Eco holidays across Wales

Wales is an ideal place for a sustainable holiday - whether you’re dreaming of an off‑grid weekend or a longer stay that keeps your environmental impact low. Below you’ll find inspiration for places to stay, ideas for eco‑friendly activities, and tips on travelling lightly while still enjoying the best of Wales.

You'll find a wide range of eco‑friendly camping and glamping options in Wales, from off‑grid tipis and low‑impact woodland cabins to handcrafted stays powered by the sun or wind. Many sites use composting systems, local materials and wildlife‑friendly designs to keep their carbon footprint small.

Before booking, it’s worth checking what’s included (power, heating, cooking and bathroom arrangements) and whether you’ll need to bring anything extra. Some locations encourage car‑free travel too, with public transport links.

At Riverside Camping near Caernarfon you can stay in a handcrafted tented lodge called a Caban on the banks of the river Seiont. While they are completely off-grid they come with a wood-fired hot tub and chimenea barbecue.

Another handcrafted, off-grid cabin, is Caban Delor, located 10–15 minutes walk from Caernarfon town centre. Set in a wildflower meadow, overlooking the river, you can soak in an outdoor bath heated by a fire, or stargaze from the king-size bed.

Or how about a shepherd's hut? The Huts in the Hills sit snugly in a woodland clearing in the Black Mountains near Y Gelli Gandryll (Hay-on-Wye). The collection of shepherd huts, for groups of up to six people, are off-grid and designed to have minimal environmental impact. Each has a wood-burning stove and comfy bed with power provided by a wind turbine and solar panels, while water is sourced from a natural spring.

Camp Cynrig campsite is completely off-grid too, using solar for its power. You can choose from luxury tipis, bell tents or a cosy cabin made using mainly recycled materials. It's located moments from the foothills of Pen y Fan in the heart of the wildly beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

Set in a peaceful 5-acre wildlife haven near Llanbedr Pont Steffan (Lampeter), Mid Wales, Go Eco Glamping offers three cosy Mongolian yurts. Choose from Woodland Yurt, Lake Yurt, or Meadow Yurt. Each comes with a king-size bed, private bathroom and kitchen, and its own wood-fired hot tub. It’s a serene, sustainable escape surrounded by nature.

The wood to build the decks for the five comfy Mongolian yurts at Hidden Valley Yurts came from their own forest! They're set in 80 acres of secluded woodland in South Wales with solar power, spring water, and composting toilets. What's particularly cool is their links with local ecology students who help monitor the health of the wildlife.

The lodges at Sloeberry Farm are super comfy. Recycled materials like industrial cable reels and scaffolding boards have been used to build funky bed decks above cool kitchens and bathrooms sheltered by huge canvas roofs. There are comfy armchairs, log burning stoves and wood-fired hot tubs.

Or how about taking to the trees? As well as Hobbit houses and yurts, Florence Springs has treehouses with slides for getting back down to ground! They also have private gardens, wood-burning hot tubs and fully equipped outdoor kitchens. Sustainability is a high priority with composting loos and solar lighting.

Cambrian Cottages in the village of Gwyddgrug in Carmarthenshire, recently won the Environmental Sustainability award at the National Tourism Awards for Wales '25. The self-catering holiday cottages were restored using natural materials, to high energy efficiency standards, and using recycled and antique furniture. The result is a selection of gorgeous eco-friendly cottages in a beautiful location. Y Llofft Wair, Y Llofft Stabl and Y Cwt Mochyn are all dog-friendly with cosy interiors and modern comforts. The cottages are accessible by public transport with good rail connections to Carmarthen and Aberystwyth and regular buses to Gwyddgrug. If you're travelling by electric car there is a 'Pay as you go' EV charging point on site.

For the best of new tech and old right next to each other, Cynfal Farm Cottages features heating by biomass boiler, hydroelectricity and electric car charging points. But you’re also next to a halt for the steam-hauled Talyllyn Railway. Stay somewhere cutting edge for sustainable living then hop on one of the oldest forms of public transport to get to the nearby town of Tywyn.

Or how about living on an island? Lovely Ynys Sgomer (Skomer Island) is a wildlife hotspot particularly good for twitchers with throngs of puffins and Manx shearwaters in residence. You often see seals and dolphins off shore. The old farm has been converted into cosy accommodation and has won awards for sustainability.

