Red Kite Barn

Powys, Wales

As featured in Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. A secret barn conversion amid a forested conservation estate on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains. Red Kite Estate is a year-round escape for dreamers, lovers and lovers of nature. We hope that you come to detox, but if you need more than our usual patchy Wi-Fi to connect with the outside world, ask us about our exciting new option of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite circling above.

Glorious isolation

Enjoy truly remote self catering in Wales for an indulgent break away. Surrounded by mountains and eighty one acres of private countryside, Red Kite Barn offers you a magical holiday home with isolation, wilderness and uninterrupted views but which does not scrimp on creature comforts. You can hear the first owls hooting as you sit by the firepit catching the sun set over the Elenydd mountains. See off the night chill by toasting marshmallows in the firepit. Or wrap up and watch a big movie on the 6m drop down cinema screen in front of the log burner. Hear the incredible dawn chorus from the master bedroom or amplify it with the help of a pudding bowl mike..

Long before the terrors unleashed by COVID-19, we were drawn to how Red Kite Barn stood perfectly alone in the forest, quietly surveying its own valley. Having recently grasped the public gauntlet by building Curved House, Clapham on Grand Designs we had remained impassioned by building, materials, textures, engineering and so with Ben our impromptu “engineer” and friend, we found the resolution of a whole new set of challenges - bridges, roads and arboriculture in David’s native Wales. We don’t know what the next few months hold, but we hope that Red Kite Barn might offer you a place to rest, to recover, to re-boot. Chillderness : in my beginning is my end.

Re-wilding the woods…and humans

Back then in 2005 we re-planted 50 acres of clear felled conifers with native wildwood to attract back the original inhabitants of the valley. These are the trees you see today around the barn. Hares, nuthatches and rare butterflies are returning; buzzards are breeding in the trees behind the barn; and of course the red kites circle above. In 2021 we are introducing foraging pigs and a herd of wild Carneddau ponies.

Now there is another 30 acres that need recovering. Our vision is to somehow create a lake, with freshwater fish and a Byronic island for druids and dreamers, wild swimmers and of course more trees. Ultimately we want to participate in a project reintroducing beavers to mid Wales.

We would love your help: we invite you to bring with you some wildflower seeds to plant around the estate. Plant them with the kids and let us know where in the wild flower diary in the Barn. And there will be a bulb planting initiative from the autumn. A good place to start is our friends The Wildflower Nursery in Pembrokeshire (not far from our Beach House) but any native flowers will encourage bees and butterflies. If you want to help with bigger jobs, like building or contributing to a beaver enclosure and planting trees, please get in touch rewild@chillderness.co.uk

CONTEMPORARY RUSTIC: RIBA SHORTLISTED 2012

What really appealed when we saw Red Kite Barn was its feeling of romance. Its only visitors had been sheep for the last fifty years; inside was a metre deep in muck, which David and Ben had to shovel out by hand. But there was definitely poetry in these stones: each one was beautifully knapped, none had fallen down in 150 years. The puzzle was to design the barn round the original apertures. Then all we had to do was to tease up the building by another metre to create the second storey. We hand earthed the stones, slated the roof, quarried the gravel and felled the rafters. Just the green oak frame is a glory a bit grander than would normally have graced a barn. But very worth it we think.

Natural light now floods the open plan living area upstairs through panoramic windows giving extensive views of the quiet valley and your neighbours – sheep, whose wool fills the walls to keep you warm. Outdoors, stretch out on the new rooftop yoga deck.

Red Kite Barn is a contemporary take on rustic, taking inspiration from nature but incorporating urban twists such as funky LED lighting and a large projector screen. Details such as bespoke ironmongery on the handcrafted oak doors and cosy bathrooms with tadelakt floors will not be missed by lovers of design.

A cool contemporary country escape, ideal for any season of the year, Red Kite Barn is a magnificent building, rescued from nature and restored using traditional techniques.

Neighbours

Red Kite Estate is also home to our Red Kite Tree Tents, unique wilderness glamping pods hanging in the forest canopy, and The Earth and Moon Conkers. These eco-pods are totally private and independent of the barn, but are available together with the barn for bigger groups.

RED KITE BARN LAYOUT

The barn is an "upside-down" layout, with the spacious, green oak framed open-plan living area and kitchen upstairs, which takes advantage of the stunning 360 degree views over the valley. This space can be whatever you like: a romantic space with the log fire glowing, a sociable space with the lights bright to match the mood, or even a cinema room; the living room is kitted out with a projector, LED mood lighting system and Ruark Audio sound.

The dramatic high walled oak stairs take you down to the sanctuary of the ground floor and three unique bedrooms appointed with beds rescued from the Savoy Hotel. Water for your bath is warmed by ground source heat pumps.

CONCIERGE AND ACTIVITIES

On arrival you will find linens, bathrobes and the beds made.

Red Kite Estate is begging to be explored. There is mile upon mile of mountain tracks heading up into the wilderness. You can try hawking with a local falconer on the estate during the hunting season. Within a few miles of the barn, horse riding is available in summer; discover quiet lanes and paddle across the River Wye. Explore our curated selection of things to do.

Back at the barn, there is also a pool table, books, games, DVDs and a home cinema projector for family fun to while away the evenings. After a day of exploring enjoy a convivial dinner around the rustic dining table seated on rescued Welsh chapel pews. Alternatively, acclaimed chef Matt Powell can provide foraging and private dining experiences.

We can arrange a wood-fired hot tub for the terrace.  Should you wish to find out more about the hot tub experience, you can contact Stevie on +44 7791 907387 - he deals with setting it up, all the materials and cleaning it afterwards and is a lovely chap!

BOOKING YOUR STAY

Red Kite Barn sleeps up to six in three bedrooms and is available from £240 per night. Reduced rates for couples can be available at £180 per night Monday - Thursday off peak but Covid has meant that there is not very much which is off-peak this year. However, we would love to welcome you so please get in touch to book your stay - out of school holidays we try to be as flexible as we can.

Red Kite Barn is situated in its own private 80 acre woodland estate encircled by the poetic Elenydd Mountains [Cambrian], near Builth Wells and Newbridge-on-Wye.

Access to the barn is via its own private track off the B4358 road at the village of Llanafan Fawr between Newbridge-on-Wye and Llanwrtyd Wells.