Red Kite Earth Conker

Powys, Wales

A world first: an aerodynamically designed glamping pod in the International Dark Skies Reserve of the Cambrian Mountains - and for those who need it, from 2023, a new optional extra of super-fast satellite broadband from Starlink.

 

The Earth Conker in a nutshell

  • Insulated, aerodynamically designed, heated year-round glamping pod with king-size double bed and indoor kitchen

  • Outdoors, there is a loo and shower cabin, outdoor heated bath-tub and fire pit cooking area with wood-fired pizza oven

  • Comes equipped with bed linen, logs, cooking equipment, shower and loo; simply bring yourself and your food

  • Featured on ITV’s This Morning

  • Located on a rocky outcrop with incredible views across the hills; ideal for creating, stargazing or a digital detox

What we think you’ll love about the Earth Conker…

You’re craving a chill out room with a view. There are stunning vistas from on high, with the Cambrian Mountains spread out before you! Shut the door and and no one will know you are there.

Perhaps the most active you want to be (after the short walk uphill from car to Earth Conker) is to fire up the Pizza Oven - create your own amazing pizza while enjoying the fabulous views - we even provide the flour and yeast for the dough.

You certainly enjoy a hot shower with altitude. This fretwork stainless steel-screened oak shower cubicle is private yet conveniently close to the Earth Conker. It too enjoys a great view.

This is a spectacularly remote location with creature comforts such as a USB charging point, a mini-fridge and a Bluetooth sound bar so you can add your own soundtrack to the Welsh landscape! Walk into another world.

Owner David says, "This high-tech orb channels the spirit of the space age. Showing my age, but I can’t help think of Jane Fonda as Barbarella in glorious bodycon silver… lightweight and environmentally friendly, cosy and warm, the pod is the perfect place to sit with a Penderyn gin watching the kites circle and long afternoon rays of sun glint off the copper cladding. At night there is a profusion of stars painting a milky smudge across the sky.”

Owner Anjana says: “We try to learn from each project we do and try to adapt what we are doing to fit the landscape so every new build is different to the one which has come before and the whole site has come about quite organically. The challenge is to try to impact the landscape as little as possible whilst still making a design statement. With the Moon Conker the central feature is the harnessing of natural energies, where we seek to harness the energy of the river and our guests who come to visit.

I don’t know if it is the team work involved in heating the water, the druids, negative ions or plain Celtic magic but the feeling of heating the ghillie kettle and drawing a bath from the pure mountain water cannot be easily equalled. And breathe…

 
 

'Everything except the sky is green. There must be 10,000 shades of green...'

Sankha Guha, The Independent

 

Staying at the Conkers allows you to enjoy the the escapism of the wilderness without the punishment of camping. On arrival you can expect bed linen, towels and a load of dry wood and kindling. Even a pizza oven. Bring your own toppings. You can enjoy the simple things in life, without compromising on basic comforts.

The Conkers are built using precision engineering techniques borrowed from Bentley Motors. The Earth Conker is high on a hilltop but fully insulated and equipped to keep the interior the perfect temperature all year round.

Re-charge your mobile devices with the USB ports in the Earth Conker (which is attached to mains electric), as well as listening to your playlists through the Bluetooth-enabled sound bar.

The Moon Conker has good solar lighting for reading but if you do want to stay in touch with the outside world, (please tag us @chilldernessescapes if you can’t resist - we love to see you having fun); at this pod you’ll have to bring your own battery chargers .

Inside both Conkers, you will find hotel quality mattresses and a super-king bed which transforms into a modular sitting room during the day. A micro kitchen is equipped with an induction hob and cooking utensils in the Earth Conker whereas the Moon has an outdoor dining cabin and cosy indoor log burner and the Scandi-style hot and cold outdoor bathing experience. The River serves as a cooler at the Moon Conker whereas Earth boasts a tiny fridge. We supply basic kitchen seasoning, tea and coffee and of course, marshmallows for toasting over an open fire.

 
 

THINGS TO DO

Watch red kites rising on the thermals above and enjoy the silence. The only noise is the wind rushing through the trees in the valley below.

You can jump straight from the office into the wilderness without spending hours fighting with tent poles and guy ropes. The Conker is an ideal base for wildlife watching or creative thinking. You could even unwind with yoga on the deck.

Explore our curated list of things to do in the local area

YOU WILL FIND

You can walk straight out of your front door into the hills: the Chillderness Red Kite Estate lies on the edge of the remote Elenydd region of mid-Wales’ Cambrian Mountains.

The nearest shops are about 10 minutes' drive away in Newbridge-on-Wye, where you will find a well-stocked post office convenience store, artisan butcher, and the charming local. There is a large 24 hour supermarket in Llandrindod Wells.

Wild swimming close by the bridge over the River Wye

 
 

Location and getting there

The Red Kite Conkers are situated on our private conservation estate in Powys, near Builth Wells and Newbridge-on-Wye. You can walk straight into the green mountains of the Elenydd, right behind the estate.

Access to the Red Kite Estate is via a private track off the B4358 road at the village of Llanafan Fawr between Newbridge-on-Wye and Llanwrtyd Wells.