houses

CAN YOU REMEMBER every gift that your loved ones have ever bought you? Probably not. So what about the ones you can remember? I’m betting that the gifts you remember are the ones which gave you new experiences and fond memories.

To keep to our newly adopted waste-free living, for our five year anniversary this year my boyfriend booked me a surprise holiday…a three night stay in Gwynedd, Snowdonia, Wales…in nothing less than a quirky grass-roof hobbit eco-house built into the foothills of a rugged lake surrounded mountain. Well done Dave, spot on.

BRYN ELLTYD ECO-GUEST HOUSE

Bryn Elltyd Eco Guest House

ON ARRIVAL, we were quickly ushered in by owner John Whitehead who completely bypassed the non-essentials (name introductions, small talk about the journey and the weather, where to put our things) and took us enthusiastically straight into the boiler room. I mean, where else right? John is an eccentric, chatty man, with an absolute passion for the environment and the people in it. He also has a pretty impressive boiler which runs from a handful of waste wood to create enough heat and hot water for the 14 bedroomed house. I can see why it deserved the only introduction (and has it’s very own page on his website). We then had what can only be described as a 100 mile an hour introduction to the local area, tourist attractions, general history, and weather system, all condensed into one cup of fair trade coffee…all before being shown our room. A room so quaint that Dave could only fully stand upright at one end of it. It’s name: The Hobbit. I was in love, everything about this place was wonderfully unexpected.

THE WATER was collected from the rain, the electricity was harnessed from the wind and the sun. Solar panels adorned every possible space. Carved benches nestled into the surrounding hills allowing for a panoramic view of the lake, mountains, and the steam railway which eloquently billowed steam across the back of the house.

View from the mountain, looking down onto the lake, eco-guest house, and railway

WE EMBRACED THE OUTDOORS in the day, hiking in the mountains, finding hidden waterfalls, old mining tracks, miner debris, lakes, and woodland. We toured the old slate mines, 500ft underground, learned how to break up slate and then took some home with us for us to use in our cabin.

Pretending to ride down the old mine track on a rusted miners cart which we found half way up the mountain behind the eco-house

IN THE EVENINGS we visited traditional pubs to drink ale and sit by the crackling fire, or we relaxed in the guest-house eco-sauna and refreshed ourselves under the cold starlit night sky. For breakfast we ate like kings, all local produce and freshly baked bread still warm from the oven. John and Ceilia kindly showed us routes on maps and told us of the best most remote places to visit.

Without need for our car (primarily because it broke down on the second day!) we simply walked, and what we found was amazing. A desolate slate mining village, surrounding the most vivid blue lake, all hidden inside a valley at the top of a mountain range. We found the entrance to the mines, explored the abandoned houses, discovered flying sheep, and climbed to the top of the mountain.

Slate

THIS TRIP will be one that I will always remember. There wasn’t tropical weather, there wasn’t a mini-bar, or a gift shop, or a raving nightlife. Instead there was nature, great food, long walks, lovely people and a lot of time to enjoy it all. The best part: it was the most low impact holiday I could have hoped for. Guilt free relaxation and exploration at it’s best.

Yes that is my house trundling down the road on the back of a truck, as you do.

So! An update as to the little house project…

1) WE HAVE DOORS AND WINDOWS. Added windows and glass doors lets in so much more natural light, which almost gives the illusion that we don’t live in a box.

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Recycled doors

Recycled window

2) WE HAVE CLADDING! This was a huge part of making the site hut look less like, well, a site hut.

I’m not going to lie and say I did much of this- but I did have have a go at it which resulted in the following: a wonky side to the building (which Dave swears was not my fault, bless him and his nice lies); the neighbours knowing exactly when I was the one using the nail gun due to my girlish scream after pulling the trigger each and every time; my mother freaking out at the idea of me using power tools altogether- and creating such a scene it was worse than listening to me actually using the nail gun.

bang, aaah!

3) INSULATION: So Dave tells me this is one of the most important things because: it keeps us warm at night, cool in the day, keeps energy costs down, it has sound proofing properties…etc etc. All I know is that the ceiling fell down and is now patched together, as is my dads head which it subsequently fell on. Sorry Dad.

4) CARPET: A quick cup of tea and a seven minute youtube video later…BOOM! We were quite the carpet laying experts. An hour or two after wondering why it wasn’t looking as fresh as the example in video, and coming up with an entirely new technique in place of a knee kicker (planking the carpet and rolling around*)- we decided we always planned on having nice rugs anyway.

5) PAINT: Our donated carpet was green…which naturally meant we had to find something loud and garish to compliment it. Yellow. Because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

6) MOVING HOUSE, LITERALLY. We had it craned onto the back of a flatbed truck and driven onsite in the field, much to the dismay of the local residents…