I found myself in a Welsh woodland

The week that changed my life for the better

A view from one of our many walks in the Welsh countryside.

It’s been a year since my partner and I went on our honeymoon. For both of us, it was a life changing week. We were keen to not spend too much money, so we decided to rent a small cabin in Wales. This gorgeous little nook was nestled in the middle of a woodland, right next to a babbling brook and at the foot of a mountain. We knew we wanted something exactly like this because it would allow us a well overdue break from screens, the internet, and social media. At this point, I had been exploring all the slow living, cottagecore content the internet had to offer. I wanted a piece of it for myself. I wished to truly experience quiet, nature, and simplicity.

I had also never been to Wales in my entire life. In hindsight, it seems almost silly that I had spent 26 years of my life never having set foot in such a beautiful land when it was a mere few hours away by car. Neither of us drive, so we decided to go by rail. The train journey in itself was eye-opening as we got to see parts of England we’d never seen before. After a few hours, we finally set foot in the beautiful land of Cymru. In many ways, Wales was exactly what I expected. Lots of beautiful green landscapes, lots of clouds and rain, and lots of sheep. It also left room for surprises. For one, I didn’t realise how windy it would be! Also, I live in a part of England where the land is, for the most part, flat. What I was not anticipating when I went to Wales was that the land would be so full of hills and mountains. When we first arrived to our cabin, I was astonished when I was stood in front of a cow field. This wasn’t like any cow field I’d ever seen before, not at all. It was as if the Earth was a wall, sitting vertically in front of me. There the cows were, minding their own business on such a steep incline. I simply couldn’t wrap my head around it!

The wooden cabin itself was like something out of a dream. The owners had built it themselves, and they had clearly put their own personal touch on it wherever they could. It was a tiny place, with only a small bedroom, an even smaller kitchen, and a gloriously comfy room to relax and eat in. Every morning, we would pull on our warmest jumpers and socks and eat breakfast at the kitchen table. We brewed pots of tea and sat outside on the decking whilst listening to the morning birdsong.

Every morning after breakfast, we would take a walk around the hills and mountains near us. There was a nearby sheep field with a huge rock to sit on, and the view was absolutely fantastic. We made the effort to go up there every day, not only for the exercise but also so I could quickly check my phone for any messages. You see, at the cabin there was no phone service and no internet. The thought had been quite daunting before we went, I actually had a wobble around a week before we headed to Wales as I couldn’t fathom spending an extended amount of time with limited access to a phone. What if there’s an emergency? What if I need to get to a phone in the middle of the night? In reality, it was fine. We actually turned our phones off when we were at the cabin. There was simply no point in us having them on. This also added an interesting dimension to the holiday because there were no clocks at the cabin, so we couldn’t check the time. We had to guess the time of day based on our body clocks and what was happening in the sky. I found that trusting your gut like this really helps to reconnect the body and mind. It means you have to call upon your internal resources as opposed to relying on external means.

Every morning we walked up to this spot by a nearby sheep field to look at the view.

As we only went food shopping at the start of the week, and could only carry so much with us, we rationed our food the entire time we were there. We cooked simple meals and relished every bite. Having a limited amount of food, knowing we likely wouldn’t be buying any more, meant that we enjoyed our meals more. We indulged in the delicious Tan Y Castell Welshcakes our hosts had left for us. In case you don’t know what they are, Welshcake is essentially a flat, round cake (of course!) with dried fruit in it. They were absolutely delightful with a cup of tea, and I cannot wait until I get to eat one again.

I was intent on relaxing during the week we were there, so I took a stack of books and managed to read around five. A huge achievement that I’m still proud of to this day. I often took my book, a cup of tea and a blanket outside and wrapped up warm whilst losing myself in a fictional world. If anyone wondered what my idea of bliss looks like - that’s it!

In the evenings, we again sat outside with blankets on the decking and set alight some wood in the fire pit to keep warm. We loved listening to the wildlife around us. For the majority of the time, all that could be heard were the various birds, the running water from the brook, and the leaves rustling in the trees when they were caught by the wind.

We saw and heard a lot of woodland creatures whilst we were there. When listening to the morning and evening birdsong, we tried to identify how many different bird calls there were. We know nothing about bird species, but it was fun to name one of the birds the “tee-cha” bird, because its call sounded exactly like “tee-cha”! As well as birds, we also saw squirrels, hares, a snake, a shrew, loads of butterflies, plus a lot of farm animals like dogs, sheep, cows and chickens.

Because it was such a rural area, we also saw nature in a way I’ve never witnessed it before. Picture this: my partner and I were walking through a large, stunning glade of trees. The sun was streaming brightly through the leaves, it was like something out of a fairy tale or a fantasy movie. You could quite literally see the beams of light shining down amongst the trees. Suddenly, something caught the corner of our eyes. Next to us were a couple of sheep who had passed away some time ago and had clearly been there a while. Not a sight you normally see, and it shocked me to my core. I got quite emotional. Of course, I found it upsetting first and foremost. But, I also couldn’t help but feel that they were in such a beautiful resting place. With the sun radiating up above, the wind rustling the leaves and branches, surrounded and protected by big, looming trees. When I first walked into that glade, little did I know that it would be such a thought-provoking moment for me. Nature, in both its grotesque ugliness and its sheer beauty.

We always knew that this holiday would be a special one. Finally, we would be able to experience what we’d been dreaming of for months. A year on, I’m still so grateful that we got to go. It made us reconsider our lives in so many ways, and we came home full of ideas about how we can alter our lifestyles. We were keen to take a slice of the peace and tranquility home with us.

When you’re away from technology, with no phone signal or Wi-Fi, plus living in a small space with not a lot to it, it truly makes you appreciate what you have. It also makes you realise that you can live a simple life. Neither of us wanted to go back home and live our lives in the same way. Of course, it’s not always easy. Real life gets in the way, old habits die hard, and sometimes it can be really difficult to make meaningful change when you have lived a certain way for such a long time. Change does not happen overnight. But, having the intention to break the cycle and knowing that you can is the first step. Though we haven’t yet broken all of our bad habits, this trip made my partner and I realise we had to find somewhere else to live. At the start of this year, we took that step and moved somewhere more rural than where we had been living. We had been inspired to make positive, lasting change in our lives, and we know now that we feel much happier and calmer when closer to nature.

I was astonished at how much good you can achieve in a day when you don’t have external stimulations and distractions. The mind quietens, and being at the cabin made all of my life worries and stresses feel so insignificant. I couldn’t help but feel like it was how we were supposed to be living. I loved our time away in Wales. We got to celebrate this exciting new chapter in our lives, plus we spent quality time completely focused on our wellbeing. I will remember that week for many years to come as it was magical. I left home and went to Wales, and in doing so, I came home to myself.