Hidden Valley Yurts' Blog

Little white lawnmowers

2011-12-31T17:50:00.003Z

We've been struggling to keep the grass down in our meadows - with only 20 alpacas and about the same number of Jacob sheep, we find the end fields get overgrown and the bracken starts to encroach. I approached an organisation called Pont who advising on grassland management http://www.pontcymru.org/en - they put me in touch with someone who needed grazing for his Welsh Mountain ponies and we now have these 3 lovely white ponies munching away.

The big news for us this month is the launch of our new Hidden Valley Yurts website - it was hard to let go of the old, home made one - but we knew it was time it was updated and the lovely Elizabeth Walsh, webdesigner has done us proud. She really did go not just the extra mile, but a half marathon, and we couldn't recommend her highly enough. We hope you like the result - feedback is very welcome. http://www.hiddenvalleyyurts.co.uk/
The next yurt shipment (No 11) has been ordered and we are still getting a steady level of bookings for our Setting up a Yurt campsite courses - we've set the dates for next year's group courses http://www.mongolianyurts.co.uk/Courses.html.

Sad News

2011-11-30T16:48:00.002Z

A very sad month for our family – my lovely Dad died very unexpectedly just 10 days after his 78th birthday (see October post). Shocking for us but exactly the way he would have wanted to go. No chance of forgetting him though – over the past 9 years he has added several lasting reminders on the farm – the pizza oven, sleeper steps, helping to put up the cricket pavilion He joined in enthusiastically with every party we held here - and there were many . I hope you don’t mind if I use this month simply as a tribute to him.

October 2011 - Party time again

2011-10-30T13:50:00.001Z

We were blessed with insanely hot weather for our end of season party on the 1st October which was also my Dad's 78th birthday - here he is jiving with my cousin Andrea. It was truly magical at the campsite – this year we changed the format and started after lunch – a perfect opportunity to enjoy the campsite as if we were guests – it’s easy to forget when we are rushing around on changeover days that the field is such a special place – the sound of the stream, the peace, the space (even with around 100 guests!), the fun of making our own pizzas – a huge thank you to the lovely Ron Gough who wielded the pizza peel like a true Italian. Prolapse (the local band) were outstanding and after a night in the yurts we all enjoyed bacon and egg sarnies in between the clear up. Truly a party that will bring a smile to our faces for a long time.

At Last - an entry

2011-09-30T17:39:00.010+01:00

The lack of any blog entries for the whole of the season says it all! What a manic season. Even having added the additional yurt our 2011 occupancy increased to 85%. Next year we are going to treat ourselves to a weekend off in mid June so we can have a summer party. Despite the media moaning about an awful summer we managed to buck the trend and stayed dry as a bone all summer - a bit colder than we would have liked but that's a minor complaint. Here are the first guests of the season enjoying the swing - Tilly was ecstatic to see guests again after a long and lonely winter.

We were picked for the Times Top 15 Glamping sites and were featured in Cool Campings new Glamping book. Our courses on setting up a yurt campsite were so oversubscribed we added in two extra courses (totalling 5 group courses and numerous individual day courses) – it’s been really exciting and inspiring seeing some of the new campsites opening. East Throne Yurts in Bude, Green Circle Hideaways in Kent, Meadow Rue in Pembrokshire, Willow Island Yurt in Barford, Old Chapel Farm in Powys and Ivy Grange Yurts in Suffolk have all joined The Authentic Mongolian Yurt family – we hope their guests are as lovely as ours.

We ended the season with an entry into the Monmouth Raft Race; what a fantastic day we had, stunning weather and lovely guests turning out to cheer us on - despite rude comments from certain raft members (no names, Neil and Peter) about lack of effort from the front left, we managed to finish the 6 mile course in fine style – slow but elegant as befitted our ‘Dressed to Spill’ status. The only tragedy was Noahs Ark beating us in the best dressed raft race - we were robbed!

Look Behind You

2011-02-28T14:48:00.000Z

I had a bit of adrenalin fuelled start to the month when I went to help Mike and Ron who were felling a rotten cherry tree. Located in a tricky copse, the tree caught on the branch of an adjoining tree and Ron and I were just seconds off putting a chain around the base when the branch gave way, allowing the cherry tree to crash to the ground – I didn’t know I could move so fast!

February generally has a bad press but it’s one of my favourite months – even when it’s dank and muggy there is a promise in the air of spring to come – outside my office window huge bumble bees are feeding hungrily on the sweet scented winter flowering honeysuckle; the snowdrops have finally appeared and already the daffs are poking their heads up.

We are frantically trying to fit in all the unfinished winter jobs – with Yurt sales triple last year there was no quiet period and suddenly we are just 5 short weeks away from opening. Despite lagging all the pipes and draining the whole system, the extreme cold did its worst and are having to re-plumb the shower block again!!! Next year we are going to remove both the shower fittings so that should guarantee a mild winter.

Most of the first shipment of yurts have gone to their new homes and the second one arrived on the 25th so the stores are bursting at the seams – all sizes and all colours now in stock.

A new venture for me - as booking agent for Allt Yurts in Carmarthen - just one yurt for now on a beautiful farm 6 miles from Carmarthen town and just 4 miles from the stunning seaside town of Llansteffen - if we haven't got a date to suit you or you fancy a holiday near the sea, do get in touch.

Too busy to have the January Blues

2011-01-31T19:01:00.005Z

So much for this being our quiet time of year! Just ordered our third shipment – the first one arrived last week – the yurt barn is full to bursting but they are all sold so will shortly be going to their new owners . The next shipment is on its way so we will have all sizes in stock again very soon.

On which subject we wish the very best of luck to Westwood Yurts in Gateshead, Anglesey Yurts and Tipis in North Wales, Allt Yurts in Carmarthenshire, Seren Retreat in the Gower, Wales, Deer Park Yurts in West Sussex, – goodness, typing this list makes me realise how many we’ve sold – good job too because bookings for holidays are almost double this time last year – we are over 30% full already. Information on these will be added to our links page very soon.

Our son Harry has added a calendar to the website - the prices show if you hover over the date – every yurt campsite needs a computer literate teenager – thanks Harry. http://www.hiddenvalleyyurts.co.uk/Availability.html

I don’t really understand Twitter – showing my age maybe – but I’ve been persuaded to open a Hidden Valley Yurts twitter account so if you want to be the first to hear about any cancellations or late deals click here to follow us.

The baby alpacas are growing up - halter training completed for Carris and Kim - they are a very sweet natured pair

Llanishen goes Alpine

2010-12-31T12:49:00.003Z

Feel I must end the year with a huge thank you to all the guests who made this year such a busy one - it may sound a bit cheesy but it really is a great privilege to have a job where you are constantly the object of envy because you get to live here all the time (mind, no-one envies us the compost loo emptying!).

At this time of year the main focus is the animals – the cold doesn’t really bother them but the snow means the alpacas can’t reach the grass (the sheep are far more sensible and scrape away with their hooves) – the biggest problem though is water – even our fast flowing brook has started to freeze over - I feel like I’ve been carrying buckets of hot water around for weeks (well I suppose I have come to think of it).

Work hard, play hard is the theme in this village though – it’s been wall to wall parties since the village Christmas dinner – mind, I do sometimes long to go to a party without walking boots and a torch as my accessories.

Lumberjacking

2010-11-30T13:36:00.002Z

Spring is going to have to arrive very early indeed to compensate for this unseasonal hit of arctic weather. It's a real worry this year as our hay crop was a fraction of normal because of the dry conditions in the spring - sorry - I sound like the archetypal farmer! On a good note then, bookings for next year are already a staggering 20% - with half of those being returning guests. Lewis is busy chain sawing and chopping the wood for next year - it's a scary thought that for the campsite stoves next year we will need around 10,000 logs - probably diplomatic not to break this news to Lewis just yet!

