Unplugging, disconnecting, switching off – modern terms for the need to go back to our roots and, ironically, actually connecting with ourselves and the world around us. The pace and the demands of modern life have left many of us craving something simpler, slower and grounded. Here at Gardd Afon we’ve unplugged ourselves very literally. We gave up our jobs and left the city life for a more connected, although not always easier, life ‘on the land’. We decided to grow food, raise animals, build and learn new skills almost daily. But for those visiting us it does not have to be so full on. You can enjoy an abridged version of unplugging.
So what’s on offer? Silence, no WiFi, no light pollution, starry skies, fires, the sound of the river, and a compost loo – your waste turned into life 🙂 Ground yourself, walk barefoot on the grass, swim in the river, eat our organic produce, watch the cows chew their cud. Slow down as much as you want or go for a run in the hills and breathe in deeply the clean Welsh air.
Our location, The Twymyn Valley, is still one of the quietest in Wales. We were lucky to find a piece of land here and for the past six years have been working at adding to the local ecosystem and have been learning and applying regenerative farming practices. By staying at our smallholding you’ll get a chance to glimpse what we have achieved in that time. We’ve turned an overgrazed field into a productive vegetable garden. The bracken strewn hillside became a home to a small vineyard and an orchard. A bog became a willow forest by simply removing grazing animals. We’re supporting a wide variety of birds by sharing our fruit crop with them every year! And if you’re lucky you might spot a kingfisher and a heron in the river.
So come and visit us. Switch your phone off and immerse yourself in nature. Reestablish the connection to your true roots and remind yourself how it feels to truly rest. No WiFi, no electricity, no noise. Cook a simple meal and enjoy it fully without looking at screens. Look at the greenery around you instead. Light the log burner and look at the flames flicker. Read your favourite book, play a board game or just be bored. That’s a feeling you might have forgotten too.