This years OPD Open Week is taking place between 15th to 22nd August. Ten households in Cymru/Wales demonstrating sustainable, positive and innovative ways to live, work on and manage land with a low ecological footprint.
Details of venues, dates and tour booking info below:
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.
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.
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.
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SATURDAY 15th AUGUST
11am: Hafan y Coed, Glandwr, Pembrokeshire, SA34 0YD
Hafan y coed is an established OPD in North Pembrokeshire based on Agro ecological principles, growing some crops for market, an active Plant Nursery and bare root plant section. Entirely off grid in an exposed location, you will see the planting and land management, polytunnel, strawbale home, willow and the recovering biodiversity. www.hafanycoed.co.uk
Suggested donation £7 per adult.
Contact details for booking: hyc.plantnursery@gmail.com
SUNDAY 16th AUGUST
10am: Parc Calch, Felindre, SA41 3XA
Parc Calch is a 10-acre site in the Afon Nyfer valley, going into the 4th year of official OPD monitoring. The site was a bare field with 3 acres of riverine woodland when we purchased it, and has been transformed into a patchwork of habitats including a productive market garden, native mixed coppice, wildlife ponds, wildflower meadow and new hedges and banks. In the last year, much has changed with the start of the house build, new tracks and infrastructure being put in. This tour will give you an idea of how OPD can support local food production and nature recovery. We’ll cover our journey so far through site design, securing planning permission, building the business and infrastructure on site, and future plans. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.
Contact details for tour booking: nevernvalleyveg@gmail.com
MONDAY 17th AUGUST
10am: Pencoed, Llechryd, Cardigan, Ceredigion, 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. We recently invested in an EV car which runs from onsite solar power and can also be used to top up our household batteries in Winter. Vegetables, plants, prints and craft items will be available for sale: instagram.com/ffrwythau_pencoed
Tour fee: £10 per adult.
Email: layingdownroots@gmail.com to book a place, check parking availability, get directions, or further details.
WEDNESDAY 20th AUGUST
10am: Green Apple, Cosheston, Pembrokeshire, SA72 4TZ
A mature site , with orchard meadow, woodland, gardens and super insulated local timber house .
Child friendly, and focus on a spiritual connection to the land. Disabled compost loo , and wood fired shower visitor facilities. Tour and toilet facilities are fully accessible for visitors with limited mobility.
No booking necessary. Donations as you wish.
Contact greenapplecross@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: 07791 654780.
THURSDAY 20th AUGUST
10am: Bryn Yr Blodau, Bryn Y Blodau, Llanycefn, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, SA66 7QJ
Facebook page
Please contact Samara: welcome@wellmamaworld.com
2pm: Parc yr Odyn, Hebron, Carmarthenshire, SA34 0XT
Parc yr Odyn is owned by Ludka and Brendan Powell and we are currently in our fifth year of the OPD set up stage. We have built the first fully off grid passive house in the UK which has qualified as a finalist in the 2023 UK Passive House Awards. We keep bees, produce fermented vegetables, salads and plants for sale. We’ve also created an area of agro forestry, a new woodland and heritage cider orchard. Tour fee: £10 per adult (discount if you come by bike or on foot).
Please contact info@biggreenelephant.co.uk to book and receive full directions.
SATURDAY 22nd AUGUST
2pm: Dan y Berllan / Ty Gwennol / Swn y Coed, Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire, SA34 0LH
Tour fee: suggested donation £12 per adult for all three tours together.
Please contact info@danyberllan.co.uk to book and receive full directions.
Dan y Berllan
Erica and Chris at Dan y Berllan keep bees, breed poultry, and are developing two acres of diverse young apple orchard. They have helped set up the Welsh Seed Hub, a cooperative of growers aiming to promote and develop vegetable varieties which originate in Wales or are well suited to our climate. They have two small children and have recently self-built a timber framed straw bale zero carbon house. Ask us about: non-hybrid seeds, beekeeping, zero carbon building, renewable energy, planning permission, multi-unit.
Ty Gwennol
Silvie and Wyc at Ty Gwennol run a small-scale oat m*lk production business supplying local shops with a glass bottle return scheme. They are also working with Llafur-Ni to grow rare welsh heritage oats, so one day they can be used commercially again. Our main crop is rotated with a small flock of shetland sheep. There are also young hazel and elder orchards. Silvie makes natural skin care products using herbs that are sold locally. They live in a load-bearing straw bale house. Ask us about: grain growing on a small scale, oat milk production, sheep, botanical skin care, zero carbon building, OPD kids. www.tygwennol.cymru
There will be tea and coffee after the tours and produce will also be available to buy on the day including plants, veg, honey, apple juice, soaps and creams and other land based products.
Swn y Coed
Peni and Stef at Swn y Coed are passionate about growing good food, connecting young people with their environment, and living gently on the earth. They work with people of all ages sharing skills from horticulture and music to woodwork and composting. You’ll view their productive veg gardens and polytunnels from which they are running a hyper-local Veg Box scheme. Ask us about: composting, growing, community connections, education, woodland, veg boxes.
Llwyn Pur – yn Gymraeg! – tour through the medium of Welsh 🙂
(Day/Time TBC)