The end of a perfect Summer

2010-09-30T14:26:00.005+01:00

It's been an amazing summer for us - our third full season and we topped 82% occupancy - with a doubling of return bookings to give us confidence that we are on the right road. There is no doubt that yurting is gaining in popularity all the time - with the result that we ran a staggering 4 courses of setting up a yurt campsite as well as lots of individual courses - we wish all those currently making plans the very best of luck - it's a lifestyle that comes highly recommended by us - hard work but really rewarding. We will be adding an extra yurt next year, at the far end of the field, tucked out of sight in a little dell - the deck is already built and we plan to build a small compost loo, solar shower and field kitchen alongside so it will be largely self contained though will still have access to the communal building,

Pizza not so Express

2010-08-31T14:36:00.001+01:00

When we built the woodburning pizza oven we did wonder whether it would prove too difficult but we clearly underestimated the determination of our intrepid yurters. The real trick to success is using hard wood - oak being the best as it burns hot, but despite our 43 acres of woodland, we have hardly any so can only supply larch which means lighting the fire 2 - 3 hours ahead of when you need it......still, that's one of the joys of being on holiday - time to do something you wouldn't have time to do at home.

We've been spoilt with sitings this year of the kingfisher - we put 3 posts around our lake and have loved watching him fliting from post to post - then one morning he decided to pay Peter a visit in his office and posed like a true celeb for me to take photographs. As he strutted back and fore along the balcony rail he moved just like a penguin.

Up, up and Away

2010-07-31T11:58:00.000+01:00

One of our neighbours uses our field occasionally to launch his hot air balloon - this time he had a space in the basket and invited either Peter or I to join him. Having a definate leaning towards vertigo I was very happy to pass the ride over to Peter.........until I discovered that left me to do the retrieve - it wasn't the prospect of towing the balloon trailer around our tiny country lanes that challenged me - it was the map reading that filled me with sufficient dread to do a quick u turn on the vertigo front and hop in the basket. What an amazing experience - apart from when the burners blast, it's incrediably quiet and you move at the perfect speed to really take in the detail of the surrounding countryside. It amused me to find that they navigate with a map though as landing is fraught with hazards; power lines, livestock, locked fields, not to mention the dual carriagway! Pilot Peter Mossman is off to Mongolia for a balloon fiesta in August and says that one of the things he is most looking forward to is the freedom to land without these restrictions. My photos above the campsite weren't too good as I hadn't quite got my air legs - one handed photo taking wouldn't win me any prizes but if you enlarge it you can just see the yurts on the back right.

Visitors from Mongolia

2010-06-30T12:04:00.000+01:00

We were delighted to welcome our yurt supplier, Mr Sukhee, and his daughters to Hidden Valley Yurts. Being able to show him the yurts in situ and to discuss the detail of the finishes was enormously helpful and should mean the quality continues to improve. He was fascinated by our rain cap design and said that the wooden decks were excellent commenting that in Mongolia “ventilation is essential for the health and well being of both ger (yurt) and human”. His love of animals was evident when he met the alpacas - though who could resist the charms of Caris!

We are now so busy that we are wavering about adding another yurt – we have a lovely elevated position at the very end of the yurt field – out of sight of the other yurts and with far reaching views. Lewis has started the decking and we are considering putting a 16’ yurt up with it's own little field kitchen behind and a compost loo - all we need is a good solar shower to make it completely self contained - but sourcing one of those is proving difficult - free holiday to anyone who wants to fit one!

Top 40

2010-05-31T11:25:00.000+01:00

It reveals my age when I think of the top 40 as the Sunday run down of the pop chart - this one though, is us included in the Times Top 40 UK campsites - so we are feeling quite chuffed but although its nice to be picked we still feel our best reviews are the number of guests who are coming back – the May bank holiday saw every yurt occupied by returning guests – the third visit for some.

My buff orpingtons have both gone broody and we hatched some silver dorking eggs - they are so pretty - but springer spaniel, Tilly is obsessed with them so they have had to be caged and she spends her days stalking around the pen - we are hoping she loses interest in time!

I'm determined this year to get the veg garden sorted, and I finally managed to get some seeds sown and we started to plant up some mini veg gardens around each yurt. The raspberries won't be properly established until next year, but each yurt has a wigwam of beans and some large pots of salad leaves for this summer.

Yurt sales are proving very busy too, so there will be a few more yurt campsites to add to the website in the next few months, this month sees Willow Farm in Dorset setting up their first yurt - good luck Martin and Gwen http://www.hiddenvalleyyurts.co.uk/Links.html

Open Again

2010-04-23T09:40:00.005+01:00

This was the most difficult setting up we have had since we opened. Luckily we put 4 of the yurts up early as went on holiday in early March – thank goodness we did because from the time we got back it never stopped raining long enough for the steep field down to the yurts to dry out. Every trip created yet another muddy track and with the large yurts weighing in at 2/3 of a tonne, carrying them down by hand would have been a nightmare. As it was we had to limit the trips to absolute essentials and even then, Good Friday saw us competing with Glastonbury for mud - Peter bravely slid the buggy sideward down the hill with everyone’s luggage (I’m afraid I bottled out!). Then on Easter Sunday the sun came out and within a couple of days it was hard to remember it had ever rained. Since then it’s got better and better and guests have been enjoying the new bbq’s and the pizza oven. The new Safari tent had already had good use and the solar fairy lights look so pretty.

Easter Monday saw an unexpected arrival – at 4.00 we found a tiny, very poorly looking baby alpaca – with a very confused 1st time mother looking anxiously on. 3 weeks premature meant our lovely vet had yet another Bank Holiday call out – he gave her plasma but said her survival was highly unlikely. I spent the night making bleary eyed visits to milk her very patient mother and trickling drops of colostrums (the precious 1st milk that contains the magic antibodies) into the babies mouth. Against all odds she got slightly stronger each visit, by the morning I was holding her up to drink herself and within 36 hours she was taking her first very wobbly steps. Looking at her 2 weeks on it is hard to believe she was ever at risk. We have called her Carris and I have a feeling she will be one of those alpacas that I find a reason not to sell!

The last ewe gave birth this morning so we have a lovely batch of black and white Jacob lambs skipping around – real heart lifters. The forsythia outside my window is a blaze of yellow and there is a haze of green on the trees – won’t be long now until our yurts are hidden again.

It’s Official – We’re Cool!

2010-03-05T14:57:00.004Z

We are so excited here – we’ve been given the camping equivalent of a Michelin star -the new edition of Cool Camping Wales has rated Hidden Valley Yurts in their top 5 sites. www.coolcamping.co.uk/ And so for my oscar speech I would like to thank Lewis our outstanding handyman and our fantastic machinist, Carey who despite being employed to sew, spends most of her time helping me doing manner of (grotty) jobs - like deck cleaning (see last post).

The bbq is finished - sharp eyed readers may note the pizza oven has changed colour - sadly, the oven split in the freezing conditions this winter so Lewis has been doing remedial work. The safari tent is well under way - the frame is up and the covers are under construction. This will give some much needed cover - not that we plan any rain at all this summer!

The Copps are Coppicing

2010-02-28T14:23:00.000Z

despite the continuing freeze there are magical signs of spring – the brave little snowdrops are a welcome sight – the eruption of mole hills less so. Progress on the bbq has been hampered by the weather but is finally finished - we are hoping to build a bbq off each deck to replace the portable ones. It’s a double joy for me as we are using up piles of surplus bricks.

With all the decks needing cleaning Peter ordered me a new toy –haven’t managed to get a go yet! Last year Carey (our stalwart machinist) and I scrubbed all the decks by hand – with over 5000 sq feet of decking it’s a killer so we are delighted with this bit of kit - but notice who is still on the end of a broom!

Peter and I set off to hunt for suitable poles to make the A frame of the Safari tent – you’d think with 45 acres of mixed woodland this would have been easy but we were struggling to find long, straight poles of the right diameter until we remembered the hazel coppice – we have about 4 acres that was planted around 20 years ago but hasn’t been managed for many years – I can’t think why we haven’t got stuck into this before – it’s brilliant fun – the wood is divided into areas called coups and you cut down all the multi stemmed trunks (called stools) in one coup and then wait 7 years and do it all again. It feels like bite sized forestry work – have a look at http://handbooks.btcv.org.uk/handbooks/content/section/3754 for more information. I really think we must have a go at the charcoal burning soon as the burner is sitting there looking all forlorn.

Bookings for holidays are well up on last year and as usual, after a quiet few months we’ve had a flurry of enquiries for yurt sales -better put get that coppicing done quick.

