If the idea of a staycation sounds like a step down from luxury, glamping is usually a step up. However, anyone planning a trip to north Wales will have a very novel option thanks to the conversion of a shipping container.
Wynn and Catherine Davies have made a new use of a container at their farm in rural Flintshire, which was named by the Guardian earlier this year as one of the 30 best places to stay in Britain, the Daily Post reports.
Speaking to the paper, Catherine Davies said they decided to buy the used shipping container in 2018. It was set to be scrapped after years of service on the high seas, but was instead transformed with furnishings and mod cons on the inside including a sofa bed and wet room, while on the outside was wooden panelling to give it a cabin feel.
A similar conversion followed of an old steelworks wagon, and she remarked: “Both conversions are fully insulated and heated. They are the warmest places on the farm!”
The wagon, which had once served at a nearby steelworks, had already been converted and used as a glamping facility by another local farmer. The Davies’ acquired it last year.
Many of the bookings are from other farmers in north Wales who want to find out how to develop their own glamping facilities. Mrs Davies said that, far from this adding unwelcome competition, this could help Flintshire grab a larger slice of a North Wales tourism market that tends to focus on its beaches, castles and Snowdonia peaks.
She concluded “The county has a lot going for it, things like the Clwydian Range, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. So the more accommodation we have here, the better we can draw people in the area.”
Flintshire is also crossed by the Offa’s Dyke National Trail, which follows the famous 8th century earthwork that marked the boundary between the Saxon kingdom of Mercia and Wales, which means many people walking the trail may fancy some unusual glamping on that part of the walk.