About Mellowcroft

Mellowcroft is a natural holistic retreat, sat beneath the Llandegley Rocks, amidst the rippling hills of Radnorshire. It is a truly beautiful place to be involved with.

Conservation here is a visible living act of natural heritage, an expression of the land's own best choices. Since these twelve acres of woodlands, meadows and springs were recaptured from the local tradition of intensive sheep-farming, Mellowcroft has enjoyed a renaissance in bio-diversity; the soil can breathe, plant-life can diversify, and wildlife thrive again.

For the humans, everything needed for core self-sufficiency is here. We have fresh spring water, solar and wind energy, and various eco-builds for shelter. There are compost toilets, freshwater pools (one for swimming and one for wildlife), a Welsh yurt, a drovers' cabin, an eco-folly tree-house, wood-fired baths, allotments and wireless broadband. Other canvas structures are available for group events, and there is wide scope for wild-camping.

For Spring 2011, Mellowcroft's most recent achievement, The Classroom, is ready for use. After a year and a half of dedicated work, this "Hansel and Gretel cake fortress" is a remarkable space for teaching and sharing. Learn more here.

People come to Mellowcroft for many reasons - to remember skills, to practise arts, to wonder and learn. People do not come here to escape, but to awaken potential, to connect with the Nature around them. But above all, people come here for the opportunity to leave their mark on this land, to embed their creativity into the project, and to share their work with the future.

Mellowcroft aims to pioneer a new model of land-use. It is funded and shaped by its friends and by the local community. Each of its eco-builds has been created by the combined efforts of various members. This is not a piece of land being run for profit. It is a philanthropic enterprise, funded by the same people who are contributing good energy to its natural growth.

This project's founders believe that for too long, land in the UK has been coveted, left inaccessible, abused for profit or wasted. This project is designed to challenge such preconceptions about land-use, by offering a place for people to beneficially interact with the environment, and to visibly turn small actions into positive long-term land impact.

This is nothing like a fashionable spa-retreat, or an expensive bush-craft centre - if you come to Mellowcroft wanting a foot-massage, you'll bring a book and a friend, and learn to do it yourself.

The land and its facilities are available for token rates. If you aim to run a workshop in rural Wales, for meditation, yoga, song, craft or performance, Mellowcroft offers a uniquely low-cost and beautiful venue. See membership to learn how this can work.

The project and its facilities are also available for arts sabbaticals and volunteer placements. See Sabbaticals for more information.

Read a online review about Mellowcroft on Amelias Megazine.