January 2010 Snow Special

2010-01-11T10:04:00.011Z

Our 1 in 4 hill has confined us to quarters except on foot or by quad – here’s a quick summary of the good and bad of life in a rural village in a freeze

Good Things

It’s so pretty – and when the sun shines it literally sparkles
The sledging on the hills is fabulous and the pull back up is brilliant for getting rid of those Christmas calories
The endless acts of kindness that villagers show to each other (and passing strangers) – a spade left in some grit at a danger point, those near the main road shopping for everyone else, those with quads ferrying said shopping up and down the hills
The wonderful Dai from James and Powell who drove through the snow to deliver us a quad because my trusty buggy was in for service and awaiting parts (talk about bad timing!)
The chickens deciding it was time to start laying again – it seems even the hens in our village have got the community spirit!

Bad Things

The anxiety about animal feed running out – 52 mouths are dependent on us and the alpacas, dogs and chickens were all down to 2 days feed – we got in on Saturday and came back with a laden car – thank you Ross Feeds for your fantastic service!
The frozen water – thankfully our spring is fine but our poor neighbours have no water at all and have had to decamp to relatives. Luckily almost all our fields have stream access so we only have to carry a couple of buckets a day – but it is a major problem for the dairy farmers;

Finding enough logs to feed the Rayburn and the woodburning stove - we've gone through all the seasoned logs and now have to go out and chainsaw the ash which will at least burn green;
The lousy design of our condensing boiler which means the pipe freezes up and shuts the boiler down – just when you need it!
And finally, the timing of taking the pledge to have an alcohol free January just when the car is grounded and everyone is meeting for mulled wine.

Happiness Is Mud Free

2009-12-31T18:21:00.004Z

After the wettest November on Record we have just had the coldest December – and even with bone chilling Easterlies I know which one the alpacas and I prefer. The ice crystals are amazing – each morning the coating gets thicker so that every blade of grass has a white fur coat.

We were busy with yurt sales right up to Christmas – including one customer who flew in from Italy on the 21st December (just after a showstopping fall of snow) – it has to be said the valley did look stunning but the drives to and from the train station were ‘challenging’. As I type this, the calor gas lorry is wedged across the lane having taken evasive action when he saw the sheet of ice on our 1 in 4 hill – the boys are hoping he doesn’t get towed out in time for them to go to school tomorrow.

We had a fantastic new woodburner fitted and when we took the old one out we discovered a 10’ shaft that opened up under the fire (we can’t quite work out what for, it's very large for ash but can’t think what else it was for) – blocking it up has had the most amazing effect on the house temperature – we are warm for the first time in 7 years – it’s incredible – the best Christmas present ever. On which subject, Peter bought me a shepherding course so Spot and I are going to school – can’t wait (unlike the boys).

December bookings for holidays are up on last year which is cheering in itself but 50% of the bookings are from previous guests and that is a really great feeling.

Chasing the Sun

2009-11-20T13:28:00.000Z

Sadly, not abroad – though with the rain we’ve had this month, Australia is very appealing. Because our valley runs directly East/West we have a period when only one side gets the sun (assuming there is any!) – normally this isn’t a problem as we keep the sun loving alpacas on the South facing banks and the sheep, who aren’t bothered, on the shady side. The flaw in this is that the barn that fits all the alpacas is on the wrong side of the valley – so I’ve spent the whole month trying to judge the weather and then moving animals about like musical chairs. It’s all complicated by tupping (mating the ewes) – because some of the ewes are too young they have to be separated – and you can’t run them alongside a field with rams or they will find a way to get together – likewise you can’t put the male alpacas alongside the females……….now you get the picture – it’s a logistical nightmare – what I need is some mathematical/computer whiz kid to devise me a software programme then I could stop getting addled.

November yurt sales have been really busy – it does seem a funny month to peak but it’s been same every year – not that I’m complaining (though giving yurt assembly lessons in the rain and wind is a tad challenging!).

Handyman Lewis is cracking on with the long list of winter jobs – including building a large bbq alongside the pizza oven – we are also hoping to construct a built in bbq on each deck but that’s a bit weather dependent and by the time Christmas is over it will be count down to opening.

Pizza Party

2009-10-15T19:55:00.000+01:00

2009 season is over – our final tally was a staggering 77% occupancy, far higher than we expected and we were, of course, delighted – but it did mean we did 193 yurt changeovers in a 6 month season – hence feeling just a little bit tired! It’s a funny thing to be closed – a relief to be able to catch our breath but oddly quiet – and Tilly is in despair with no guest children to play with. I’ve had a lovely hour reading all the visitors books and making a note of any suggestions – I’m pleased to say that some, such as the covered eating area have already been done and we will make sure that we action the others over the winter. I have lots of ideas too but I've learned my lesson and I'm not announcing them until they are done -

Today is the first day’s rain in over a month – I was praying it would hold off for just a few more days so that we could get the yurts down – but that was clearly just being greedy and it did hold off for our end of season party when we cooked Pizzas in the woodburning oven – we managed 15 before it cooled down too much. There are definite skills to using the oven and we are on a steep learning curve. It’s great fun though and Lewis did a magnificent job building it – I’m determined to practice this winter ready for next season so all entertaining at Lower Glyn Farm will be undertaken in wellies and fleeces.

The courses on Setting up and Running a Yurt Campsite proved so popular we ended up running two in September – and last week we had another 6 enquiries. It’s great to think that there will be new yurt enterprises setting up around the country because there is no way we can keep up with demand during the peak season. As always seems to happen, yurt sales go mad in the Autumn – I still can’t quite work out why – our latest shipment arrived in September so we are currently fully stocked with all 4 sizes and there is no doubt the quality is improving all the time – particularly the paintwork and despite the horrendous rain in the early summer (one guest described it as biblical) the canvas didn’t let in a drop and the rain gave guests a great excuse to snuggle down by the woodburning stoves.

Unpacking

2009-09-16T12:11:00.000+01:00

No, we haven't moved house - and I'm not talking about the Autumn delivery of yurts - this is the official term for Alpaca birthings. September proved a busy month with 4 new baby crias - Lenny, pictured here with his best friend Oscar, was named after one of our guests, Len as it was his birthday. We've had a good year with 6 lovely babies - but for the first time, no greys - lots of lovely rich browns and hopefully next year our new rose grey stud male, Horizon Bendido will pass on his gorgeous colouring.

The big Pizza Oven Con

2009-08-05T11:27:00.001+01:00

Oh dear - I thought I was such a canny ebay purchaser but I've been conned - £500 for 5 badly moulded oven sections , a cheap bit of flue, a flimsy oven door and a few fire bricks. But at least it motivated us to get going - if you are thinking of building a woodburning pizza oven, beware - the builders merchant we approached to get more fire bricks (to make up the missing numbers) said - "Oh, not another one conned". The good news is that we will have a pizza oven - we've just paid about £450 more than we should have. Good job my lovely Dad contributed his time (and building expertise) for free. Just one more layer and the chimney and we can start lighting some gentle fires.

Running a campsite makes me really appreciate the great British spirit -we've had rain that some of our guests described as biblical - but instead of moaning they all just say it's a great excuse to snuggle down in front of the stove. The really good news is that our yurts are still dry as a bone - thank goodness for the raised decks - at least you can get away from the mud. And it's all over now (this is my attempt at positive thinking) - the sun has just come out (Ok, it's a bit watery) but summer is here.

Starry starry sky

2009-07-14T17:31:00.000+01:00

We've been sent some fantastic photos from two of our guests - thanks to Adam Preece for this gorgeous night sky and to Paul Ridout for the most amazing photo of the milky way from the campsite. I know I'm always droning on about how incredible our night sky is but apparantly it's official - we are one of the least light polluted areas in the UK.

We decided that 60% occupancy for the season would be a very acceptable figure – yesterday we hit 70% which is astounding. A feature in Closer magazine brought loads of enquiries but the thing that pleases us the most is the number of people coming back for a second and third visit. It all bodes well for the people booking our campsite courses as it seems that everyone wants to holiday in a yurt - so the more yurt campsites we can help set up, the better.

As promised last blog, the woodburning pizza oven was ordered - it arrived this morning in bits with 6 pages of very daunting instructions – we have to make a re-enforced concrete base, build a plinth, then another fire proof base, fit the oven together, cover it with mortar, vermiculite, more mortar ………aaargh – if I’d known it was going to be this hard, I’d have just bought some vouchers for Pizza Express. Anyway, the foundations are in but rain has stopped play for a day or so. We’ll put a banner on the front page when it's built.

