One shepherd’s hut in 4.5 acres of meadow. Micro glamping is about keeping things small, giving guests more space and making the most of the place you came to visit.
We were searching for micro glamping sites long before we knew there was a phrase for them.
It’s not that we don’t like people. We just like our space more.
Over the years, we stayed at some lovely camping and glamping sites, but we noticed a pattern. You find somewhere small and special, tucked away with plenty of room around you, and naturally other people find it too. Then it becomes successful.
Another pod appears, then another. Then a hut goes into the field next door. The generous gaps between them get a little smaller and, before you know it, your secret gem has become a huddle of huts that no amount of cleverly cultivated horticulture can quite hide.
You can understand why. Glamping sites are businesses and empty space doesn’t pay particularly well. But the empty space was often the thing we liked in the first place.
So when we created Meidrim Meadows, we decided to keep it.
What is micro glamping?
Micro glamping sites keep things small. In our case, very small.
There is one shepherd’s hut at Meidrim Meadows, sitting in 4.5 acres of meadow in the Carmarthenshire countryside. There are no other huts hidden around the corner and no shared facilities. When you book the hut, the meadow is yours.
We’re often asked why we don’t add more accommodation. We certainly have the room, but the moment we add another hut, we change what Meidrim Meadows is.
A secluded shepherd’s hut in West Wales
The shepherd’s hut itself isn’t huge. It would be a slightly strange shepherd’s hut if it was. But it is so impeccably crafted by local craftsmen that the space works.
Step inside Meidrim Meadows shepherd’s hut and there’s a king-size bed, bunk beds that convert into a sofa and a small kitchen with a two-ring hob, microwave and mini fridge. It sleeps up to two adults and two children, although we get plenty of couples too.
In fact, we’ve had a proposal at Meidrim Meadows and several babymoons, the last holiday couples take together before their baby arrives. There’s something rather lovely about knowing the hut has been the setting for moments like these.
Outside, you have rather more room.
Children can run around and explore the meadow without parents having to worry about disturbing the people in the next hut. Couples can sit outside with a drink without listening to somebody else’s children doing the exploring.
You can have breakfast outside in your pyjamas, stay out after dark or read a book without somebody else’s conversation drifting across from the next pitch.
There isn’t a next pitch.
Why we keep our glamping site small
It is tempting to look at 4.5 acres and think about what else could fit into it. Another hut certainly could. Probably several.
But the meadow is part of what you’re booking. Having that much space means you can sit outside without looking directly at somebody else’s accommodation and children have somewhere to disappear off and explore. Mostly, it means you don’t have to think very much about what anyone else is doing.
That was what we spent years looking for when we went away, so when we had the chance to create our own, it seemed a little daft to fill it up.
Glamping surrounded by nature
There is another advantage to having all that space.
Meidrim Meadows is surrounded by mature trees and hedgerows, and there is usually something going on in the meadow. Depending on the time of year, you’ll see and hear plenty of birds, insects and other wildlife.
There is plenty of research suggesting that spending time in green spaces is good for our wellbeing and can help reduce stress. There are now names for various ways of doing it too.
Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, originated in Japan and involves spending time among trees and paying attention to your surroundings. Green exercise is, as far as we can tell, going for a walk or doing other exercise outside. There’s also nature therapy, which takes the idea a little further.
We don’t offer any organised wellness activities at Meidrim Meadows, but you are very welcome to have a go.
There are certainly enough trees for forest bathing. Despite the slightly alarming name, you keep your clothes on and no actual bathing is required. Which suits us. Having spent years trying to find holidays where we didn’t have to sit within sight of strangers, the last thing we want is to bathe with them.
Mostly, you can just spend some time outside. Have your coffee in the meadow in the morning, listen to the birds, wander around under the trees or sit there and do very little.
You don’t need to give it a name.
Micro glamping near Carmarthen and Pembrokeshire
Meidrim Meadows is rural, but we’re not miles from civilisation.
We’re near Carmarthen, with the popular Pembrokeshire seaside towns of Tenby and Saundersfoot within reach for a day out. There are beaches, castles, walks, good places to eat and some brilliant small attractions across West Wales that you might otherwise drive straight past.
You can go exploring on days out in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire and still come back to your own meadow at the end of it. Or you can shut the gate and stay there.
For us, that’s really what micro glamping comes down to. We have enough room for more huts but we prefer the meadow. If you do too, come and have it to yourself for a few days.
