Between 7th and 14th August 2024, a selection of One Planet Developments across Cymru / Wales are offering a tour of their plots. The schedule for the week and booking details are below, but please read this page in full before booking.
We suggest making a donation of around £5 to £10 per adult for each tour except where indicated below. Please bring cash as most are not able to accept electronic payment. Payment for the hosts’ time makes it viable to offer these tours, and contributes to meeting their OPD requirements.
What you need to know
Booking is required for all cars intending to park on site, and places are limited. Please do not arrive by car if you have not confirmed parking availability. Kindly respect residents’ privacy and generosity by staying with the tour, supervising children at all times, keeping dogs on leads, and requesting permission before taking photographs. It would be appreciated if you could arrive promptly as late arrivals may disrupt or miss the tour.
One Planet Developments are also required to minimise traffic impacts: please car share where possible (use the Facebook event page to offer or request lifts) and this will also maximise the numbers able to attend. Please bring weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear.
Toilet facilities in general are composting loos, of various levels of sophistication. If you have any accessibility requirements please get in touch before visiting.
Many plots have produce to sell and/or offer light refreshments, so do bring enough cash for that as well as to pay for the tour.
Wednesday 7th August
Weds 2-4pm: Parc Calch (SA41 3XA)
Parc Calch is a 10 acre site with pasture, woodland and river frontage. Naomi & Richard were granted planning permission in February 2023. They run a market garden and veg box scheme from the site, and have created habitats including short rotation coppice, ponds, wildflower meadow and hedges.
Contact Nevernvalleyveg@gmail.com to book
Thursday 8th August
Thurs 2-4pm: Coed Talylan (SA19 9DR)
Mushroom cultivation, horticulture, conservation and wood working in 70 acre woodland, in the process of completing house build.
Contact info@coedtalylan.org.uk to book
Friday 9th August
Fri 10am-12: Perllan Herberdeg (near Pontyates in south Carmarthenshire)
We’ve been on the land for 6 years now, but have only recently had our application approved so the house is still being built. In the mean time we’ve been constructing large greenhouses, veg beds, cold frames, field crop areas, workshops and woodstores, all from repurposed materials. We’ve also planted hundreds of trees, including Welsh fruit trees and short rotation coppice. We’re in conversion to ‘Organic’ and grow vegetable seeds for the Wales Seed Hub and are starting to produce cider.
Contact crmoody@phonecoop.coop to book and for directions. Note that booking is required regardless of how you are planning on travelling. There is very limited parking on site for those who need it (please check for availability), but unlimited parking is less than a mile away. There’s no charge for the tour, but you are welcome to make a donation.
Fri 2-4pm: Maes Digonedd (SA19 7TB)
We were granted planning permission after going to appeal in April 2023. We are about half way through building our house. We will be selling veg, charcoal pencils, willow, trees, potted plants etc. We have three acres and are adjacent to two other OPDs.
Contact maesdigonedd@gmail.com to book
Sat 10th August
Sat 10am-12: Roundhouse, Brithdir Mawr (SA42 0QJ)
Round self built structures, solar workshop, wood turning, been here 27 years
Contact tony@thatroundhouse.info to book
Sat 2-4pm: Maesgwenyn (SA42 0QW)
Our site of 1.8 acres is the smallest permitted OPD currently. We have built an off grid house while living in a caravan for two years. We have 120 apple trees for general purpose and cider making. We have 60 blueberry bushes chickens and ducks. We provide ourselves with vegetables eggs and fruit. We have spring water and a good supply of it. We have plans for a large greenhouse to grow all year round salad to sell.
Contact sophie.wellan@virgin.net to book
Also on Saturday 10th August, there is an OPD tour at the Lammas Ecovillage:
Sat 11am Gelli y Gafel (Lammas tour: please see here for tour details)
Sun 11th August
Sunday 10am-12: Parc yr Odyn (SA34 0XT)
We’re located on the edge of the Preseli Hills on the Pembrokeshire Carmarthenshire border and are in the 4th year of the OPD set up stage. We’ve built the first fully off grid Passive House in the UK and were shortlisted for the Passive House Trust awards in 2023. We produce honey, salads, eggs and fermented vegetables for sale and launched our Big Green Elephant ferments range in 2023.
Contact nelly@biggreenelephant.co.uk to book
Sunday 2-5pm: Dan y Berllan, Ty Gwennol, Swn y Coed (SA34 0LH)
Dan y Berllan: We keep bees, breed poultry, and are developing two acres of diverse young apple orchard. We have helped set up the Wales Seed Hub, a cooperative of growers aiming to promote and develop vegetable varieties which originate in Wales or are well suited to our climate. Timber framed straw bale zero carbon house.
Ty Gwennol: We live in a straw bale house, we obtained permission to build in 2016. We grow oats and make oat milk, which we sell at local zero waste shops in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. We also make natural skin care products with botanical extracts from our small holding. We grow veg throughout the year.
Swn y Coed: Market garden, seed crops, honey, apple juice, teaching courses on permaculture and soil health, youth camps. Planning permission 2016. Built a log cabin.
Contact info@danyberllan.co.uk to book (three sites, one tour: lasts approximately three hours. Expected donation of £12-15 per adult. Tea and coffee afterwards and opportunity to buy produce.)
Mon 12th August (booking not required)
Booking is not required for the two tours on Monday 12th August – please park and meet in the car park at the community hub of the Lammas Ecovillage, SA34 0YD.
Monday 10am-12: Hafan y Coed (SA34 0YD)
Environmental education is embedded into the landscape here at Hafan y coed Green buildings, Diverse ecosystems, renewable energy. This OPD is in its 7th year an Agroecological homestead specialising in Agroforestry with successful commercial crops and Plant nursery.
Monday 2-4pm: Maes Melangell and the Lammas Earth Centre (SA34 0YD)
Having got permission as part of the Lammas Ecovillage in 2009 we are an established eco-smallholding. We have areas of coppice, orchard, soft fruit, nuttery, various gardens, polytunnel and we keep goats, geese, ducks and doves.
Tues 13th August
Tues 10am-12: Pencoed (SA43 2PB)
Pencoed is a 12.6 acre farm with cultivated growing areas, wild meadows, woodland, ponds and wetland. The off-grid family home was completed in 2021. Household waste water is treated using possibly the first domestic scale WET system in the UK, featuring flush internal loos, external composting and a plant based nutrient recycling plant. Land based enterprise includes no till vegetable and orchard fruit growing, plant and tree nursery, basketry, and timber based craft products grown and harvested onsite.
Contact layingdownroots@gmail.com to book
Tues 2-4pm: Bryn yr Blodau (parking at SA66 7QJ – please confirm directions when booking)
[description coming soon!]
Contact ___ to book
Weds 14th August
Weds 10am-12: Green Apple (SA72 4TZ)
A pioneer development. Orchard, veg, meadow and planted woodland. Super insulated timber house. Disabled access, easy to find, no need to book, car parking . Focus on raising environmental awareness – See greenapplecross.com
Weds 2-4pm: Cae Calon (SA67 8BG)
[description coming soon!]
Contact cazsafe@gmail.com to book