Peter has just come back from Mongolia where he had a wonderful time watching his horse (Spitfire) race. It didn’t win unfortunately but was 17th out of over a 100 so honour was satisfied. His main reason for the visit was to inspect the next order. The quality is definitely improving each time. The yurts have been flying off the shelves and we have already sold quite a lot of them. It’s hard to keep up!

Should anyone be visiting Dartington Hall in Devon, one of our yurts is on display there Sawdays (publishers of travel guides) are running a pilot project to assess whether people would prefer to stay in a real Mongolian yurt, an English yurt or a camping pod – should be interesting to see the results of the survey.

An apology

2009-06-17T18:54:00.000+01:00

Way back last year I made mention of a planned woodburning pizza oven - at the time I envisiged months of quiet times over the winter when I would have time to undertake exciting new projects - hmm, didn't quite work out like that and I am amazed at the number of guests who ask if it is in - one group turned up with a crate of pizza mixes - I felt really awful when I had to confess that the pile of bricks in the car park was as far as it had got. So this is to clarify that although it isn't in yet, I am now getting it organised - but I'm cheating and I'm going to buy the oven itself ready made and just concentrate on cladding it and building the base - otherwise it's going to be 2010 before anyone can use it.

Oak Before Ash

2009-05-21T12:07:00.000+01:00

Oak Before Ash, you're in for a splash

Ash before Oak, you're in for a Soak

Delighted to see that the Oak was amazingly early this year and the Ash is so late that we can still see the yurts from the house - though normally by now they are well hidden. We really are long overdue a long, hot summer - would be nice to see the felt linings insulating the heat out instead of holding the heat in.

The valley is a gorgeous mix of every green you can imagine - the animals are loving the sun and lush grass and the only glum faces in the place are Tilly and Spot who are now being penned in to stop them endlessly running down to the campsite for guest attention! They are convinced everyone loves them - muddy paws and stolen breakfasts included.

The new chickens are happy though - with Tilly (the chicken killer) safely behind bars they can have the full run of the place. We bought the latest as ex free range - I was very surprised at how tatty they looked - and also a bit puzzled about why they were being sold off at 49 weeks - until someone explained that they were going into their first moult which would make them stop laying - but so far 10 hens and 9 or 10 eggs every day. At first glance they all look the same but already personalities are emerging - we have Squeak ('cos she does) and Sleek - the only one with all her feathers intact. It will be interesting to see if they do go off lay as my previous Warrens laid virtually every day for many years.

We are almost full for the summer now - just a few breaks left for the main school holidays and sales are booming with more and more enquiries about our 'running a campsite course' - it seems that yurts are still all the rage. Peter glad too as this means he gets another trip to Mongolia very soon so can see how his little horse is getting on - he may even get to see it race in the Naadam Festival this year.

April Showers us with Guests

2009-04-30T13:17:00.000+01:00

Wow - what a start. April was 80% full and with 32 changeovers and then our first residential 'How to Run a Campsite' Course we were slightly reeling by the end.

The first guests included 8 Woodcraft leaders for Bushcraft training. Having sat in on some of the sessions I'm completely hooked. The Bushcraft trainer Lucy was brilliant - so much knowledge....and so skilled at sharing it. I am now busy making fabric charcoal for lighting the stoves.

We loved running the course - we've done one to one training courses for several people before but this was the first residential group course and having 7 participants, all with enthusiasm and new ideas left us feeling really motivated.

April also saw our yurts (and us this time) back on the telly - BBC2's Escape the the Country featured one of our yurts as an alternative option for living in the country. All the links were filmed here - Peter was especially excited about his tractor being on the telly!

March Madness

2009-03-21T11:39:00.000Z

It's a gallop towards the finish - well, the start really - our season opens on 3rd April - and we are nearly fully booked for the Easter Holidays already. The wet weather has been a pain as we have been trying to lay new stone paths without damaging the yurt field more than we can help. I know you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs but at one stage I wondered if we were going to have to offer mud wrestling instead of camp fires. Digger Mike worked his magic with the JCB though and leveled the area in time -and meantime Lewis has put up the lovely new pergola off the kitchen and shower building. We filled the planters with molehills - which sorted two jobs - and after much digging I managed to get a 35 year old vine dug out and hopefully it will take off and provide some welcome shade on the deck.

The new yurts have all been put up and furnished and the new steps and bridges should make getting to and from the carpark much easier. Can't wait for the first guests now.

In between preparations the ewes have lambed - Highlander, our Jacob ram has passed on his handsome looks (and his horns), to a lovely crop of lambs. Lambing was much more fun this year as we have reduced the flock to a third. The prettiest lamb award goes to the Maisy twins.

More February Fun

2009-02-28T19:00:00.000Z

February may be the shortest month but it feels like a whole season has passed. We started with the heaviest snow fall for years – turning the whole area into an alpine resort – with hills in every direction the only difficulty was choosing which one to sledge down! The 4x4 buggy we use to transport the luggage came into its own big time – after the real work of taking feed to the animals, it went up the 1 in 4 hill loaded down with sledges and children – then back down, dropping the post and papers to the neighbours.

The whole village came out to play and the children were delighted to miss school for a week. Of course after the snow comes the melt…………. serious mud and slush and miserable animals all desperate for some sun – and on cue, a lovely mild last week of the month, made Spring seem just around the corner; the snowdrops are out in force, the daffodils are budding up (will one be out for St David’s Day?) .

Tilly the Spaniel is in complete disgrace having turned into a chicken murderer – with only 2 left (out of 6) we decided to pen them in for their own safety – Lewis spent 2 days fencing in a large run – we clipped a wing apiece – and watched them disappear over the chain link fence – they clearly haven’t read the rule book that says they can’t fly with one wing clipped. A ball and chain may be the only solution.

Less than 5 weeks until we open. The yurts arrived safely last week and are stacked up in the barn ready to go up – but before then we want to put some new stone paths in and we need to scrub and oil the decks – not one of the more glamorous jobs.

February Makes us Shiver

2009-02-04T12:42:00.000Z

Looking out of my office window at Narnia like scenes - the North facing side keeps the snow for days as we still don't get any sun on that half of the valley and there is lots more snow due tonight so I need to rush into Monmouth and stock up the store cupboard for us and the animals. The alpacas are putting themselves to bed every night in the barn and eating their way through a sack of alfalfa a day. Roll on the spring grass.

The yurt shipment arrives next week - quite a few already sold and the usual February rush of enquiries. I set myself a target of wanting 25% bookings for the campsite by Easter and amazingly we have already passed it, which is very exciting. We have been working hard on the websites and Peter says the new sales website will be up by live by the end of the week. We have decided to offer 'bring your horse holidays' and in April, as well as the 'Running a Campsite course', Lucy Williams is running a feltmaking course on the 21st/22nd.

All in all it doesn't feel like the quiet season. We are still progressing with our path clearance and are over half way through now - the trouble is, the further we get, the longer the walk, lugging heavy tools, as it is too wet to get the tractor up. Still finding time to party though - the annual duck race took place on the 18th - so the facilities building came into it's own again. Some of the entries were decidedly dubious this year and included a giant duck, and an inflatable sheep - which was hotly pursued by an inflatable man! Strict rules will be imposed for 2009 and Spot and Tilly are being trained to deal with interlopers.

Forging into the Unknown

2009-01-03T17:59:00.000Z

I love New Year – especially when it’s perfect winter weather – and it certainly is perfect. Deep frosts (-4 for days now), stunning pink skies at sunset and amazing stars and a bright yellow, lying on it’s back, crescent moon. We’ve had the longest break since we’ve been here and we’ve really enjoyed it. My Christmas present was having the Rayburn fitted in my office – actually Tilly thinks it was her Christmas present – Spot is toughing it out on the sheepskin rug under my desk but Tilly lies with her nose and feet resting against the Rayburn with an expression of pure bliss. It’s a wood burning model (of course) so has the added bonus of being free to run.

In 1995, 20 acres of Prysg wood were replanted with native broadleaf – 14 years of undergrowth had formed an impenetrable thicket so our only views were from the surrounding paths or from the other side of the valley. We knew the trees were desperately overdue for thinning and removing the spiral tree guards – but where to start? Looking at a 2000 aerial photograph we could clearly see the markings of the paths cut in to get the larch out but 14 years of growth had completely hidden them. Even the 2004 Google Earth photograph shows nothing but dense cover. But knowing they were there and with an easily identifiable start point, we set forth with chain saw and scythe. It proved more straightforward than we expected. Peter felled the trees which had self seeded and I moved logs (Rayburn food!), cleared the brash and pulled up the brambles – a wide path, banked on one side, was quickly revealed – it’s compulsive stuff – and highly satisfying - I can’t think of a better way to burn off those excess Christmas pounds.

