Looking for a sustainable break in the UK? Off-grid stays are a growing trend, offering comfort with a lighter footprint. Instead of relying on the national grid, eco lodges use solar panels, biomass heating, and rainwater systems to power your holiday.

Why choose off-grid? You’ll reconnect with nature, reduce your carbon footprint, and enjoy a unique, slow-paced travel experience. Think mountain views, fresh air, and real peace of mind.

How to prepare: pack layers for changeable weather, bring sturdy boots, shop locally for food, and be mindful of limited solar energy. It’s not about roughing it — it’s about living simply and sustainably.

At Crashpad Lodges in Snowdonia, our solar-powered, biomass-heated lodges combine comfort with eco-living. Perfect for families, groups, and adventurers alike.

2020 has turned the corner into the arrival of 2021 and with it bringing the gift of enormous snow showers here in North Wales. I know that a lot of people have missed visiting North Wales last year and what looks to be the beginning of this year. So I headed up into the mountains to take a few shots of this wonderful sight so you can see how the New Year looks in the valley of Cwm Brwynog and Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon all wrapped up in glorious snow.

For the past few months since the busy period of August both Josh and I have been busy up in the mountains and this blog post runs through what we have been up to and how we maintain Yr Helfa. The weather has started to take a turn, the wind is blowing, the rain is rather heavy at times but thats what makes running a remote accommodation business exciting and it hasn’t stopped us from servicing the off-grid equipment, carrying out upgrades and taking new pictures for our social sites and this very website.

To effectively look after Yr Helfa with the aim to upgrade every year we split the work into three main areas. The first being power. As Yr Helfa is powered by off-grid technology our first and foremost priority is to ensure that the equipment is working effectively, efficiently and any servicing is booked in by our specialist engineers before winter takes hold. The backup generator has now been serviced, the Biomass boiler and underfloor heating has had a pump repaired and is working perfectly and the fire service has visited and

Llanberis is home to the largest mountain in Wales, Snowdon and also the largest appetites! Days spent climbing and walking leaves every adventurer absolutely hungry, famish and in need of a hearty meal.

So this blog post aims to let visitors in on the best-kept secrets of where to wine and dine, snack, and refuel and buy those grocery’s if you are in self-catering accommodation in Llanberis.

Officially we open our doors again on August 9th and since then we have had many guests who have commented on how blissful and serene it is to stay at Yr Helfa. A new comment, mentioned more than twice on how spiritual it feels to stay at Yr Helfa. On reflection we realised Yr Helfa feels more than a building. Maybe because it produces it’s own energy, maybe because it is located on Snowdon and you can watch people making their pilgrimage to the summit to watch the sunrise and sunset. Whatever it is, Yr Helfa has a wonderful way of making guests feel anew.

More than group accommodation and more than a building - we are not sure what Yr Helfa is but we know it leaves guests with special memories.

Browsing the web one-night last week I came across a brilliant black and white image of a man sitting on an outcrop of rock. Wearing two boiled wool hats, a marvelously well-worn twill overhead jacket, plus fours with wool socks pulled up underneath. Wearing proper leather walking boots, around his neck was a long piece of knotted rope with a carabiner which he was holding in one hand and a finished cigarette in the other looking into the distance.

As I looked at the image, Josh walked into my office with a cup of tea for me, looked at my screen and said ‘oh Joe Brown, he was an amazing climber, lived in the village. He passed only last month’. I had never heard of Joe Brown but I had heard of Joe Brown’s shop in Llanberis where we live.

Snowdon is very much the main attraction for thousands of guests every year. There is no better feeling in my opinion than conquering a mountain no matter how big or small and Yr Wddyfa, which translated to English is “Snowdon” being the third-largest Mountain in the UK is simply breathtaking. One of the best parts of climbing a mountain is meeting people along the way. Everyone conquering the same challenge, the joint sense of accomplishment, the feeling of togetherness, and also joint tiredness at the end of the day, sharing a well-earned meal and drink is simply the best way to spend a day.

The reason why I admire Snowdon so much as a visitor destination is the fact that many abilities and ages are able to walk to the summit. There are multiple paths ranging from slow and easy of the Llanberis Path to scrambles and climbs for the more advanced such as Grib Coch (more can be read about the various

Dear followers and subscribers I would like to begin this blog post by saying a massive thank you for following Crashpad, for all the reviews, the likes, shares, comments and to those that choose to make Crashpad Lodges their basecamp to explore Snowdon since we opened for business in 2014. Here’s a few of our guests that came to stay in 2019 and the picture of the most filled outdoor drinks cooler of the year, good effort!

