Glamping on a West Wales rewilding nature reserve​
Rewild your mind, body and soul at Orchid Meadows, an unusual, perhaps unique, place to stay...
Find moments of mindfulness on the nature trail. Witness the creation of new native woodland.
Be part of a sustainable future on a small-holding. Rediscover the stars in dark night skies.
Experience seclusion, taste wilderness and get close to the sound of silence.
Rewilding
Orchid Meadows is a rewilding site. Rewilding has different meanings for different people. At Orchid Meadows, we carry out pragmatic rewilding that suits the land here and complements our use of it as a glamping site where people can immerse themselves in nature.
To us, rewilding is not about shutting the gate and ‘seeing what happens’. If we did that, our land would be quickly covered by brambles and bracken and be of less overall value to wildlife. Nature usually needs a helping hand and we are intimately involved with improving habitats and boosting key species here.
Nor does rewilding mean that farming has to stop. It is perfectly possible to produce food and other agricultural products in a way that respects and nurtures nature. We have a thriving organic-based fruit and vegetable growing system at Orchid Meadows and cutting our meadows for hay remains essential for maximising numbers of the three species of wild orchid we have here.
Not least, rewilding does not have to involve releasing large animals. It is certainly about reintroducing species that have been lost over the years, provided they are still suited to today’s environment and complement today’s land-use. One species that has been lost from a number of landscapes in West Wales is the marsh fritillary butterfly. We are currently looking at ways we might make parts of our small-holding suitable for colonisation.
In managing Orchid Meadows, we believe in the following principles:
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People and nature can thrive together
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Nature’s needs must be put first
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Nature is vital to the success of our glamping business
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Orchid Meadows is a small part of a very large picture
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Environmental benefits secured here must be long-term
Currently, several rewilding mini-projects are underway at Orchid Meadows.
Creating woodland
Creating woodland. Restoring wetland. Increasing orchids. Reintroducing marsh fritillaries.
In 2022 we planted Thornsham Wood at the southern most end of our small-holding. Covering 6 acres, the young trees are now taking off and rising above the rosebay willow herb and other ground vegetation.
We planted the sort of native species that would be found in this area, including western oak, hazel, alder, aspen, downy birch, Scot’s pine, hawthorn, crab apple and rowan. As well as these, grey willow has self-seeded and is forming contrasting thicket in places.
Thornsham Wood includes clearings and a network of mown pathways with benches. There are areas of bracken on the drier slopes, a patch of bluebells and gorse. A stream flows in a ravine at the southern boundary of the wood, overlooked by mature oaks and other long-standing specimens.
Over time, the character of the wood will change as the trees grow taller and the canopy takes shape but it is already a place of quiet beauty that fosters relaxation and reflection
Restoring wetland
Creating woodland. Restoring wetland. Increasing orchids. Reintroducing marsh fritillaries.
Mid-Wales is known for its high rainfall and poorly drained soils, producing valley mires and peatland. In our Cors Caron Fach is growing patch of bog with species that mimic the plant community of the Cors Caron National Nature Reserve nearby.
Wild-flowers such as bog-bean, ragged robin, marsh marigold, marsh cinquefoil, marsh bedstraw, yellow flag and spearwort make up a valuable habitat in an area of sphagnum and other mosses but have been threatened by encroaching willow scrub, which both casts shadow and dries out the soil. We have an on-going programme of scrub clearance and have installed bunding to retain water for longer.
Willow brash has been used to build ‘dead hedges’ that provide a great habitat for wrens and small mammals.
Increasing orchids
Creating woodland. Restoring wetland. Increasing orchids. Reintroducing marsh fritillaries.
Obviously Orchid Meadows is named after perhaps its most showy group of plants. We have three species of orchid: heath-spotted, lesser butterfly and broad-leaved helleborine.
Heath-spotted is by far the most numerous with over 1500 flowering heads in our Evening Meadow alone. This meadow also includes a small number of butterfly orchids. The helleborines are found alongside wooded edges, currently in our Home Meadow and lower orchard.
We have shaped management of our meadows around the needs of our orchids. No fertilisers, lime or pesticides are used and we cut for hay once a year in late summer, once most wild-flowers have set seed. Removing the hay will help to keep soil fertility down, which is what many wild-flowers need. It is likely this was not always done previously.
In Home Meadow, we are also experimenting with sowing yellow rattle, which is a parasite of grasses in particular, knocking them back and opening up opportunities for wild-flowers.
Each summer there is a Big Orchid Count here to monitor how the populations are changing. In 2025, numbers of heath spotted orchids were down on the previous year, probably due to the exceptionally dry spring and early summer and the difficulty of gathering in hay in the contrasting wet 2024.
Reintroducing marsh fritillaries
Creating woodland. Restoring wetland. Increasing orchids. Reintroducing marsh fritillaries.
We have no plans to reintroduce large mammals but one species we are keen to help establish itself is the declining marsh fritillary butterfly. There is a small population on adjacent land belonging to a neighbour and we are hoping it might spill over onto our Cors Caron Fach with the right encouragement.
We are planting devil’s bit scabious – the food plant of the fritillary larvae – from seed collected elsewhere on the small-holding but preventing purple moor grass tussocks completely dominating the ground at the expense of everything else remains a considerable challenge. One way this might be done would be to graze the land in late summer with hardy cattle, perhaps Welsh Black, Belted Galloway or Highland. We have no livestock of our own but hope to interest someone with these cattle to take advantage of the grazing we can offer. This remains very much a work in progress.