TRAVEL REVIEW – Glamping at Cwmberach Uchaf Farm with Feather Down

About Feather Down

*We were gifted this stay at Cwmberach Uchaf Farm. All opinions are our own. Thank you for coming to read our TRAVEL REVIEW – Glamping at Cwmberach Uchaf Farm with Feather Down.

Feather Down has 70 Glamping sites throughout the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, France, Germany, and Switzerland. The experience is the perfect blend between back to basics camping (think Wood Stoves for heating and candle light) and more luxury (plush mattresses and duvets, your own toilet and shower, and all the utensils you could wish for).

Each site is based on a Farm and during your stay you get to experience what it’s like to live on a farm, from collecting eggs from the chicken coop to getting to know the goats, sheep and horses that call the farm their home.

Cwmberach Uchaf Farm, Wales

We headed off down the M4 to Wales, full of excitement about what would greet us. It was also the girls first trip to Wales so that added to the fun – as we neared the farm the roads got smaller and smaller…until they were just a tiny single car track banked with tall hedges.

I’d chosen Cwmberach Uchaf Farm for its views and its ‘away from it all’ nature. It certainly did not disappoint!

Cwmberach Uchaf Farm is owned by Mark and Sarah Dempster, who live there with their two young children. It has been in the family for several generations and they were really welcoming and hospitable.

When we arrived, because there is a hill up to the tents, Mark drove our luggage up for us (so appreciated!) and soon enough the fire was lit, the candles were on and we were settling down for our first evening at the farm. The girls were SO excited, I don’t think they’d fully known what to expect but they were sold the minute we arrived.

There is an honesty shop which is stocked with the basics such as pasta, marshmallows (essential for a glamping trip!), beer and fresh bread. You note down what you take and pay before you leave. The tents are equipped with an initial stock of wood, kindling and candles and there’s more available if needed.

We really appreciated the large fire guard that we could put in front of the fire when we weren’t cooking on it. It also served as a good place to dry soggy socks!

Inside the Canvas Frills Lodge

We had the Canvas Frills Lodge for our stay which has its own private toilet and hot shower. There are also Canvas Lodges which still have their own toilets but share a shower. We had a quick look at the showers and they were big and clean. More specific details on the difference between the two lodges can be found on their website here.

Our lodge had a double bedroom, bunk bed room and a cupboard bed (which can sleep 1 adult or two children). There was huge amounts of storage under the cupboard bed (although our two preferred to use it to hide!) It was spacious and extremely well equipped – there really is no need to bring any utensils with you. There is a large cool chest in the living area which you can get ice packs for from the honesty shop (they’re free).

I’d bought a lot of food with us from home and I was worried I’d not be able to store it but it was absolutely fine.

There was a large dining table and comfy sofa, and in the centre of the lodge a lovely wood burning stove. We are relative novices with wood burning stoves, so were a little bit nervous but actually it was the easiest fire Dave’s ever lit and we used it every day to heat the tent and cook our meals. How easy it was to cook on amazed us, Dave did a full english for us all on it as well as hotdogs for dinner. It was brilliant!

Additional Extras

If needed, you can book a cot and high chair to save you bringing one with you. I know from when the girls were younger how appreciated this is!

Outside the Canvas Frills Lodge

Outside each Lodge there is a decking area with 2 deckchairs and a picnic table. There’s also a BBQ which I can imagine is the preferred cooking option in the warmer months!

Our girls favourite however was the swings, slide and rope swing just down the hill from our tent. They had a fantastic time playing there many times during our stay.

What to do at Cwmberach Uchaf Farm

The highlight, without a doubt, for our girls was the chickens. We were free to collect eggs from the coop and either take them to eat or pop them in the honesty shop for others. The girls really grew attached to them during our stay and were thrilled when the farmer gave us bread to feed them with!

We also took a number of walks each day to visit the sheep, goats and horses that live on the farm. The goats were SO friendly, the girls stood and petted them for ages.

There’s also 80 acres of land, including a large space by the tents so I’m glad I packed a ball for the girls to play with. They loved running around in the safe environment whilst Dave and I watched on from the deckchairs (bliss!)

Three of the glamping tents were occupied when we were there but we hardly saw the other guests. Everyone had plenty of space to roam freely.

What to do in the local area

Cwmberach Uchaf Farm is based on the west side of the beautiful Brecon Beacons in South Wales. An area of renowned national beauty you will not be short of things to do during your stay.

From walks, to lakes, to horse riding and coastal towns there is something for everyone. We decided to visit a local castle, named the most romantic in Wales by Countryfile magazine.

Carreg Cennen Castle was just 10 minutes drive away from the farm and the weather was gorgeous. Parking was straight forward and free and there is a cafe and shop before you access the walk the Castle. You can do that bit without paying, but if you do want to go into the Castle itself you need to pay;

Adults : £5.50
Over 60’s : £4.50
Concessions: £3.50
Family Ticket: £16.00

The walk up to the Castle was mostly paved and easy to do with a pushchair, it only takes 15 minutes at most. We had to leave the pushchair before we entered the castle itself but our 3 year old (it was her 3rd birthday that day!) could walk around the castle with ease.

We spent about an hour exploring the castle and admiring the views. We were blessed with amazing weather so got to see it on an almost perfect day.

Feather Down Covid-19 Protocols

Feather Down has received the official UK wide industry standard “We’re Good To Go” . This lets guests know that they follow the government and industry COVID-19 guidelines to maintain cleanliness and social distancing.

Hosts thoroughly clean, disinfect (twice) and air the tents between bookings. From our experience we can confirm that our Canvas Frills Lodge was spotless (and I’m a real stickler for cleanliness!).

We were given instructions for only one person to report to the farmer on arrival to reduce social contacts. And for only one person to go into the honesty shop at a time. Some extras, like the pizza night, aren’t happening for now.

Hand Sanitiser was available in the honestly shop, and our pre arrival documents suggested we bring our own mask and hand sanitisers to use when we felt necessary. I also brought hand wash and antibacterial spray (as I have done for every trip we’ve taken during Covid-19).

Full details of all their Covid-19 measures can be found here.

How to book

Feather Down has made some amendment to their booking process in order to make trips during Covid-19 easier.

• They ask for a low deposit of only 10%
• If the stay cannot continue due to Covid-19, you can move the booking until the end of 2021
• The total booking amount is be paid 10 days before arrival.

To research their farms and get inspired visit their website to book here.

We hope you’ve liked our TRAVEL REVIEW – Glamping at Cwmberach Uchaf Farm with Feather Down. If you’d like to see more of our visit, check out our Instagram page here, where we have a highlight dedicated to our stay.

Fancy seeing Cwmberach Uchaf Farm from above? Watch our YouTube video below!

Check out our post on what we’ve learnt on our travels during the Covid-19 Pandemic here.