February 2022

GLAMPSITES
which causes younger generations
to relocate and opt out of farming
leaving behind older generations
that struggle with the workload). We
wanted to be a part of the farm but
knew diversification would be the
only means to achieve that.
We researched our options, from
grape vines to bike tracks to horse
livery, before settling on glamping
and alpacas. We opened our first
pod, Hare’s Form, in July 2019 and
our second pod, Huacaya’s Cush, in
April 2021.
How did you research the
business before entering it?
We did a lot of Googling! We
researched suppliers and drafted
in help from our local McCartneys
branch to assist with the planning
application. We didn’t find a lot of
the information easy to come by,
which has led us to create our own
‘Glamping Business Start Up Guide’
to make the process easier for other
prospective glamping business
owners.
Tell us about your site and any
challenges its location presents
Nestled underneath the Radnor
Forest in Mid Wales at 1,300ft above
sea level, overlooking the three
counties of Powys, Herefordshire
and Shropshire, in the company
of inquisitive alpacas and woolly
sheep, Hush Hush Glamping’s
setting is in a rather special spot.
Local walking trails can be accessed
on foot right from the pods,
making it a great base to explore
the countryside. Surrounded by
hundreds upon hundreds of acres
of farmland, Hush Hush Glamping
offers such a peaceful, distractionfree
and idyllic setting to unwind in.
Based in a dark sky area, guests are
often blown away by the sparkle in
the skies at night-time.
A challenge we have faced that
causes an ongoing issue is the
access road, as neither the local
council nor Forestry Commission
will take ownership or responsibility
which has resulted in it falling into
disrepair. This is a regular complaint
in these rural areas from other
residents and business owners, as
a lot of roads have been removed
from local council lists and left to go
to ruin.
How did you tackle planning?
We drafted help from our local
McCartneys agent. However, it
was a painfully slow process that
took nine months with various
delays (not for serious reasons,
but because our local council
36 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM