Perfect Summers Trip: An eco-friendly camping adventure in Wales

My perfect summer trip takes me back to my childhood when every day was one long, carefree adventure. 

The sky was always blue, the sun was always shining, and the dry grass would be scorched to the colour of caramel. I’d be outside all day; climbing trees, catching butterflies, swimming in rivers and hiding in meadows covered with long grasses and wildflowers.

In the evenings, my parents would light citronella candles and the air would be filled with the sweet, musky scent of summer. Sausages would be cooked over an open fire and a simple dinner of hot dogs and ketchup would feel like a feast. Staying up late and watching the sunset was a treat reserved for these gloriously long summer days.

I know, I know, this sounds like something from an Enid Blyton storybook set in the 1940’s, but I had exactly this kind of weekend recently during a camping trip in Wales.

When a surprise heat wave was forecast for the UK, my friends and I immediately got together to book a group camping trip.

As we’ve gotten older, our list of camping requirements has gotten significantly longer! Ten years ago we wanted little more than a pop-up tent and a pack of beer, but these days we want so much more!

We landed upon Sychpwll, a ten-acre eco-friendly smallholding, campsite and event space in Powys, mid-Wales. The campsite is made up of two wildflower meadows with small sections mowed out to create natural, private camping areas. We selected an area next to a stream and beneath the shade of enormous trees. It was linked to the main area by a 200-metre wildlife corridor where trees create a natural arched corridor filled with wildlife. Our kids named it The Fairy Tunnel and spent many happy hours searching for fairies in the dappled sunlight that streamed through the leaves. 

The main area included a rustic communal kitchen where our fellow campers gathered to wash pots and share stories over cold beers and steaming mugs of tea.

We spent our days cooling off in the river, playing overly-competitive games of cricket and Swingball and exploring Sychpwll’s incredible site. As well as the meadows, there’s an enormous polytunnel filled with colourful flowers and tasty vegetables. Courgettes spilled into the footpath while runner beans and tomato plants reached for the sky. The kids instantly flocked to the polytunnel, drawn in by butterflies and caterpillars and ladybirds!

There’s a cabin and a farmhouse, a straw bale complex. 

The campsite became even more magical as the sun began to set. With the sky a pastel pink behind us, we lit our BBQs and fire pit and set up festoon lighting between our tents. A feast was added to the flames, quickly followed by sticky marshmallows and chocolate digestives to make s’mores.

We fell asleep to the sounds of crickets singing in the grass, frogs croaking lazily in the nearby stream and a family of hungry Tawney owls in the trees above.

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Perfect Summers Trip 2

Perfect Summers Trip 1