Discoverglamping.com interview with Sara King from Camp Cynrig Tipi Village

Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

We are Rob Jenkins, Proprietor, Age 34 and Sara King, General Dogsbody, Age 25.

Rob has lived in Cantref his whole life and his family have been in the area for four generations. Rob is the creator of Camp Cynrig and has built the facilities at the campsite from scratch whilst working full time as a mechanic in the local Renault Garage.

His attention to detail drives me mad at times but always pays off in the end. It is especially nice to read the comments left in our visitor book about Rob’s handy work – I am very proud of the work he has accomplished at the site in a relatively short space of time.

I, Sara, am Rob’s better half and moved to Cantref in 2011. I work full time as a trainee accountant in a local food manufacturing company and I am studying for my accounting qualification part time. I help with the administration side of the business and have built the website from scratch. I also get roped into cleaning, painting and gardening at the campsite.

It is safe to say we both lead extremely busy lives!!

Have you always wanted to run a glamping site? How did you get interested in it? What made you pick the location for your glamping site?

Camp Cynrig is located on land which Rob’s parents owned and was previously home to their pet pony, Orbit. Since the passing of Orbit, Rob has always wanted to start a tourism business on the site, he thought the location and the surrounding countryside was too perfect an opportunity to miss.

After the planning application process with the Brecon Beacons National Parks, permission for Camp Cynrig was finally granted at the end of 2011. The river and woodland bordering the site make it a perfectly peaceful retreat.

Do you get a wide range of different people from different walks of life or are there certain types of guests who come to stay at your site?

We get a wide spectrum of guests – couples, friends, families, extended families..!! We get guests from local villages – just a 15 minute drive away and from all corners of the globe, our furthest so far have been our guests from China.

Our location is ideal for walking, cycling, horse riding, or simply relaxing in one of our hammocks. We have guests who are avid ‘glampers’ and guests who are new to glamping.

When guests stay, do they usually cook on site or do you find a lot like to go exploring and eat out at local places?

We find that our guests often cook on site. The facilities include a fire pit in each tipi, a BBQ area outside of each tipi and a small gas camping stove inside each tipi (ideal for a cup of tea in the morning!!). There is also a communal kitchen block which offers more cooking space and equipment – great for when the weather is a bit miserable.

Adjoining the kitchen block is an undercover, outdoor seating area – perfect for a family meal. Finally, there is a larger campfire area in the far corner of the site – ideal for getting to know the other guests, or for use when families travel with friends and hire all 3 of our tipis.

However, having said that, there are plenty of local country pubs within 5 miles which serve excellent food. The closest being the White Swan in Llanfrynach which is only a 10 minute walk from our site and is a great, family friendly pub.

If there was one activity to participate in, landmark, or place of interest that you would recommend guests visit while staying at your site, what would it be and why?

There are too many to choose from! Cantref Adventure Farm, a few minutes’ walk from our site is an ideal family day out. The Big Pit is a great, free, walk back in history. Dan Yr Ogof Caves is a spectacular way to spend a day.

However, I am an avid believer that you cannot visit the Brecon Beacons and not enjoy the great outdoors. Why not take a stroll from our doorstep and take advantage of the Taff trail. Or for the more adventurous guests I would have to recommend a hike up Pen Y Fan. The views are spectacular!

What do you think sets your glamping site apart from others?

I think the thing that most sets our glamping site apart from others is the ability to spend your holiday without the need to use your car. The site, with its toys and games, the adjoining private woodland and adjoining National Park woodland allows you to more than fill a day with relaxation.

In addition, Rob has built all the facilities from scratch which adds to the beauty and originality of the site – he has thought of everything.

What has been the most memorable moment that has happened on your glamping site?

The most memorable at our site has to be when ITV featured us on Holiday Home Sweet Home. The site, and Rob, came across excellently on the program and was a great way for Rob to vocalise the passion and dedication he has to make the site a success and provide a place where people want to return to year after year. The weekend that the film crew was on site was gorgeous and sunny – except for filming day when it rained non-stop!! Typical!

Do you provide any services/entertainment/activities onsite or elsewhere for your guests?

We provide books, games and toys for children – and adults alike. These include traditional board games such as Chess and Drafts and large outdoor games such as Connect 4 and over-sized Snakes and Ladders. These games keep the kids out of mischief whilst the adults relax, cook dinner etc. However, we have found many an adult group taking advantage of the games and having a games tournament.

Adjoining our glamping site is our private woodland where our guests are free to explore our nature walk and spot the different plants and animals; alternatively, simply stop for a rest and enjoy the view of the woodland from the hammock.

What plans (if any) do you have for your glamping site in the future?

We currently have planning permission in with the National Parks to build 3 eco-pods on our glamping site. We hope that these will encourage a wider variety of guests to our site and enable more people to enjoy the facilities we have to offer and the beauty and peacefulness of the surrounding area. We hope to begin building these towards the end of 2014 with a view to finishing one before the beginning of our 2015 season and then completing the final two by the end of 2015.

Rob is currently spending his spare time extending our chicken enclosure which is currently home to several different breeds of chickens – some of which I had never seen before!! When this is completed our campers will be able to freely come and go into the enclosure and visit the chickens and collect eggs.

Rob’s dream is to build a shepherd’s hut to go on the site so we can offer tipis, eco pods or a shepherd’s hut stay. The plan is for the shepherd’s hut to have its own private garden area…