Up, Down, Up, Down

2008-12-04T11:27:00.000Z

And I'm not talking about my mood. We finally managed to get a dry enough spell to get the 5 yurts down and send them on their way – then a week later we had a call from the BBC asking if they could film in a yurt – unable to resist the lure of the limelight (not to mention the PR potential) Peter and I spent a freezing Saturday in a vicious North Easterly, putting up and furnishing the yurt. Thoroughly enjoyed the filming though, which included us giving the presenter a lesson in putting up the 12' - can’t say what the programme is just yet but watch this space.

Progress on the winter list of projects is cracking on – thanks to our intrepid workers; Rosi and Carey have completed the rain caps and roof covers for the next shipment and Lewis has been doing stalwart work on the outside projects –bridges and paths to improve the access to the yurt field and a lovely new field shelter for the alpacas. It’s very cheering ticking things off the list. The next yurt order is in production – should be on its way in a week or so –we have been hard hit by the weak pound because we buy in US dollars (does anyone understand why the pound is so weak against the dollar – it’s beyond me?).

We have already taken lots of bookings for next year - Easter is half booked up and amazingly we've already had to turn away August Bank Holiday enquiries. It's very encouraging and bodes well for all the people who have bought yurts from us for holiday lets. Peter is working on a new website to give everyone who has bought from us a page to advertise their campsites.

In the meantime we have been enjoying having time to join in with village events - and Llanishen village certainly knows how to do events - Saturday saw the village Christmas dinner - 114 Christmas dinners cooked by volunteers and served by the teenagers and smartly turned out in black and white - they were fantastic. Definately a lump in the throat moment for the mothers amongst us.

The end of the season

2008-10-31T13:48:00.000Z

Well the campsite is now closed for the season – but not before our guests experienced some mad extremes of weather – it was so hot mid October that we had a suggestion in our visitor’s book requesting shade on the deck (noted!) – then for the final weekend it was -3 and the pipes froze – it was a good test that with the stove on, the felt insulation means the yurts are still toasty warm.

We ended the season with a Halloween party for the village – the local band, Prolapse, played valiantly – risking frostbite in their fingers to get everyone dancing – it was so cold that the wine glasses froze onto the table (truly!) and we were all obliged to drink copious quantities of mulled wine to keep warm.

Frustratingly we had to abandon the collection of the yurts last week as the ground was far too wet and slippery to get the tractor down. We’ve managed to move the furniture and are now pinning our hopes for a couple of dry days midweek – fingers crossed.

Writing this is an avoidance technique – I need to radically overhaul the Authentic Mongolian Yurt Co. website – which will be fine when I start but it’s the getting going that is proving difficult!

September 2008

2008-09-30T15:09:00.000+01:00

Wow what a hectic summer – despite it being the wettest for about a million years we were virtually full all summer – and with lots of repeat bookings it does seem that we must be doing something right! We have had really helpful feedback from guests – so next year look out for some sort of covered area on the decked area outside the facilities building – Peter is having great fun designing a suitable ‘structure’. I am determined to get the wood burning pizza oven in over the winter……..but not before I have spent some time focussing on having courses here –so if you run courses please bear us in mind as a location - Llanishen village has a fantastic new village hall which can be hired for a teaching space and has underfloor heating (great for yoga).

Lots of alpaca babies and we have continued the tradition of naming them after guests – so we have Zoe…..and then we have a problem because the guests were boys and the crias, girls – and Lorenzo, Henry and George just didn’t work. So back to the old system of waiting to see what springs to mind.

All the campsite yurts are sold – sorry to everyone who missed out on the bargains – they will be starting their new life next year in a new yurt campsite in Hampshire (we'll put the details on our links page when it's open). We do have one 19’6 ex demonstration yurt available which is also going at a reduced price and we are just about to place an order so if you want to guarantee a particular colour or size do get in touch. As usual we will be trying to keep a range of sizes in stock though of course second guessing what sizes and colours will be popular is always difficult.

Loving it

2008-08-09T03:42:00.000+01:00

It's a bit of a scary thing to realise your dream - I've hankered after running a campsite since I was in my twenties. Well, it's even more fun than I expected.

Everyone keeps saying what an awful summer this is but here in our valley we seem to have a micro climate all of our own and so far we have only had one weekend when our poor guests had 3 solid days of rain. Apart from that it's been odd days (having one today though which is why I'm writing this). Cannot believe how busy we are - considering we didn't start advertising until the end of May, this week has been amazing - we only have a handful of breaks left - and we already have bookings for 2009.

Yurt viewings are steady - with the huge interest in yurt camping we are getting a steady stream of enquiries and viewings - so many that we are thinking of running a course on setting up a yurt campsite - let me know if this appeals. Oh and if you are after a bargain we have decided to sell off all the holiday let yurts at the end of October - about a £1000 off the list price and only up since May - one is already sold but No's 1 - 4 are available to reserve.

On the subject of dreams, moving here was definately a case of 'be careful what you wish for' - I wanted a bigger garden because we only had 1/2 an acre - we were looking for about 8 - hmm, not quite sure how I got talked into 82 - the garden alone is more than 8 acres - well, garden in a very loose sense of the word - and while I'm not fanatical about the odd weed, trying to keep this amount under control is daunting ......so my latest dream features muscle bound chaps with hoes and spades - and this time if I get 10 times what I wish for then I certainly won't complain.

Recycling Mongolian Style

2008-06-28T15:46:00.000+01:00

Now that sustainability has become mainstream, with politician spouting green jargon at every opportunity, I find it very reassuring to see Mongolian recycling every time we open a new container. Our yurts come wrapped in a huge variety of scrap fabrics – from odd pieces of felt pushed in to stop the paintwork getting damaged, to gorgeous soft wool knitted ‘throws’ – which have become ponchos for the yurt guests. Last time he was out, Peter shopped for bags in Ulaan Baatars Black Market and was fascinated to see stalls specialising in selling absolutely everything – our yurts are even labelled using old exhibition passes – it’s certainly made me step up my recycling approach – it’s quite good fun and a sort of mental puzzle (perhaps that’s why the Mongolians are so good at it) to keep thinking of ways to use items that would normally end up in the bin. My current favourite is the inside of cornflake packets for sandwich bags. On a bigger scale we use every scrap of wood we fell – right down to the sawdust from the mobile mill being used in the compost loos. And we were delighted to be able to offer the village hall the half round ‘off cuts’ where the tree goes through the mill, to fence their grounds. Our offcuts of canvas and pvc from making the rain caps go to a variety of new homes – the local school art department, Woodcraft and Steps, a local charity.

Hidden Valley yurts is getting steadily booked up – we are loving having guests – and now that the bulk of the building work is finished, it’s great to be able to focus on improving what we offer – from information (which of course means I have to visit each of the places we recommend – such a hardship!) to new facilities. Much as we wanted the field to remain as natural as possible, we have had to add some stoned paths as the steep terrain got incredibly slippery in the rain. They are all going to be covered in bark – which (no surprises) is being stripped from the larch we have felled – apologies to this weeks guests who have only had the stone – but it just went against the grain to go out and buy bark when we have it growing here. Just need to find the time to chip it.

Sorry, long blog this month – but it’s been a busy time – and of course this is cria birthing time again – so I couldn’t resist adding a photo of our latest 3 – and thanks to this weeks yurt guests who supplied the names – from left to right the babies are: Theo, Josh and Amiee.

We'll do it after the 23rd May

2008-05-27T08:50:00.000+01:00

This has been our cry for what seems like months. And in true Groundforce style we were still sweeping decks as the guests arrived...........but we finished. A huge thank you to all the people who rallied at the end - to Gordon our fantastic builder, my parents (we would have starved without you Mum), Deb for saving my sanity.....too many others to mention. We had the obligitary last minute disasters.....like Peter blowing up the solar hot water tank the day before we opened! And of course, true to form the good old British weather has let us down big time with the rain starting with the first arrival.......but our lovely first guests of the season are fantastic and determined to enjoy themselves no matter what. The advantage of the lovely woodburning stoves in each yurt is really evident when it is lashing with rain and gusting 60mph.

