By: Blonde Two

Have you ever stayed in a yurt? Ever since ‘glamping’ became a word (apparently 2005) I’ve been fascinated by the possibility of staying in a tent… that isn’t quite a tent. I’ve been even more fascinated by the idea of winter camping in a tent that has a woodburning stove.

Mr B2 and I were lucky enough recently to be invited on an autumn visit Strawberry Skies Yurts in Mid-Wales. I wasn’t sure what to expect, let alone what to pack but everything turned out just… well perfect really. I realised even before we reached our yurt that my previous attempts at glamping (for example hanging bunting and enjoying a tent carpet) had been pretty minimal. Even my lockdown glamping night in my garden shed hadn’t edged close enough to the right level of luxury.

Luxury composting toilets

If you’ve detected dissonance in the three words above, I would have previously agreed. I enjoy a composting loo as much as the next person who’s spent her adult life pooing in holes in the ground but have always considered them to be functional rather than lavish (composting loos not my poos). However, the bathrooms that Anya and Eric have created at Strawberry Skies Yurts have blown my previous opinions out of the water (or in this case sawdust).

Each yurt (there are only four) has its own heated (with actual heaters) bathroom. They are lovely and have plenty of hot water. It’s only the delicately-placed sawdust container that gives away the composting nature of the loo.

A communal space to eat

How would you cook if you had a yurt? At Strawberry Skies there were plenty of options. We had our own barbecue and campfire area but my favourite catering space was the communal kitchen. Each yurt had its own cupboard and fridge and the space was well equipped for anyone who wanted to make dinner, hot drinks, toast or just about anything really. If outdoor cooking had been on the cards, we also had access to a fabulous barbecue and pizza oven area. The most appealing part of this fantastic set-up were the enormous table and benches, safely nestled under a shelter but with a fantastic view across the fields, it was easy to imagine families gathered and relaxing here.

You might be wondering by now what we decided to cook. Did we opt for creative campfire feasting, or Mr D’s sourdough pizzas? No, for once we didn’t. We love our yurt so much, we were more than happy to dine on picnic goodies by the woodburner.

Which brings me to the yurt

As it turned out, our yurt was even less tent-like than I thought it might be. Clad in beautiful cedar and furnished with chairs, tables and a bed, all designed to feel as well as look great, the space we found ourselves in was far more to my taste than any hotel room or self-catering cottage I have ever stayed in.

And it had a wood burning stove!

And there we stayed for almost two whole days. We did venture out on a footpath-finding walk to the village. We did sit and stare at the stars on our covered veranda. But mostly we relaxed and enjoyed the yurt.

Which is probably exactly what glamping is meant to be all about!