Cosy Under Canvas

My husband and I and our 5 and 7 year old spend 3 fabulous nights here. When we arrived the lovely owners (Emma & Dan) helped us very kindly with our luggage to the tipis. There we were surprised with the amazing welcome hamper. A full basket and a whole extra box with local produce that was just delicious, especially the goats cheese. The tipis are great, spacious enough for all four of us and all our clutter. The futons were fine and the duvets were lovely. The camping site is equipped with everything you need, they really have thought of everything. We were amazed, every cup, wine glass (plastic), opener, you name it, it's there. This really makes camping very easy,and fun. We spent most of our 3 days making campfires and roasting marshmallows. This was just so relaxing and our kids who normally still need so much entertaining were just mesmerized by the fire and we were chatting al together round the fire, great. Again, wood is provided and you can choose to take this or find your own. The kids loved this of course. It did start to rain for a bit(it's Wales..) but the tipis were cosy and dry. Plus the campfire was covered by so many trees that we stayed dry just sitting there. We went to Hay on Wye only a few minutes away. This was a lovely little village full with second hand book shops and nice food. I was not looking forward to the compost loos but they were excellent. They really do not smell (!) and work very well. The shower that you can use next to their house (2 minutes walk) is nice and refreshing (I'm not really a camper after all). There was one big family in the remaining tipi and Dome. We did not bother each other at all and there is plenty of space not to be in each other's way. I can see that it would be nice to go with another family though, but just the four of us was perfect too. Emma and Dan looked after us very well. They delivered everything we needed and couldn't do enough for us. We felt very welcome. Our children absolutely loved it and are still talking about it and we had to promise them to go back next year. Which we would be delighted to do.

My family & I stayed here for a long weekend last month......fabulous!! The setting is truly beautiful & the sun shone the whole weekend. The children enjoyed exploring the woods, cooking sausages on the open fire, foraging for firewood & playing on the horse swing. A real highlight for them was collecting their breakfast eggs from the chickens and giving the resident friendly pig a good pat whilst feeding him our food scraps! We stayed in the dome which was comfortable and cosy. Both the tipis and the dome are positioned well so you really have the feeling of your own space. It was great chilling out on the deck with a G&T in the late afternoon sun.
On arrival we were helped to the dome with our luggage and enjoyed a much needed cup of tea whilst unpacking as milk was provided. We had also pre- ordered a cool box filled with local produce which was great as it meant we didn't have to stop at the shops on our way there. The kitchen area was well equipped, we couldn't think of anything that was missing and the wet room near the house was a welcome sight after a busy day! There is plenty to do in the local area, we enjoyed a kayak down the river Wye & finally put our mountain bikes to good use. We had a really relaxing and enjoyable break, from which we have taken home some very happy memories.

Have just returned from a 5 day break in a tipi. What an amazing place. I have stayed in a tipi before but the site and the owners made this break a wonderful experience. It is so safe and child friendly my 4 yr old daughter could wander off without a worry, playing on the rope swing horse or being carried around by other kids in the site's wheelbarrow, squeels of laughter to be heard! The kitchen area is amazingly well stocked, you don't need to take a thing and Emma and Dan who run the place couldn't do enough to make the stay more enjoyable. The tipis and dome are beautifully designed with all the comforts you need from excellent duel fuel lanterns to sheepskin rugs and 100% woollen blankets. I read one bad review about this place and can only think that person has never camped before. Would fully recommend to any families with young children (also gorgeous Hay on Wye on down the road for individual shops and bars) and intend to return.

For all you campers out there, Cosy Under Campus is an amazing place to stay. The Tipi's and Dome are set in a safe and natural environment just down from the farmhouse. The Tipi was tastefully furnished and very comfortable. The kitchen area is well equipped with everything you could possibly need. The compost loos work very well (Loos are very important)!!!!!! My daughter aged seven had a wonderful time, playing in the woods, feeding the pig and exploring the site. My daughter Ellie says 'Stay in the Tipi it's really nice' Children always tell the truth so there you go, for a fun and different experience visit Cosy Under Canvas.

I have just read this review and completely disagree. I stayed at the same camp site, Cosy Under Canvas, at the end of June with my husband and 2 small children 20 months and 5. It is close to my Dads house near Brecon in Wales, and we wanted an outdoor more comfortable camping experience for 2 days. We, however, had an amazing time and found the site, the facilities, the little extras and the people running the site fantastic. The site was beautiful, the dome and teepes(never know how to spell it!) were just lovely with blankets,rugs and yes futons but they were perfectly nice and acceptable and the dome was amazing with an extremely comfortable double bed and a great view. Not quite sure what the other lady expected re. it being light in the morning as it is camping and eco dome are built that way surely. Don't go camping if you want dark rooms first thing! The best thing however was the food area and the dining space and everything had been thought of. We even got a welcome basket and were able to cook meals as if we were at home and the eating area was great. Our cool blocks were changed duing our stay and we were asked if we needed anything extra. We had such a good time and found the whole weeknd so easy and fun that the review I just read really shocked me. Sounds to me like she was expecting a hotel although at times we felt surprised that we felt so comfortable. The toilets were very clean and although the eco shower was not in use the wet room at the house was lovely and far beyond my expectations considering we were camping! I would recommend this camping experience to any other Mums!! Don't be put off by the other review.

I booked a three night stay in their geodesic dome and am posting this review as a warning to others!

The website states a solar shower is provided with each unit - it's not. Ditto the complimentary welcome pack, duel fuel lanterns, chiminea, free range chickens you were allowed to visit and collect the eggs from - these existed but up the road in a field surrounded by barbed wire fences and sharing a field with a rather fiesty pig!)

Chill boxes were supplied with cool blocks but these were not changed, so our food went off, the water in the shared outdoor kitchen was in tanks which didn't work properly and either didn't come out or ran out continually so got depleted.

The website states bottom sheets are provided. They aren't actually bottom sheets, but strange meshy things designed to go on the two futons (note FUTONS not pull out beds as described on website) so you get the unexpected thrill of kipping on a futon mattress fifty other unsuspecting souls have dribbled on.

But most importantly the dome was not put up right - on arrival we were told the door zip was broken. We quickly realised that the reason for this was that without the tension which is achieved by stretching the cover right the way down, the zip is constantly under pressure and will break. If you look up in the centre of the dome you can see rainwater collecting, if it were put up right this would not happen and the weight of the water will put stress on the frame, as well as leaving a gap under the dome which lets in the cold air. If you look towards the bottom of the dome, there are rings which are actually designed to be fastened to the ground with pins. It wasn't much fun if you were on a futon as there was wind blowing up underneath through the gap.

One of the neighbouring tipis is also wrongly erected, you can tell if you look at it, because you can see people's feet when they are inside it. That must be cosy!

One of our futons has a broken strut. So was no use as chair nor bed. Luckily it was so cold we were unable to sleep though so wasn't too much of a problem!

On the positive side the composting loos were fine, my mum said the wet room up the road was nice, and my car managed to make it up the hill to the site with it's suspension more or less intact.

It's a shame because the site is a lovely idea, but the execution seems lacking. Camping is meant to be basic but it's vital to get the basics right. After one night with only two hours sleep - we were cold because of the draughts and pretty uncomfortable too.

Also, if you have children, just FYI, half the dome is clear plastic, thus it's not dark till gone 11pm and the sun comes up right in the window by your head at 4am. Deep joy!

For this adventure: £340 for a three night stay in June 2010