AN award-winning couple, who built a treehouse retreat high up in the remote Radnorshire Hills, are reaching new heights after claiming another accolade.

Squirrels Nest, owned by Llanbister husband and wife team Laura and John Lewis, won silver at the British Farming Awards last Thursday evening for their popular and unique farm diversification project.

Laura and John built Squirrels Nest – a collection of three luxurious treehouses – at the family’s Nant-y-Gelli Farm, in Llanbister Road, in 2018.

In 2020, at the height of lockdown, they created an online directory of handpicked UK holiday homes – which now boasts over 100 properties, around a third of which are in Powys. The Wanderlist was named one of the most exciting new businesses in the UK at the national StartUp Awards earlier this year.

Now, it is their own retreat that has earned them success. “We are so pleased to have been recognised among some incredible businesses from the farming sector,” said Laura on the Squirrels Nest Instagram page.

“We had a great night meeting people. Without the continued support of our guests we would not have achieved this, so thank you. To celebrate we will be announcing something very soon so watch this space.”

County Times: Squirrels Nest is a collection of three luxury treehouses near Llanbister Squirrels Nest is a collection of three luxury treehouses near Llanbister (Image: None)

In order to safeguard their farm’s future, Laura and John decided diversification was the way forward. The couple entertained various ideas, including poultry, but set their sights instead on accommodation.

“We originally put planning permission in for a poultry unit, however we just did not think this option was viable and right for us as a family,” said Laura.

“We are also near a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the access was not brilliant. After months of extensive research, we decided to build our first treehouse at our new holiday let business on-farm, Squirrels Nest Treehouse Retreat.

“We wanted to build something that would stand out from the crowd, be totally unique, luxurious and stand the trials of time.”

Squirrels Nest boasts three separate properties – Trawscwm Treehouse, which can sleep a family of four; Cadwollen’s Treehouse, which sleeps a couple plus a bay; and the Prince Llywelyn Treehouse, which has room for seven guests.

They extended the project further in August when Squirrels Nest was granted a wedding licence.

It is the only treehouse site in Wales where you can get married and one of the only treehouse wedding venues in the UK.

The secluded treehouses are perfect for those wanting smaller, intimate weddings, and start from an affordable £2,700.

As well as the ceremony itself, private dining, couples’ massage treatments, honeymoon hampers and romantic picnics in the grounds can also be arranged.

The Wanderlist is another way Laura and John thought they could grow the business, working more collaboratively with other farm businesses and supporting them directly by allowing them to take more ownership of their holiday let bookings. They have already achieved a great deal, including their joint marketing campaign with popular interior and homeware brand, Dunelm.

The Wanderlist boasts a variety of properties, ranging from luxury treehouses and cottages to quirky stays like a converted shipping container and a hobbit house built into a hill.

Their repertoire of amazing properties includes 27 in Powys – among them the Warren, a quirky hobbit home, near Knighton; Hare’s Form, a luxury glamping spot complete with alpacas high up in the Radnorshire Hills near Presteigne; Plas Robin Rural Retreats, in Montgomery, which is perfect for stargazing; Newtown’s Y Capel which dates back to the 1860s and is described as the height of romantic seclusion; Penlan Lodges, near Landrindod Wells, where you can stay at the wonderfully named Ewe View Cabin; and Stellar Safari Lodge, Rhayader.

For more information, visit the Squirrels Nest website at https://squirrels-nest.co.uk/.