Over the Easter Holidays we packed up the car with clothes and food and headed off to Wales (nr Brecon Beacons) for a glamping adventure complete with kids and both dogs. Prior to booking this particular glamping destination, I did a lot of research to try to find somewhere which would be suitable for kids and two big dogs, which is harder than it looks when it comes to bringing two dogs! I’ve found that on many occasions when a property discloses that they are pet friendly, if you read the small print then you’re likely to find that this means they will accept one small well-behaved dog (that won’t jump up on furniture), now I have two Labradors who are somewhat well-behaved, but they do love a sofa or a comfy bed to lie on! I’ve only ever taken them away on a couple of other occasions due to this reason.
Now I’m not completely oblivious to the fact that they are going to jump on clean sheets and get footprints or hairs on them, so I do come prepared with extra blankets to cover furniture and towels to dry them off if needed and I do my best to keep everything looking clean. The beauty of glamping of course is that you’re more than likely to get muddy yourselves so rules I felt are a little bit more relaxed.
So where did we go?
I managed to find a glamping site called Cosy Under Canvas based in Dolbedwyn on the Wales/England border and very close to the Brecon Beacons.
Cosy Under Canvas is a small site consisting of seven domes and situated within trees and evenly spaced out and hidden within the trees so you get a real sense of privacy. Two of the domes are slightly smaller than the rest (5m diameter) but can sleep up to 4 adults whilst the remaining five domes (6m diameter) can sleep up to 6. On arrival there’s a small car park and access to large wheelbarrows to help with your bags. You make your way to your allocated dome and simply unpack and a little bit later the owner Emma will come say hello and give you the low down on how things work etc.
What to expect inside the domes
The larger domes are kitted out with one king size bed, one double bed and 2 single pull out beds complete with Welsh blankets and throws, fluffy rugs and sheepskin and a thick feather duvet on the king size bed (duvets are available on smaller beds on request for a small fee). The dome also has a woodburning stove, a hanging cacoon, some wooden seats and the floor is wooden too.
What to expect outside the domes
Outside the domes the area attached to your dome is quite large. You have access to a wood fired hot tub (extra fee), upcycled chiminea, private fire pit, private compost toilet, outdoor chairs and table and a hammock.
Other facilities available on site
Whilst you can have a perfectly lovely time in your own dome, cooking food over the fire, the site also has shared facilities should you wish to use them and within very close proximity to all domes. There’s a Cosy Corner for kids where they can get creative, read books or play games. Cosy Lounge for grown ups complete with wood burning stove and access to books and board games. Wood fired showers on site and a shared woodland and streamside kitchen facility. The kitchen is well stocked out providing all you could possibly need to prepare and cook a meal and you’ll also find complimentary tea and coffee here.
You are also given a coolbox and a food storage box which you will find in the kitchen. We brought these back to the dome so we had access to them at all times, however you can easily leave them in the kitchen should you wish.
One thing I found when staying here is that they provide so much for you that you really only need to bring minimal things with you!
Here’s a full list of what is provided (taken from their website):
1 x Double bed (Cosy Domes)
1 x King sized bed (Spacious Domes)
Low double & single extra beds & futons
Memory foam toppers on all beds
Pillows and pillow cases
Bottom sheets & blankets
1 x Double duvet & cover (Cosy Dome)
1 x King duvet & cover (Spacious Domes)
Rugs & cushions
Chairs with sheepskins
Storage box
Two rechargeable LED lantern
Candles & holders
Fire extinguisher
Cutlery & crockery, glasses & mugs
Gas stoves, pots, pans & kettles
Tripod, large pot and griddle for cooking over the fire
Large cool box & ice packs, dried food storage box
Tea towels, washing up liquid, dish cloths,
Loo roll & toiletries
Plenty of firewood included, extra crates £10 each
And what they suggest you bring with you:
Clothes
Warm jumper/fleece
Towel
Sleeping bag or duvet for extra beds
Food, see recipes page for suggestions
Wellies or flip flops
Waterproofs
Suncream
Insect repellent
Extra blankets if you think you may be cold
Spare lantern & head torches
A sense of adventure!
What did we eat?
For our first nights meal I had planned to bring some chilli leftovers which would easily be reheated on the stove or over the firepit and along with some rice was a perfect meal to warm us up ready for bed.
Our 2nd night we had pre-booked a Cosy Cook Pot meal which is offered when booking. Basically the meal is locally sourced ingredients already weighed out and instructions on how to cook. Before we arrived at Cosy Under Canvas I received an email asking us to choose from four different meal options so they could prepare ahead of time. The food was delivered to our tent late afternoon ready for us to start cooking.
What were our thoughts on the whole glamping experience at Cosy Under Canvas?
As mentioned above I really loved the fact that so much was provided for you, they really have thought of everything. The only thing I would say is that because we stayed in April, the weather wasn’t great as it was quite wet and cold especially at night-time, we did get a bit cold in the night and I did have to try to relight the woodburner at some point in the night. However, that aside once the weather is a bit warmer I’m sure this wouldn’t be an issue at all! My initial thoughts would be that in the summer could the domes be too hot? They are well sheltered under trees so my guess is that they keep fairly comfortable.
Also worth noting that the dome doors didn’t zip all the way around (much like a normal tent and to be expected) but what this meant was the dogs were able to escape underneath! Once they did this the first time we were prepared and barricaded the door at night-time with the cool box and wood basket!
There is no electricity or WiFi available (only at owner’s house should you need it) but for 3 days we managed just fine and actually found we were talking more to each other and engaging in things as a family more which has continued even after we returned home.
Overall we really enjoyed our stay at Cosy Under Canvas and glamping in Wales and would recommend it for couples, families and dogs!
Our stay cost £320, which was for 2 nights in a large dome in the Easter Holidays and included additional fees for two dogs, hot tub and a cosy cook pot meal.
I would love to know your recommendations for other dog friendly places to stay in the comments below!
