Powys Pods

Powys Pods try to avoid the term ‘glamping’ because they still very much class themselves as a camping site – albeit a campsite with some very wooden looking tents. “We cater to the muddy boots brigade”, owner Jess tells us, “you need to bring everything you would for camping, but can leave the tent at home”.

It may sound unusual, but it’s a simple idea and one they pull off to perfection. Comprised of just three wooden pods, each with electricity and a heater, the site’s accommodation is simple yet more than comfortably adequate. Unlike those bells and whistles glamping sites, they haven’t clogged every space with spangled chandeliers and layers of fancy bedding, but instead offer the convenience of simple and sturdy accommodation that allows you to have a more traditional camping break, without the worry about the weather. Outside there’s room to sit in the sun and while away the hours, while the essential joys of star gazing and late night campfires are still very much encouraged. It really is camping without the peg-pushing, pole-snapping, nylon-fighting hassle.

On a tiered slope in rural Radnorshire, the pods are located on semi-organic Grug Farm, home to 200 sheep and half a dozen Welsh Black cows that graze either side of the winding, local lanes. Two of the three units are in the lower camping area – where separate wooden buildings featuring toilets and modern, power showers can also be found – while the third pod is hidden away further up the slope, in a field of its own. The winning factor for all three is undoubtedly the view. In the foreground, below your camping space, a block of trees spreads throughout the valley bottom, while behind it hills climb up gently towards the sky. The higher pod, meanwhile, overlooks a stretch of open fields, the Black Mountains visible in the distance on a clear day.

In the way all good views do, it can’t help but draw you out. No sooner have you sat yourself down and you're drawing a line with your finger across the nearest hillside. Jess will help answer all your questions and can direct you to nearby Offa's Dyke footpath, though simply taking off to explore will quickly reveal a host of local treasures. Less than a mile down the road, Bryngwyn Riding Centre can saddle you up (both beginners and the experienced) for a pony trek through the local area – options vary from half hour routes for children to two-hour or whole day hacks across the Welsh countryside. An easy 20-minute car journey brings you to famous Hay-on-Wye, its quirky independent book and antique shops giving it an enjoyable buzz that lasts well beyond the annual Hay Festival.