After a few final delays and hitches, the BIG Yurt-day finally dawned on 18 April 2018 and what a beauty it was. After all the snow and rain we’ve had this year, our chosen day for yurt putter-uppering (technical term) was bright, sunny and warm with hardly a cloud in the sky. Must be a good omen.
As you may have guessed, I’m not able to give you the exact technical details of how a yurt is put up. As far as I could tell there are lots of poles and beams plus a circle bit in the middle, all somehow held together with rope. Hmm. While that description was less than amazing, it is an incredible process to see, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Happy Yurt-Day
Jim and Pete & Co from Meadow Yurts up bright and early taking all the gear to the plot at the far end of the lake:
And before our eyes the frame work of the main yurt starts to take shape. From just a base… to oh look a yurt!
Polished wood latice and beams framing the sky, lake and trees. What a view.
They’re multiplying! In the words of Aggie: “A Daddy Yurt and a Baby Yurt”.
And the canvas goes on. Ta-Daaaaa!!
The Boardwalk & Circular Deck
Wow, amazing to see how quickly our long-planned for Yurts sprang up. And we are so pleased with the final result. Since then, Jim and Billy have been finishing off the boardwalk across the lakes and adding on a beautiful circular deck around the main yurt. And I can actually show you some photos of the finished result. What a beaut!
Sneak Peak Inside
Inside there’s still lots of work to do of course. Here’s a sneak peak of the underfloor heating going in plus electrics. And we also have a rather beautiful oval bath sitting on the deck outside our house ready to be plumbed in to the ensuite bathroom. Nope I’m not going to show a picture of a bath covered in plastic.
The interior of the yurt is lined with white to give it a lighter feel, we were impressed how light and airy it feels in there. And so cosy too! We almost wondered if we need underfloor heating as well as the log-burner that will be going in. But flashback to our Easter weekend break where we stayed in a traditional yurt in Cornwall with just a log-burner and – YES we definitely need underfloor heating.
It was cold and rainy over Easter and our yurt hols were fun but blooming freezing. Even Aggie woke up in the night cold – and she, like Jim, never feels the cold. Actually even Jim was cold which is literally unheard of. So we are really glad we’ve got the underfloor heating going into our luxurious yurt, no feeling chilly here.
The Outdoor Shower
Oh and did I mention, there’s also an outdoor shower complete with lake-view. How cool is that! These pics show the shower tray waiting to go in and then the very smart deck board over the top. Admittedly there isn’t actually a shower there yet….but there will be soon!
What’s in a Name?
We love the way our yurts’ green canvas nestles into the landscape here, blending into the trees and grasses. It really is a magical spot. Next stage is to get the bathroom plumbed in, the flooring laid down and the interior furnished. Yep I’ve already got the interior design all planned out!
We’re still mulling on the name, but because our Pengelly yurt is so different to the traditional yurts we experienced elsewhere we are thinking to call it The Sail House. Ties in with the watery theme and is a little play on the canvas, ropes and oiled wood used in it’s construction.
Pengelly Retreat Website
Meanwhile I’m continuing to type away madly, creating the content for the Pengelly Retreat website, and attempting to take some half decent photos for it. A challenge, with my point-and-click photography skills. The grand unveiling of our website is due in the summer when we will start marketing and taking bookings in earnest. Plus we have plenty to keep us busy with the Boat House build about to start, a steady stream of guests to our Mill Annexe and the whole house rented out for several weeks over the summer.
And Finally
Phew. After all that activity, here’s a couple of peaceful Buddha pics. And breathe….
More news to follow in my next Postcard from Pengelly 🙂
