There are heaps of unusual places to stay if you're looking for a sustainable holiday in Wales. Many are off-grid too - ideal for a digital detox. Check in, leave your mobile phone turned off and… relax!

Yurts, tipis, cabins and treehouses

At Riverside Camping near Caernarfon you can stay in a handcrafted tented lodge called a Caban on the banks of the gurgling river Seiont. Don't think you'll be roughing it either. They come with wood-fired hot tub and chimenea barbeque. They’re completely off-grid too.

Another handcrafted cabin in Caernarfon, also off-grid, is Caban Delor. Set in a wildflower meadow, overlooking the river, you can soak in an outdoor bath heated by a fire, or stargaze from the king size bed.

Or how about a shepherd's hut? The Huts in the Hills sit snuggly in a woodland clearing in the Black Mountains. All three are off-grid and designed to have minimal environmental impact. Each has a wood burning stove and comfy bed. Wind turbine and solar panels provide power, while water's from a natural spring.

Camp Cynrig campsite is completely off-grid too, using solar for its power. You can choose from luxury tipis, bell tents and even a cosy cabin made using mainly recycled materials. It's moments from the foothills of Pen y Fan in the heart of the wildly beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.

A woman reading a book in the doorway of a shepherd's hut.
Campers round a campfire by a stream.

Relaxing at the Huts in the Hills, near Hay-on-Wye, Mid Wales

The wood to build the decks for the five comfy yurts at Hidden Valley Yurts came from their own forest! They're set in 80 acres of secluded woodland in south Wales with solar power, spring water and composting toilets. What's particularly cool is their links with local ecology students who help monitor the health of the wildlife.

Fancy something more lux? The lodges at Sloeberry Farm are super comfy. Recycled materials like industrial cable reels and scaffolding boards have been used to build funky bed decks above cool kitchens and bathrooms sheltered by huge canvas roofs. There are comfy armchairs, log burning stoves and wood-fired hot tubs.

 

interior of glamping lodge.
hot tub and glamping lodge in the distance.
grassy outdoor space with bench and hot tub.

Sloeberry Farm, Cardigan, West Wales

Or how about taking to the trees? As well as Hobbit houses and yurts, Florence Springs has treehouses with slides for getting back down to ground! They also have private gardens, wood-burning hot tubs and fully equipped outdoor kitchens. Sustainability is a high priority with composting loos and solar lighting.

A tree house with hot tub, slide and swing seat.
A yurt from above with a hot tub and outside seating.

A tree house and yurt at Florence Springs Glamping near Tenby, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Islands, cottages and eco-homes

You don't have to limit yourself to glamping. Increasing numbers of holiday cottages in Wales are super-sustainable too.

Crashpad Lodges has to be one of the most isolated spots to stay in Wales, hidden deep inside Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. This restored farmhouse is completely off-grid using solar and wind for heat, light and to pump water. You can't even drive to the house. They bring you the last kilometre by 4x4 to keep disturbance of the land to a minimum.

Or how about living on an island? Lovely Skomer Island is a wildlife hotspot particularly good for twitchers with throngs of puffins and Manx Shearwaters in residence. You often see seals and dolphins off shore. The old farm has been converted into cosy accommodation and has won awards for sustainability.

For the best of new tech and old right next to each other Cynfal Farm Cottages features heating by biomass boiler, hydroelectricity and electric car charging points. But you’re also next to a halt for the steam-hauled Talyllyn Railway. Stay somewhere cutting edge for sustainable living then hop on one of the oldest forms of public transport to get into town.

Learn a little whilst you’re with us

At Penhein Glamping – near Chepstow you can combine a stay in luxurious alachigh tents with courses that include making perfumes and (our favourite) gin foraging. You also can learn campfire cooking or even try the ancient Japanese tradition of forest bathing.

Penhein ‘alachigh’ tent nestled woodland.
Double bed in a glamping dome.

Alachigh tents at Penhein Glamping, Monmouthshire, South Wales

Top of the Woods in Penrallt also offer Gin making. There are campfire story sessions, yoga and a chance to meet the friendly Kune Kune piggies and learn how to keep and care for them.

The Denmark Farm Conservation Centre is another real centre of excellence for sustainable living and learning. This unique conservation project is focussed on restoring the biodiversity of farmland. Along with a host of accommodation options there are courses in willow weaving, hedge laying, fermented foods, habitat surveying, and sustainable power generation.

Students looking at grasses and flowers in a field.
Timber framed eco lodge at Denmark Farm.
A wooden hut by a lake.

Students participating on an Ecology course, the Eco Lodge and the lakeside shelter at Denmark Farm, near Lampeter, Mid Wales

Further information

Traveline Cymru is a useful public transport journey planner.

There are a number of apps and online maps where you can to find the location of electric vehicle charging points across Wales, including a list on the Transport for Wales website. Several National Trust properties across Wales have EV charging points. There are also 40 charging points at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, Mid Wales.

Help Wales become the first Refill Nation by using nearby Refill Points to fill up your water bottle before you head off. Find out more, including how to download the free Refill app to find your nearest Refill Point on the Refill Wales website.

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