This cool, contemporary living space is a luxury low-carbon retreat featuring a space-agey white geodesic dome tent on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Inside there's a big bedroom in black and white, with a wood-burner and one transparent wall with views onto the garden.
There's also a separate cube tent surrounded by wooden decking, with a mini-kitchen and bathroom with a wood-fired bath tub, and an on-site honesty shop where you can help yourself to local food. Its green credentials stand up: off grid, solar-powered, built with local materials.
Every morning a breakfast hamper is left just down the path for you to collect, and evening meals are available if you don't feel like cooking. Nearby, you can climb Brown Willy or Rough Tor, or go surfing at Widemouth Bay.
The UK countryside has had a serious
injection of chic this year with the
launch of new travel company Canopy
And Stars. Bringing together some of
the most quirky places to stay in the
country – from luxury treehouses to
gypsy caravans to yurts stuffed with
antiques – the idea is that you can
stay somewhere different without
sacrificing style or quality to do so.
And there’s nowhere quite so
stylish as their fabulous Ekopod
on Bodmin Moor in north
Cornwall, a blend of urban design
inspired by the shape of the
nearby Eden Project.
Inside it’s like sleeping in
a tent, but with more glamour
– all geometric angles, triangular
windows with countryside views
and, thankfully, a wood burner to
keep it all cosy when you eventually
curl up on giant beanbags. Have
breakfast on the decking before
heading off to the coast for a day of
surfing on some of (in Stylist’s opinion)
Britain’s finest beaches. When you
return later, you can wash off the salt
in the pod’s wood-fired bath.
Why it’s hot
The Ekopod is all
about bringing modern, alternative
super-luxury to the country but
leaving the stress, aggro and traffic
behind. And believe us it works in
spades here – offering solitude and
style in equal measure. Nighttime
is particularly cool; as the sun goes
down, candles keep the Ekopod
romantic and lit, while the woods and
hills sink into darkness.
Eating and drinking
Even though
you’re technically in the middle of
nowhere, you won’t go hungry. Every
morning a specially prepared breakfast
hamper arrives full of rolls, jams and
apple juice, as well as a menu for
selecting a home-cooked evening meal.
The Ekopod is also just 30 minutes’
drive from the eateries around
Padstow where Rick Stein and Jamie
Oliver have restaurants.
Photo opportunity
The obvious thing
to photograph round here is the Beast
of Bodmin. But since it’s as hard to
track down as the yeti, you might be
better off snapping the dolphins you
can often see from the coast.
'Find the decor in yurts just a wee bit hippyish? Well for a modern, minimalist take on the posh eco-tent phenomenon, we bring you Ekopod. The white geodesic tent, near Camelford in Cornwall, sleeps two in a kingsize bed, with sheepskin rugs, a woodburning stove and a transparent wall with views across a meadow to the wilds of Bodmin moor. Cojoined are a bathroom pod with bathtub, compost toilet and pump shower, and kitchen pod with stove and cool box. More eco-gear can be hired including a portable record player, and solar-powered iPod speakers. All you need now is for the sun to shine.' |