We had several dillemas when kitting out the kitchen but I stuck my neck out (as a mother who has camped with small children) and the corner bath is proving a massive hit - but not as much of a hit as the dishwasher. Peter was very dubious about this - not green enough, not quite in the spirit of camping - but who wants to spend their lovely leisure time washing up! Nice person that he is, he was gracious in defeat.

Bookings are coming in thick and fast - hardly a day goes by that we don't fill another slot in the bookings diary. So opening day may have passed, but I don't think I'm going to have much time to sit back - I need to start publicising Hidden Valley Yurts, the websites are both desperate for an update, we need to find trainers to run courses, source some really local food suppliers, oh, and get back to a bit of normal living too.........

23 day Countdown

2008-05-01T10:03:00.000+01:00

Starting to feel the pressure now - we are fully booked for the May half term and Western Power can't connect us until the 14th - which wouldn't matter except for the fact that we can't build the kitchen until they have put the transformer on the pole or they can't reach it. Peter and Gordon (our builder) keep saying calmly that there is plenty of time and they will work evenings and weekends if need be but I keep remembering the rains of last summer. Of course they are quite right - no point in worrying about the things you can't change.

The shower/loo block is up and roofed - just the cladding to do once the plumbing and electrics are done - and that's the really fun bit - instant transformation - the building will end up looking a bit like our barn (see Feb blog). Apart from the stirling board lining, we have used all our own timber which is really satisfying.

I remember getting soaked showering two little boys in a tiny cubicle so as well as showers we have a big corner bath going in. The solar panels and tanks are waiting to be installed - they are huge - much bigger than I expected but hopefully that means plenty of lovely free hot water.

Yurts continue to hit the news - there seems to be a newspaper feature every other day and yurt holidays were recommended on breakfast TV this morning. The rush on sales has matched last year - so we have done lots of yurt assembly lessons over the past month. Peter came up with the new design for the two door yurt rain cap and it works really well, sitting nice and sungly even in high winds.

Global Warming - Not Here!

2008-04-09T13:46:00.000+01:00

The severe frosts and snow at the weekend were malicious in their timing - the Magnolias and Camelias had just bloomed - sadly ruined now. The flowers do seem to be very confused - we have had snowdrops at the same time as the daffodils and now the carpet of wood anaenomes, violets and celandines are dotted with bluebells - I'm sure they don't normally come out until mid May - but perhaps my memory is going!

Building work is gathering pace..... it needs to as Hidden Valley Yurts opens on the 23rd May - just 6 weeks away. At the moment the site looks horrific - electric and water cable trenches everywhere - we are praying for the rain to hold off until they are filled back in. The decks look a bit raw - but it is amazing how fast they weather and we are going to plant beans, peas and rasperries to grow over the railings to soften them - and provide a tasty snack for our guests.

Sales also busy - the two door yurts sold out virtually overnight - we have just one left. The new green woodwork was definately a hit too so we will up the order for the next shipment - I'm having a hankering for cerise pink now! The new style rain caps are a huge improvement - though we still haven't resolved the 2 door issue - Peter says he has sorted this in his head but now needs to cut some patterns.

Brrr it's Spring!

2008-03-23T23:36:00.000Z

So naturally we have had howling gales, lashing rain and snow. We have put up one of our new green 2 door yurts (and discovered the design error on our new style raincap when we found one of the 'arms' came down right in front of the second door). Oops, back to the drawing board Peter - this one could be a real puzzle since some have off centre left doors and some right.

Lambing is almost over - just 3 Balwens left to go - typical of the pesky things that they are

dragging things out - they might be small on size but they are more trouble than all my lovely Jacobs put together so I've decided they must go after lambing (maybe that's why they aren't obliging). Maisy, my handreared ewe (pictured as a tiny lamb on the Who We Are page) has had twins - a bonny girl and a little tiny handbag sized boy who is forever getting lost. She is a casual mother and if they don't keep up - tough!

As well as offering yurt holidays, this year we will be progressing the courses and I was delighted to hear from someone we sold a yurt to a couple of years ago who remembered I had alpaca and jacob fleeces - she is a design student and is making a felt room installation for her final graduation - she is going to run a felt making course here in the Autumn which should be terrific fun - details will be posted soon on the Hidden Valley Yurts site.

New Barn, New Yurts, New Dog

2008-02-14T16:03:00.000Z

Desperate to make sure we were ready for the latest yurt delivery, Gordon our intrepid neighbour builder worked his socks off to get the frame up and the roof on - then it was all systems go to get the larch cladding on and the inside boarded out - Peter even managed to get the gutters on in time for the delivery - and after a backbreaking 5 hours the yurts are safely inside. This shipment includes a new colour framework (a lovely mid green) and a new design - we now have 2 door yurts - for uses like storytelling or workshops or for the holiday rental market, the extra door provides a much welcome 'fire exit'. And it means you can always enter and exit the yurt away from the wind - and if you position it right you can enjoy a sunrise and a sunset view. We have a busy month ahead doing all the assembly training sessions - a video is in the pipeline but only to supplement the hands on training not replace it.

After a winter of torrential rain and really strong winds we have re-designed the rain cap to prevent the rain driving under the rain cap in high wind. The new shape also reduces the pressure and wear caused by the ropes - will this be 'the one' - I doubt it - Peter just can't resist making improvements - and it gives Deb, our rain cap maker a bit of variety.

On the farm, lambing starts in two weeks. As well as the lovely Tilly I have a new sheepdog on trial - he is a stunner - like a child's picture of how a sheepdog should look - and he's a real sweetie - the only problem is that he is quite young, very enthusiastic and I am .........inept! The poor thing stands there looking totally bewildered at my garbled commands and tends to decide himself what needs to be done - bringing random sheep back at the speed of light. Mind, the rams have stopped barging me and with Spot as my bodyguard they queue up in a very civilised fasion for their food. Respect.

January Blues gone Grey!

2008-01-26T01:21:00.000Z

It's all a far cry from Mongolia which is known as the 'Land of the Blue Sky'. Here in Llanishen it's just shades of grey - the 'stream' shown here is actually a footpath that we have never before seen a drop of water on - the field below had little geysers of water shooting up all over it - thank goodness the yurts are on decks! Having a springer puppy is definately cheering though - rain, floods, mud - hooray, let's get in there.

Driven indoors, the long overdue website rewrite is underway - have a look at our new Felt Issues page - Peter has loaded some videos of fire tests we carried out on the felt (I think they are a bit slow to load though - let us know if you have problems). Lots more pages are waiting for Peter to load (hint hint). Prices and availability for Hidden Valley Yurts will be loaded this weekend - we aren't opening in time for Easter this year as the amenities build has been so held up with the weather (sorry, sorry, I know I'm being a weather moany again).

December 2007 Round Up

2007-12-31T17:22:00.000Z

Wow, 2007 just flew by. No time to be bored that’s for sure. It’s been a real whirlwind – location filming, campsite opening, barn building, so many sales we hit the VAT threshold – good for us but it means a price hike next month unfortunately.

Its building time now the yurt holiday guests are gone and yurt viewings have slowed down (but not by much!). The base of the new yurt storage barn is done – much easier than I expected thanks to the muscles of Mike and Ron Gough, some ready mix concrete and a nifty little roller bar – a whole heap easier than tamping with a length of wood. The whole base was done in a few hours and Peter spent a happy few days over Christmas putting the frame up.

On the animal front we have two fabulous new Jacob rams called Harlequin and Highlander and a little bundle of bounce called Tilly – an English (huh – I was over-ruled on the Welsh front) springer spaniel. Her sire is a drug sniffer dog and her dam a working gun dog – so she isn’t exactly restful! A natural worker, she has already sorted out how to get the chickens back into their pen but the sheep are a bit too big when you are only 8 weeks old.

Autumn 2007

2007-11-21T00:18:00.000Z

Long time no blog……

But just back from fantastic holiday in Portugal so inspired to get up to date.

The valley is stunning at the moment – the warm autumn and the lack of wind has given us an awe inspiring display. With strong winds forecast for tomorrow though I think we may soon experience the fall!

After a sticky start (literally thanks to a faulty septic tank having to be dug out by hand) we finally opened the campsite in August – and have been full for all the school holidays and are still taking bookings. There is no doubt that yurts are ‘hot’. A recent article referred to this sort of luxury camping as glamping – I really like the term. And the best comment in our visitors book “Can I live here”.

