Cabins in the Wild with Dick Strawbridge Press Pack

10 May 2017

In this new series, engineer Dick Strawbridge and master craftsman Will Hardie follow an ingenious competition to build a pop up hotel made up of eight stunning and unique cabins in the wild.

As a nation we can’t get enough of small luxurious spaces, even former prime ministers need a little cabin to retreat to. In this programme we see the glorious possibilities of the once humble cabin realised as eight extraordinarily beautiful and bespoke cabins are created to form a mobile pop up hotel for the public to enjoy.

The series charts the build of these cabins and follows eight teams from across the UK who have been part of a tender competition to design unique cabins themed on the mythology, tradition and beauty of Wales.

Dick Strawbridge and Will Hardie will also be designing and implementing their own creation, a ninth cabin. At key stages of the builds, Will and Dick will visit each of the other eight cabins as well as existing inspirational structures across the UK.

Two of the huts will be revealed in each episode; one of which is chosen as the winner to go through to the final. In the last episode, one of the four finalists will be named winner of Cabin Fever 2017. There is no cash prize, just the prestige of winning the title. The eight structures will form Wales’s first luxury pop-up glamping hotel.

Cabins in the Wild with Dick Strawbridge airs at 8pm on Sunday 21 May on Channel 4

Here is more information about the eight cabins featured in the series:

DRAGON’S EYE

Inspired by the legend that is the Welsh dragon, this eye-shaped pod could fool passers-by into thinking such a creature was hiding in the great outdoors. The exterior will be covered with stainless steel shingles resembling a dragon’s scales. And the cabin features a wet room and wood burner for cooking and heating.

LITTLE DRAGON

This vertical unit celebrates the best Wales has to offer. The three prongs represent the dragon’s foot, the overall design is inspired by Wales’s famous industrial past and the steel door displays the country’s iconic Celtic knotwork. The layout features a sleeping area upstairs and panoramic glazing at both levels provides for magnificent views across the Welsh landscape.

ARTHUR’S CAVE

This design is inspired by the legend of King Arthur and a cave where he and his knights slept while travelling – it is said it could be discovered once but never again. Locally sourced sheep’s wool insulation will be placed within the panels to provide a high level of thermal insulation and the build benefits from a full width window to offer panoramic views of the Welsh landscape.

BLACK HAT

This unusual structure is inspired by France’s failed attempt of a British invasion through Fishguard back in 1797. It is said that as the French began their assault, hundreds of local Welsh women came to witness the fighting between the French and the local militia. Dressed in their traditional scarlet tunics and tall black hats they were a formidable sight and at a distance may have been mistaken for British army Redcoats – suffice to say the French didn’t stick around for long. A king-sized bed fits within the upper floor of the hat and the domed roof allows for stargazing opportunities.

ANIMATED FOREST

This nature-inspired building sits on legs high above the ground and explores the theme of the ‘animated forest’ shaping the Welsh landscape. Inspired by the poem Cad Goddeu, meaning ‘battle of the trees’, from the medieval Welsh manuscript known as the “Book of Taliesin” the unit will be developed to give the impression of movement. Its highlights include a padded sleeping area and a stove area with featured chimney above, as well as a box window designed to catch the morning sun to wake travellers naturally. It will use raw materials derived from the Welsh landscape including timber, steel, slate and leather.

MINER’S LEGEND

This cabin is a tribute to the Wales’s mining industry – a Welsh legend that spans generations and landscapes across the country. Visitors are invited to enter the cabin by crawling through a small tunnel, allowing them access into an angular corridor space only lit by borrowed light. From here they can follow a glow of light from the main space which extends to the full available height with large windows that provide scenic views of the great outdoors beyond. Visitors must return into the tunnels to discover the washroom and to climb a flight of steep steps to the sleeping area, from where they can enjoy panoramic views from their bed.

SKYHUT

As a country, Wales has the highest percentage of sky designated as an ‘International Dark Sky’ area making it one of the most outstanding places in the world to stargaze. The SKYHUT is designed to provide a unique place to experience the sky, taking its inspiration from Cadair Idris where legend states that travellers sleeping out under the night sky awaken as madmen or poets.

SLATE CABIN

Inspired by the Welsh landscape, this cabin is based on the material Wales is built on, and of – slate. Slate Cabin is the perfect place to experience the silence and solitude of the Welsh landscape. This place of retreat is designed to reinvigorate those who stay there. Drawing upon the restrained elegance of Japanese and Danish design, the space is almost monastic in its use of simple, minimal materials. The cabin is clever and compact, with a built-in table that’s perfect for two and a raised bed platform for rest and relaxation. Natural light bathes the space, and a pot-bellied stove brings warmth and cosiness. At one end of the cabin, a seat and desk frame a picturesque view of the Welsh landscape. It’s the perfect spot to sit with a cup of tea and a book. 

Note to Editors

All cabins are winning designs from the Epic Retreats project, chosen through a competition tender which is part funded by Visit Wales to support the Year of Legends 2017. The campaign invited architects and designers from across the world to create unique mobile cabins themed on the mythology, tradition and beauty of Wales.

All the cabins are built using Welsh materials. The cabins are available for the public to book and will be placed in the following locations:

• Castell y Bere – Mon 5-Fri 30 June
• Llyn Peninsula – Mon 10 July-Fri 11 Sept

In all three hand-picked locations the eight cabins will be arranged to have a communal area including a fridge for food storage, on-site BBQ and eating area.

Each custom-made unit includes a king size bed, kitchen area, living area with woodburner and en-suite facilities.