Gardd Afon, or River Garden, is as tranquil as it sounds – and a lovely place to stay with two yurts pitched up in a smallholding in the Twymyn Valley. It’s far from any main roads and sits on the banks of a river in the Welsh countryside. There are chickens, goats, pigs and cattle at home here and there’s plenty of visiting wildlife too. Situated a little over midway between the English border and the Welsh coast, Gardd Afon, is a handy place to stop off for a night or two but staying longer is encouraged. It’ll give you more time to look out for owls and herons, more time to swim in the river, more time to walk in the surrounding hills and more time to share stories around the campfire.
The glamping site is off grid, sustainable and encourages a slower pace of life. You enter it as you cross a little wooden bridge towards your yurt. One (Gardd Afon) sits in a riverside paddock, the other (Yellow Door Yurt) in pasture near a willow woodland. Both are pretty private, with their own compost loo and shower just outside and both have log burners which keep things cosy even in the winter. They are set up with everything you need whether you come as a couple, with the dog or as a family of four. They are colourfully, eclectically decorated with throws, rugs and painted latticework. Gardd Afon has a kitchen inside, Yellow Door Yurt has one outside on the deck.
You can buy a veg box from your hosts, if you order in advance, and cooking what’s been grown here is about as sustainable as it gets. But if you do want a meal elsewhere, there’s a pub a 15-minute walk away in the village of Llanbrynmair. Glyndŵr’s Way, a long-distance National Trail, passes by the village offering sustainable exploration too – but if you’re keen to see further afield in Mid-Wales, the yurts are still a good base. Waterfalls, woodlands and the source of the River Severn are less than ten miles away in Hafren Forest. The market town of Machynlleth and the edge of Snowdonia National Park are a little further and the beautiful beach at Aberdyfi is only half an hour’s drive.