The Cabin in Winter
The Cabin in Winter might not be everyone’s cup of tea so we wanted to write an honest account to help you decide if you think it is for you. Relative to camping in the snow (yes, some people do!) it’s a toasty, luxurious experience but compared to a centrally-heated holiday cottage this could be a tough and challenging few days.
The Cold
It might be chilly, but the fires will roar and the hot tub will be as hot as you’d like as long as you keep the fire burning. The structure does provide some insulation, but the Cabin will get cold when the fire goes out so you may have to keep stocking it up with wood to stay warm and be prepared for one of you to get up in the morning to get the fire going again and the kettle on.
We supply a thick duvet, hot water bottles and extra blankets but suggest you bring lots of warm clothes too. The kitchen and toilet facilities are all outdoors although they are covered from the rain. We think the Cabin in winter is a wonderful experience, but it is still an outdoors experience so be prepared and pack the thermals! You can read a blog from some of our winter guests to give you good idea of what it’s really like.
The Darkness
The Cabin is off-grid. We provide torches and various other battery/ solar lighting options which we think make for a lovely romantic experience but can be a bit eerie if you’re not used to it. In the deepest winter months it starts getting dark around 4pm and doesn’t start getting light again until after 8am the next morning. This is a wonderful opportunity for warm cosy nights snuggled in front of the fire or for moonlight evenings in a toasty hot tub.
Also, listen out for the night time wildlife – there might be a badger or a fox sniffing around. Or the sound of tawny owls calling each other or this year’s chicks shouting for their parents. The darkness is completely dark, we are a long way from the nearest street lights so there is no orange glow at all. There are so many more stars visible when there’s no light pollution. On a cold, clear night I’m still taken aback by just how enormous and starry the dark sky is.
What about snow?
We don’t often get snowed in at Gwalia but it is a possibility. It happens maybe once every 3 years or so. If it is looking likely we’ll give you a ring to discuss the options which are likely to include – i) leaving your car in the village, we’ll come and meet you with sledges to help bring your stuff up the hill ii) offering alternative dates. If we get snowed in we try to leave a car in the village and we hike in and out with our shopping, it’s a bit of an effort but it could be extra romantic!