621339) is also just down the road. If you're a history fan, ruined Newcastle Emlyn Castle and the National Wool Museum (029 2057 3070; more interesting than it sounds - see Trip Advisor reviews) are also both around 15 minutes away from Wild Wellingtons.
A Welsh taster pack of goodies is provided in a hamper inside your accommodation on arrival and the onsite kitchen is thoroughly well equipped. Elsewhere, for lunches and light bites, try Bara Menyn (01239 615310) in Cardigan, an informal, quirky independent café/bakery which has great veggie choices. Close by, in Llangrannog, the Beach Hut Café (01239 654642) is laid back and trendy, serving good breakfasts, brunches and coffee. For ice cream, though, few can beat the homemade gelato at Crème Pen Cei (01545 561307) in New Quay. For evening meals, there's good ol' fashioned fish and chips from The Lime Crab (01545 561400; gluten free and veggie options available) or visit The Black Lion (07961 978352) for a meal with a view and a family-friendly atmosphere. The Bluebell Bistro (01545 560444) is also a great choice if you want more formal dining. For older glampers, there's a family-run, organic gin and whiskey distillery – Dà Mhìle (01239 851998) – 5 miles away, while Llaethliw Vineyard (01545 571879) makes 100% Welsh wine.
