We've had the most wonderful few days in a beautiful forest in Wales. We stayed in a yurt here, near Machynlleth.
I have camped a lot, but never glamped. Wow! It's something else! We had a log burner, a real (very comfortable) double bed, and practically an ensuite compost loo.
The yurt was next to a large stream/small river, and it provided our main soundtrack.
The view from the door:
Our friends were staying just up hill in a teepee. They had very kindly treated us to our holiday, what amazingly generous people!
We arrived late in the afternoon, and the kids spent time settling in, and playing stomp rockets in the field.
Then we went up to the teepee for the first of many evenings around the fire.
Unfortunately Fred burned himself on a molten marshmallow. I'm glad I had some aloe cream with me, and once the pain subsided it healed up ok over the next few days.
I had some temporary tattoos for the kids, and as it got dark I gave out finger lights and glow sticks. They looked amazing running down the hill with different colour finger lights on. The head torches looked great too.
We all went to bed pretty late, and lay listening to the hoots of a tawny owl. Just magical.
The next day after a relaxing start, Betsy, Meg and I explored the stream.
Then we all went to Aberdyfi. It has a huge estuary that goes on and on for miles. It's a very pretty town.
We had ice cream, went to a beachside playground (Fred and Moss explored the sand dunes instead), had lunch out, had a go at crabbing (caught nothing), played on the beach, and collected crabs released by successful crabbers! Such a lovely day.
A jellyfish that Fred caught.
The next two days we were spent at the campsite (except for a quick couple of trips to town to pick up supplies, but the kids stayed behind).
Fred loved using the axe to chop wood for the fire. He also really enjoyed doing some stone carving, using Rob's multi-tool to make shapes from some of the slate pieces.
We all played some games - Top Trumps, Junior Scrabble, Cluedo. Lots of wandering along the stream, and playing with Moss and some of his friends who came over for his birthday.
Rob had brought the radio, so we had Radio One on quite a lot. Fred picked up a Bear Grylls book and surprised himself by enjoying it. I read a few chapters of Charlotte's Web a day, and all three kids loved it! I made some great memories for myself there, lying in bed in the yurt, with the kids snuggled next to me.
There were newly emerging ferns everywhere, and the bluebells were still around (they've finished where we live). The greens of the moss, and the new leaves on the trees. It was all so beautiful.
Meg picked some bluebells - whoops!
On Moss's birthday we did more tattoos, and had light up helium balloons. Some of our group saw bats (I missed them). There was cake, and a projector with a film on the teepee walls.
It was truly a wonderful 5 days. Even the nearly-6-hour-journey-home-in-roadworks can't take the shine off it.
