Every parents dream must be for their kids to get a great
education, follow their ambitions and then settle close to the family home. How
lucky – or just plain clever – Farmer Hughes is, then. He's achieved all this
with his three sons and he gets to help out his second-born and his fiancé on
his enterprising, achingly-cool new glampsite that is set to boost Welsh tourism to no
end.
Innovation and style combine in the shape of three 6m
geodesic domes, made of thick PVC with galvanised iron poles, bedecked with
wooden flooring and sleek furnishings. Large timber beds and futon chair beds
are covered with Welsh woolen blankets, with lamps, candles and fast-working
wood-burning stoves all adding to the contemporary, stylish comfort that would
compete with the most luxurious hotel. Through plastic windows, over the fence,
herds of cattle or sheep graze idly.
The domes' namesakes are the surrounding mountains, Ceiri
(a UNESCO world heritage site), Carnguwch and Eifl. Location-wise the site's a
adventurer's paradise, with easy access to the rest of the Lleyn Peninsula and to
Snowdonia National Park. After a surf lesson, trek to Snowdon's
summit and a horse ride through Snowdonia, it's back to the dome, where
the stillness of the country air
and the peacefully-swaying growth of wildlife is beyond relaxing.
A fetching outdoor communal kitchen block is for all guests'
use. While you might sometimes share the table space for WiFi or vegetable
prep, each dome is allocated its own cooker. The showers in the corridor are
roomy, clean and hot. Eifl Dome is closest to the facilities, the other two are
even more private, sharing a babbling stream flanked by wild purple of Himalayan
balsam flowers that scatter their piquant scent. Beautiful, unique domes in a
fantastic, sweet-smelling location – this really is a site that lives up to its
name.