We are meeting a specialist sustainable builder tomorrow to discuss the amenities building – really excited that the build could soon be starting – it seems to have been in the pipeline for so long. We have already felled and milled the timber and it’s stacked ready for the build - we need to get as much of the heavy building materials down to the site before the wet weather makes it impossible to get down the slope.

In the meantime work has started on our new yurt storage barn – again being built our of our own timber so moving only 1 field from tree to build.

The website is well under way for a re-write – not before time but having come back expecting sales to have tailed off, November seems to have become the silly season for yurt sales – we’ve had our busiest month since we started – crazy but we like it. We are holding our prices for the rest of 2007 but our turnover now means we have to register for VAT (groan) - so unfortunately prices will have to go up next year.

Long Time No Blog

2007-10-26T18:45:00.001+01:00

Phew - last day of our 'season' before we go on our holidays. And what a season..........it's been fantastic - after a dreadful start delayed by the reed bed installation going pear shaped (don't ask!) - we finally were ready to start letting the holiday yurts out in August - and from then on we were full - and very lucky with the weather. We are still taking bookings for November but will be closing after that so we can crack on with the amenities block build. This week has been brilliant - stunning autumn weather just perfect for yurt campers. We've had great guests - a real pleasure to share the valley with.

Sales too have been brilliant - our supplier has responded really positively to our feedback and has improved the paintwork, given us longer canvas and heavier decorative covers - and we have learned so much this past year about location, assembly, deck finshes, etc - it seems every time we put a yurt up we learn something new. We are getting more and more enquiries from clients who want to rent out yurts for holidays - with the knowledge we have gained this summer, and once the building is finished, we will be running some courses in early 2008 covering setting up a campsite, planning issues, furnishing your yurt, marketing holidays

New name needed

2007-06-15T21:00:00.000+01:00

Alpacas are fascinating creatures – when a new cria is born he or she is welcomed by each member of the herd. This is Freya’s baby – a couple of hours old and still quite wobbly on her pins. I was lucky enough to catch the moment when her mother took her to meet the herd.

For regular readers of this blog – apologies for having loaded the last 3 months in one go – it wasn’t that I hadn’t written them – I just lost the password to the blogger!

Grow little plants, grow

2007-05-30T17:36:00.000+01:00

It doesn’t look much, and we still have to finish the trimming/fencing - but this reed bed drainage system represents 130 tonne of stone (down a very steep hill), 500 reeds and a whole heap of money! It certainly isn’t easy or cheap being sustainable………..but from now on the plants will live on the ‘nutrients’ – courtesy of the yurt guests.

On which subject we are getting lots of enquiries about our campsite….Hidden Valley Yurts should be up and running for the summer – but because of the filming we had to put a hold on the building of the amenities block…..so it’s low key camping this year…..just 3 yurts and the camp kitchen (featured 2 posts ago) – more info will be posted on the website soon but we aren’t taking bookings until we have finished furnishing the yurts and installing the loo.

The film crew left after filming the 4th episode – they seem very pleased and the latest news on the programme is that it is scheduled for viewing in September – which is good because we haven’t got time to watch any TV at the moment! We'll post the time and title when we get the go ahead.

Mongolian Welcome

2007-05-19T17:21:00.000+01:00

Peter just back from a very successful trip to Mongolia – where he was presented with a racehorse foal by our supplier Sukhee. Given the value Mongolians place on their horses this was a huge honour. The foal will be raced under our name in the Nadaam Festival when he is old enough – his sire came 2nd out of 500 last year and his brother 5th. The man on the right is Sukhee and the man in traditional costume is the jockey! No prizes for guessing which is Peter.

We'd also like to extend a big welcome to our newest employee - Chinzo lives in UB and is our new checking agent. Our previous agent, Tugso has moved to Korea - we wish him every success in his new job. Chinzo made Peter's trip so interesting - this time he had time to go into the Gobi desert and slept the night in a ger.

When we get time to hit the website we will put a full report about the latest trip…..but the most important news is that the quality of the latest shipment is superb. Sukhee is totally dedicated to improving the quality – he has taken on board all our comments – and added in improvements of his own. The yurts are on their way……just in time as we are almost sold out – it’s very hard to get stock control right especially with such a seasonal item with such a long lead in time – but we seemed to guess right and so far haven’t disappointed anyone although the barn is looking a lot emptier.

An actors life for me (not)

2007-04-15T16:45:00.000+01:00

Life here very lively indeed – Lower Glyn Farm (and our yurts) have been booked for 2 ½ months as a location by a TV production company who have been commissioned to do a series for BBC3 – can’t say what just now but we’ll put the details on once we get the all clear.

It has been terrific fun – helping build the set, buying in new animals (first time I’ve had pigs or goats), and watching the process of filming – a world away from our usual rural existence. Peter gets a cameo role - driving the tractor (if they don't edit him out!).

And in between the yurts are flying off the shelf - which along with yurt assembly training sessions and bottle feeding our triplet lambs, is keeping us very busy indeed.

It seems we are now viewed by another yurt maker as so good they have copied our name and byline on their google advert– how flattering!

Look behind You

2007-03-12T19:48:00.000Z

Sun, sales, snow, lambs……..what more can a girl want. After a few quiet months, interest in yurts has gone mad – and the visitors are particularly welcome as it can be quite lonesome here in the winter.

It’s time for school for last year’s crias (baby alpacas). They are left completely alone for the first six months, while they ‘learn to be alpacas’ and only now they have settled down after weaning are they starting lessons. Rather like horses they need to learn how to lead on a halter, pick their feet up and walk into a trailer. It is great fun – and usually remarkably quick – though anyone watching would think I’d gone bonkers since they calm down if you hum to them – so I flit between 6 babies humming away like a loonie. And yes, they do sometimes hum back!

And finally, our lovely lambs – bang on time we have started lambing – do come and meet them and as our sheep are ridiculously tame you can even have a cuddle. Still another 4 ewes to go and I am definitely starting to feel the effects of broken nights and 5.30 starts to the day……if you ring and I sound out of it, be sympathetic, please!

Guess my Job

2007-03-02T21:00:00.000Z

We are at full stretch - sales, lambing, planning the campsite.....too many yurt rain caps to make. Best friend to the rescue. Deborah is our most recent 'employee' - a management consultant by day and now (until proven otherwise) the only Mongolian Yurt rain cap maker in the world (well UK, well, Llanishen for sure) - yes, we know there are people making rain caps for UK yurts but we mean for authentic Mongolian yurts (feel I should revert to Ger here). And while Peter gets to stand around with his hands in his pockets, I have been apprenticed for the cutting out.

We get lots of requests for these from people who have bought their yurts from other suppliers - but I'm afraid we have to say no......these are exclusive to us - for our yurts, designed by Peter to accommodate the chimney flue and very carefully patterned to fit our crown shape so that the rain doesn't pool - although others crowns might look similar, they wouldn't fit snugly enough.

Snow starts Play

2007-02-14T18:58:00.000Z

After a stunning warm sunny start to February we had two of the most magical days snow you could hope for – deep and squeaky to walk on – we were completely trapped here by the 1 in 4 hill outside our drive so we just had to spend the days tobogganing. And we even had some intrepid ‘try before you buy’ guests to stay in the yurt – they assured us they were very warm and cosy and it hasn’t put them off buying one to live in!

Waste not, want not

2007-02-04T18:41:00.000Z

Now you may remember back last summer we felled some trees and had them milled ready for the decks and amenities building. Well at the time I was a bit depressed to discover that the final cost was virtually the same as ordering from a timber merchant – (though far better quality and no road miles) – however, those figures didn’t include all the scrap timber. Here are all the things we have done with the non useable building timber so far (and there’s masses left); Edged the veg beds, built a wood store, made chippings, clad the field shelter, made compost bins. Poor Peter is starting to dread the words – “you know that scrap wood …….”. Suggestions by the way, are very welcome!

Weather for Ducks

2007-01-31T13:44:00.000Z

And what a wild and windy January it has been. This has been the wettest winter since we moved here – we are awash – our gentle brook is a roaring brown monster and the mud ……..oh, don’t let me go there or I’ll spend the whole of this months’s blog moaning. A combination of the weather and the usual winter reduction in visitors meant that we decided keeping 3 demonstration yurts up was too much – a decision I made (and voiced quite strenuously) when I opened the door of the top yurt woodburner to be drowned by a torrent of sooty black rain water. For some reason we have yet to work out, the top yurt chimney flue kept taking in water – we tried a witches cap to no avail – the bottom yurt needed nothing and was always really easy to light but that top one just seemed to catch the rain. We will try a different flue cap when we put it back up in the Spring. It all goes to show that the site is critical and solutions need to be flexible.

