We’re Rob and Ness; Originally from Stroud, Gloucestershire, we like nothing more than a good bike ride or hike in the Welsh Countryside. In 2019 we sold our one-bedroom apartment in the Cotswolds and together with some friends we purchased Blaenhalen farm, including some 15 acres of land and four properties. Our share includes our home (Keepers Cottage), a traditional longhouse (Ty Becca) and approximately 6.5 acres of mostly bramble bush on steep slopes and shale!

We want to manage our land to enable us to take from it those things we need to survive; Shelter, food, warmth and a small income. Whilst simultaneously having minimal impact on our immediate and wider environments, allowing it to be a space that wildlife can thrive and guests can be nourished. Shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

So far, we’ve managed to renovate Ty Becca into a cosy space for guests. We’ve built a vegetable garden, acquired some chickens and ducks, built sheds, fruit cages and planted an orchard. We’ve planted new woodland, hedges and shelter belts to provide fuel for our future as well as providing shelter for both wildlife and our crops.

We’ve diverted water away from our houses and into ponds and rainwater harvest systems for watering the garden. Hopefully in the future we’ll also be able to harvest rainwater for use in the house for flushing toilets/showers and washing machines. We want to become less reliant on organisations to provide us those things we need to thrive (food, water, heating, electricity), it should be possible for us to provide much of what we need/desire ourselves or with our local community.

Watch this space….