Eco stays in Eryri National Park offer a chance to switch off and connect with nature, with places designed around low‑impact living. Off‑grid farmhouses and long‑established eco guesthouses focus on renewable energy, simple design and peaceful settings close to lakes, paths and quiet corners of the landscape.

Crashpad Lodges has to be one of the most isolated spots to stay in Wales, hidden deep inside Eryri National Park. This restored farmhouse is completely off-grid using solar and wind for heat, light and to pump water. While you can't drive right to the house - they transport you the last kilometre by 4x4 to keep disturbance of the land to a minimum.

In a quiet spot beside Llyn Trawsfynydd in Eryri, Bryn Elltyd is a long‑established eco guesthouse powered entirely by hydro, solar and biomass energy. Its Green Tourism Gold accreditation reflects a long‑held commitment to genuinely low‑impact living, and the simple interiors create a warm and relaxed space for guests. Children are welcome with family facilities and child-friendly activities onsite and there are lakeside walking and cycling routes nearby.

Across Mid Wales, low‑impact lodges, canvas retreats and converted barns offer relaxed, sustainable stays.

On the edge of the Cambrian mountains near Newtown, Luxury Lodges Wales feature spacious timber lodges with wide views towards the Severn Valley and the Cambrian Mountains. Each lodge includes a private hot tub and king‑size beds. The lodges include accessibility‑friendly features such as level, wheelchair‑accessible ground‑floor layouts, step‑free entry points and ground‑floor bedrooms. Located on an eighty-acre estate with free fishing in the carp and tench stocked lake, there are also nearby walking and cycling routes to explore.

Choose from one of three lodges located on a private family farm near Rhayader, each sleeping up to 6 people and including private hot tubs.
Lon Lodges are two timber‑built properties, Ash Lodge and Sycamore Lodge, both designed for relaxed stays, with open‑plan living, comfortable bedrooms and plenty of space for spending time indoors and out. Stellar Safari Lodge is a canvas‑style lodge with a fully equipped kitchen, dining area and en‑suite shower. Relax in the wood fired hot tub or sauna, with an outdoor cold water shower providing a unique luxury glamping experience, and a fire pit grill and pizza oven bring warmth to the evenings with dark skies overhead for stargazing.

Located on the very edge of the Tanat Valley near Llanfyllin in Mid Wales, Owl Barn Retreat provides a pet-friendly, low‑impact stay in a converted barn with countryside and views of the Berwyn Mountains. Facilities include a walk in wet room, a full kitchen with worktops made from recycled glass bottles and a private garden to unwind. Nearby walking routes give guests relaxed ways to explore the landscape.

Across Wales several eco‑focused communities and conservation projects welcome visitors keen to learn about sustainable living. These places often combine environmentally sensitive accommodation with hands‑on experiences.

At Green Tourism Gold rated Penhein Glamping near Cas-gwent (Chepstow), you can combine a stay in luxurious alachigh tents with courses that include perfume making. You can also learn campfire cooking or try the ancient Japanese tradition of forest bathing.

Slow the pace with campfire story sessions and yoga at Top of the Woods in Penrallt and meet the friendly Kune Kune pigs while learning how to keep and care for them.

The Denmark Farm Conservation Centre is another real centre of excellence for sustainable living and learning. This unique conservation project based in in Lampeter, is focused on restoring the biodiversity of farmland. Along with a host of accommodation options there are courses in willow weaving, hedge laying, fermented foods, habitat surveying, and sustainable power generation. If you're travelling without a car, the centre can be reached by taxi or pre-arranged pick-up.

Of course, sustainability isn't just about where you stay and what you do on holiday. Choosing to travel by public transport is a great way to make your holiday more eco-friendly.

With plenty of bus and train options, it's possible to travel around the entire country sustainably. Take a look at how singer-songwriter Al Lewis travelled the width and breadth of the country by train as part of a music tour visiting various locations:

Traveline Cymru is a useful public transport journey planner.

There are a number of apps and online maps where you can find the location of electric vehicle charging points across Wales, including a list on the Transport for Wales website. Several National Trust properties across Wales have EV charging points. There are also 40 charging points at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, Mid Wales.

Help Wales become the first Refill Nation by using nearby Refill Points to fill up your water bottle before you head off. Find out more, including how to download the free Refill app to find your nearest Refill Point on the Refill Wales website.