We held the annual village hall fundraising duck race on the 14 th – a magical sunny day (sorry, I am sounding pathetically weather obsessed I know) – with the stream at just the right pace to shoot the ducks (plastic, for those about to call the RSPB) to the finish line in record time – in fact, so fast that we had to run to make sure we didn’t lose them. We found a novel way to dry the children who couldn’t keep out of the water – we sat them in the sauna until they were nicely cooked.

The other frustration with the weather is the hold up on the drainage works for Hidden Valley Yurts – but there is no way we can get lorries laden with gravel to lay the reed beds down our steeply pitched fields – surely it must stop raining soon????

On the plus side, after a quiet couple of months, the phone is red hot and we’ve had 3 viewings this week – I’d forgotten how lovely it is to have yurt visitors – and it motivates me to run up and down those steps to keep the fire in (and burn off the Christmas calories).

All Sewn Up

2006-11-30T13:47:00.000Z

When we first designed the website we were both adamant that we would not allow it to become one of those static, out of date websites that never changed…………….hangs head in shame - cannot believe where the time has gone this summer - we seem to have been at full stretch forever - but having just returned from our 'summer' holiday (in November!) we feel fully rested and raring to go - so I am making another resolution that this time the website will be updated regularly.

For now, we have an updated Showroom page, a 'Trials…..and tribulations' section which documents where we are in terms of testing the various adaptations to weatherproof Mongolian yurts for the UK market - complete with all the ideas that didn't work. Tempting though it was to brush under the carpet the things that went wrong, we felt that including them may save others from making similar mistakes.

The past year has been a steep learning curve - and we expect to go on learning - we remain committed to quality - both in the yurt quality and in the customer service.

We now have an in-house sewing workshop (staffed by the ex sail maker (Peter) who swore he would never again sit at a sewing machine). We just couldn't get a satisfactory fit on the crown covers by out-sourcing (probably because sail makers are like plumbers and immediately take a sharp intake of breath the minute they see someone else's work) so Peter is now merrily sewing away making rain caps late into the night.

Hidden Valley Yurts (the holiday rental side to our yurt business) continues apace. We are delighted to have felled and milled the timber……and got it down to the site for the amenities block …..no mean feat for Dan, our intrepid tractor driver - 2 tonne of timber down a very steep hill in torrential rain - rather him than me.

We are also delighted with the plans and are committed to being as green as possible in the build - though it is sometimes difficult to make the figures stack up! We are hoping to incorporate a living roof, solar heating and a reed bed to dispose of the waste water. The photovoltaic panels (for electricity) have already bitten the dust - the cost being outrageous for a very small gain. However, investigating a wind turbine is still on Peter's 'to do' list.

Until next month………….honest!

Amanda

New Yurt on the Block

2006-09-22T13:50:00.000+01:00

The days are shortening – but the work isn’t – it’s all systems go here

Hidden Valley Yurts: the detailed drawings for the facilities block have been passed by the Planners – we are delighted with the design by Rachel Sully and especially excited by the fact that the timber will all come from our own wood – we gave Dai our shopping list on Monday and the trolley was full of felled European larch by Wednesday. A visiting Forester tells us it is the best timber he has seen as it has grown slowly so is much harder than quick grown softwood. Martin will be back with his mobile early next month – hope the dry weather continues or towing him up the track will be an interesting exercise – the tractor pulls his landrover and he pulls the mill (please don’t ask me why the mill isn’t just towed by the tractor – I think it’s a boy thing – slithering up muddy tracks backwards!). Mike 'Born to Dig' Gough has just finished sculpting the platforms for the facilities block and the yurts. It is starting to feel very real now - helped by a steady flow of guests coming to stay in our demonstration yurts - we even have bookings for mid November.

2nd Shipment of Yurts - arrived bang on time and once again we were lucky to have a skilled driver who negotiated trhe difficult access without complaint. We are really delighted with the new 3.8m yurt - it is perfect for festivals and dens.

We now have 4 sizes in stock and hopefully we will be able to keep up with demand.

Deliveries

2006-08-11T13:53:00.000+01:00

Very conscious of having neglected the website lately so finally snatching some time (at 4.30am!) from a manically busy few months to remedy.

Our 1 st shipment from Mongolia arrived on 14 th July – bang on time at 7.00am in the morning. With only 3 hours to unload, 5 of us were ready, muscles flexed. Peter and I had cleared the lane of branches to maximise the lane width – we knew the driver could get down with inches – well, actually, an inch – to spare. We knew a bolshy driver would blow the whole deal – fate was kind and we got a brilliant driver – completely unfazed by the 1 in 4 hill, the bend that meant he couldn’t reverse in, and finally the dew on the hay that we had cut the night before – he not only got the container down the drive, he drove it across the field and pulled up right alongside the barn, thereby saving us double handling. What a star – Oh, and then he rolled up his sleeves and helped us unload. We record here a massive thank you to him, Andi, Curtis, Henry, (and also son’s Sam and Harry who not only helped but then got themselves organised for school without being asked).

A flurry of sales means that we have only two left – but our next shipment is scheduled to arrive in 9 days bringing us some desperately needed 5m yurts and a new size – 3.5m diameter – we are really excited to see these as demand for the smaller yurts is high.

So what else this summer:

We’ve put up two of the new demonstration yurts.

We are delighted with them – the canvas fits perfectly, the felt is fantastic and the cotton trim on the decorative cover is a huge improvement on the nylon of the old ones. A steady stream of guests are booking the ‘try before you buy’ deal. We are also gaining valuable experience ready for the launch of …………..

Hidden Valley Yurts - We’ve finally got our planning permission. to rent out yurts for holidays and accommodation for courses. It’s taken a long time as the local planning department has a 6 month backlog but having successfully negotiated planning, we are happy to share the knowledge we’ve gained with anyone interested in yurt ‘buy to lets’. Our architect came yesterday to finalise the plans for the facilities block – we can’t wait to start – but while we are waiting for Mike, ‘born to dig’ and his JCB I’m going to start propagating the sedum for the living roof. The facilities block is being built out of our own timber, which brings me to………….

Tree Felling: Dai Edwards of Gnosis has felled the first 50 ‘sticks’ as he calls the 95’ larch trees. This has transformed Prysg Wood – suddenly we have a sun filled glade in the middle of a gloomy ex forestry commission plantation. Dai has carefully preserved any native saplings and we are looking forward to seeing them mature now they have light. This type of felling is known as Halo thinning and is the recommended management to help regenerate the woodland. Two weeks later, the timber was planked by mobile mill – an exhausting 3 days for 5 of us – two to feed Martin the logs, one removing the planks and me stacking (not to mention Peter frantically building the storage supports just in time for the next load. Most of this will be used for decking and flooring – and all within two fields of where they grew – that has to be about as sustainable as you can get.

Alpacas: Just Juno left to birth – we (or rather my farm-sitting parents) are willing her to get going this weekend – or it will be another nerve wracking holiday for us waiting to be re-called. Alpacas are lovely animals but a variable gestation of anything from 10.5 – 14 months makes for a long period tied to the farm – makes 3 weeks lambing seem like cinch.

Sheep: Our latest additions – 4 gorgeous Balwen sheep – they are like little black and white toys – so small we had to give them a separate low level water trough. But big on personality – their favourite sport is terrorising our border collie Laddie – like vigilantes they spy him sneaking in and gallop full pelt at him ……poor Laddie, rescued at 16 months from a town centre, I think he is beginning to wish he was back shepherding the cars.

As seen on TV….. well, next May to be precise. Having cleared 2 acres of Himalayan Balsam without chemicals, I got asked to help out with clearing it at a local farm – it was only at the end of the phone call I realised it was BBC Wales and they wanted to film it. Great fun day out with presenter, Iolo Williams - though I fear my interview at the end of a 2 hour stint of scything on the hottest day of the year, may have me looking a tad dishevelled. Ah well, don’t think an elegant life was ever the one for me.

And, in the words of the famous rabbit…….That’s all folks

Amanda