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This article is about a 2 acre plot of 'adopted' and adapted forest land located in very rural  West Wales that is extremely difficult to find even via Google earth, blink while driving and you miss the entrance to land that lays half a mile away. Sound appealing to you ?.

This 'strip' of land was modified, built on and is lived in with the emphasis of a peacefull and part self sufficient lifestyle.

Generally land is wanted squarer or more compact in shape rather than elongate.
This elongated strip of land is located on a hevily wooded hillside of a shallow, forested valley in West Wales. To get to the plot requires navigation and a a slow drive so is not for the feint hearted nor the speedy so peacefull country locations and solitutde seekers will love the place.

The entrance to the track that leads to this Welsh strip of woodland is just outside a small, picturesque village that attracts many tourists throughout the summer months and is a river sided village. Just on the edge of the village (approx 3/4 mile) is a bungalo at the side of a track with the only sign that there is any life in the hilled forest beyond, is the private letterbox attached to a post and the alluminium dustbin labelled 'parcels'. Drive past the letter box and the parcel dustbin, and immediately you are going uphill through the narrow track that will just accommodate a Luton van for moving with. Open the alluminium cattle gate and then close it again and you then start again less steeply but still uphill through a dirt tracked avenue of oak trees, a country track that turns into a mud track during heavy rain periods and wet winters .

The track and the entrance.

At the end of the ancient avenue of historic oaks and just before the second and final gate, looking left you get a stunning, uninterupted view down the valley where you can clearly see the winding river Teifi, now a mile away flowing to the sea, exiting near Cardigan. The River Teifi contains trout and is profilific for migrating Salmon with local rumours of over 100 salmon being caught in one day near a local village bridge and not far from this plot of land. 100 or 1 salmon, eitherway shows the nature of the place and it's beautifull surroundings simply speak for themselves, just being there is a pleasure to both ones heart and soul.

Past the valley view on the left (sorry no piccie so as to keep privacy for the owner) and through the second gate or over the cattle grid, the track then offers 3 choices, forward, right or left. The track to the left carrys on a gentle level through the still continuing avenue of oaks that changes to hedgerow, the centre split in the track angles upwards and right then swings round through a rough but curved groove cut through the earth by diggers, the curve topped with silver birch and a mixture of nettles, thorn bushes, bramble, pretty flowered weeds, fox glove and a few other types of plant, to straighten up through more track which is heavily banked eitherside then slowly emerging at the top of this wind, the land opens to a stretch about 25 metres in width and 100 metres in length with the left hand fork in the track, though not visible, running along the downside of the left side of the open stretch, to the right, the bank continues and is full of silver birch and the usual undergrowth.

On the right of the open stretch is a large workshop / shed that is well insulated, powered by electricity and is as welll made as the house itself . Looking to the left from the shed is a large Polytunnel, with legs set in concrete to make a permanent fixture. The polytunnel is perfect for the keen self grower and contains extremely well maintained soil that has obviously been turned over regularly for for at least a few years but even if left would probably be as good in two years time as it is now untouched.

This is a strange set up to say the least when copmpared to regular land layouts, but under the circumstances, two acres of land, mainly wooded and on a slope, meant that the only way to make this 'cheap purchase' function, was to cut a level length actually through the area, and it actually feels right once, you get used to it, which doesn't take long and can probably be compared to the Marmite advert where you would either love it for what it is or hate it as it's so different to the 'norm'.

The owner has been living on this plot for nearly 6 years and though he didn't cut the level ground out himself, he did have a lot of work to do, clearing up, cutting trees, filling pot holes, making foundations for the wooden house etc. One problem with scenario is drainage, being in the middle of a hill and on a flat of land near the West coast of Wales means a lot of rain water as the lower hillside must take the water from the higher hill, so drainage of even the simplest form was required and this was accomplished by simply grooving out the edge of the flat land and the steep join so that most water bypasses as naturally as possible though on very wet days. Limited access also makes the work harder so diggers, lorries for deliveries or removing soil etc all need to be carefully managed and take twice as much work as your conventional squared and level plot of land scenario.

You can't even hear traffic from the road that led to the track, it is so peacefull that after the initial surprise  of the area and how the layout has been formed, you feel mmediately relaxed. The house isn't much narrower than the section of the strip of land it is embedded on, so to take the 'literal edge' of the drop to the track below, away, a timber balcony has been implemented to very good use and really does finish the place off with a 'balcony in the trees' as opposed to what would otherwise been a pathway alongside the house with leafy drop to a track.

The trees in front of the balcony have been trimmed to allow for the stunning views across the narrow valley to the forest the otherside. All loose and fallen wood goes into the woodburner inside the small yet spacious wooden house that warms without problem and stays cosy. The feeling from the views is that you are up among the trees, it's only an illusion of course but tree lovers will understand the feeling of being at height level with the tops of trees and the proud owner of a detatched house that warms itself from the dead wood that falls from the acre and a half of silver birch and other trees, has wild garlic growing naturally around the structure, bamboo and other non native plants thriving in what could be a scene from Vietnam or Asia, stars that mingle with the shadow of the Milky Way on clear nights and animal noises not normally heard by UK residents. Food can be grown in the poly tunnel, wicker baskets are made by hand on the balcony and wood turning in the shed near the entrance, the washing machine is in a seperate utility room near the house and the water supply is via a bore hole with natural spring water pumped directly to the polytunnel for mist spray, include chickens in the hen house within view from the windows and we have a very secluded, yet happy existence enjoyed by both man and very happy nature.

This is a little haven in West Wales that is still being developed,needs tidyng up a bit and when tidied up needs tidying agin as the plants love it here and grow fast, strong and healthily, some color could be added as the area is generally green apart from a few moments throughout the year, is not quite a smallholding but could edge that way quite easily.

What could still be a strip of naturally populated wooded area is now lived in comfortably and peacefully at a price that would have been tenfold had the location been more commercially viable and I must say it  was a real pleasure to stay there.