Almost every penny made from opening our doors back in 2014 we have invested back into Yr Helfa, the building from where we run Crashpad Lodges. Yr Helfa translates from Welsh to English as “The Gathering” which is exactly what Yr Helfa provides, group accommodation close to Snowdon in the village of Llanberis for friends, ,families and groups to gather.  Because of your business we have been able to restore Yr Helfa and welcome it into 2020 as an exciting unique place for adventure. So thank you and if Yr Helfa could thank

Summer 2019 at Crashpad Lodges based from Yr Helfa Fawr has been the best yet with guests enjoying all that Crashpad and Snowdonia has to offer.  The weather has been glorious with our little stream being used by many people to cool down and the BBQ fired up every night.  We’ve made almost all of our energy through Crashpads solar and wind power making us, if I did my calculations correct 91% self sufficient. We were also awarded a 4star rating by Visit Wales topping off the best season ever!

September has arrived with the summer guests along with the amazing weather of 2019 long gone.  Autumn is well underway and we are currently gearing up Crashpad for the season ahead, swapping out summer bedding for winter bedding, deep cleaning the BBQ and getting the lodge ready for fresher days and chillier nights.

One of the best things about visiting North Wales is the amount of fun and free things to do for everyone.  This weeks blog is a list of Crashed Lodges favourite adventures in which all you need is petrol in your car and a picnic.  Leave your wallet and card at home for all these are free and all within a short drive from Crashpad Lodges based in Llanberis.

Watkins Path Pools

A few locals and outdoor enthusiasts know about these pools and they are magical beyond belief. The Watkins Pools are a series of mini waterfalls and pools in which you can slip and slide down from one pool into another. They are deep so great for a bit of a jump and a dive in certain places. The views are amazing as the pools are a little way up the Watkins Path

Do you need an escape from the city, from your weekly routine?

Do you fancy doing something completely different? Switch off from the modern world, climb a mountain, swim in lakes, eat fantastic food, drinks around the BBQ and make new friends?

Then why not join us for The Welsh Escape, your personal adventure getaway, wellness escape, fitness retreat in a stunningly priceless location this July 22nd - July 25th at Crashpad Lodges.

Hosted by family friend of Crashpad, Max Strength, a personal trainer who specialises in increasing your fitness and wellbeing in the great outdoors as well as leading boutique, group fitness classes in Brighton and Hove.

Last week it was announced in The Times newspaper that according to users of Ordnance Survey’s app mapping system, OS Maps, the busiest 1km2 grid square in Great Britain is to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). At at peak times it certainly does get busy, from Crashpad Lodges you can see a colourful rainbow line of walkers making their way up to wales’ highest peak during the day.  When the sunset walkers return back down you can witness the most wonderful lines of lights as the many head torches light the way down.

Last week I listened to a podcast that spoke about how people are re-defining what success means. According to the podcast success as we know it today is measured by what we wear, what car we drive, how many likes on Instagram we have, the career, the house, being able to multitask and have it all.  The list goes on.  The podcast went onto suggest that the measure of success is starting to change with a noted discomfort surrounding ostentatious spending and displays of wealth. Driven by this new outlook growing amounts of people are moving towards smaller culture laden goods that speak volumes, items with provenance, buying local bread and homemade soaps - once seen as humble products into everyday luxuries. In North Wales small artisans have been doing such that for the example Dinorwig Gin, Purple Moose Ale and Heartland Coffi who are all starting to see rapid success due to this new luxury and shift in mind-set.

One of the many joys of living in North Wales is a very unexpected one, Food. I’ve always known Welsh lamb to be the best in the world but what I wasn’t expecting is actually how good the restaurants, cafes and takeaways would be.  This foodie blog entry came about after a weekend of eating the most incredible food after a family visit to North Wales and so it is my pleasure to share below Crashpad’s favourite eating spots for your next visit to North Wales.

Mafon Cafe

Within walking distance of Crashpad in the village of Llanberis the best coffee for miles around is to be found at Mafon ran by vegan cake and food expert Leah. Every week Leah and her team experiment with different recipes and occasionally hold food nights from around the world, most recently Mexico which was booked out.  Follow the Mafon Instagram to find out what is cooking that day and get yourself down their early before it sells out.

Every January and February we close Crashpad Lodges.  Not because of the cold weather or because guests don’t want to stay in the depth of winter. And not because we go on holiday. For 2 months at the start of every year we do a health check on the Lodges and do improvements that we have planned and saved up for from the previous year takings.

As I write we are almost finished ‘tending to the roots’ for the up and coming guests of 2019. ‘tending to the roots’ meaning we are working on making sure that the fabrication and the foundations of the lodges are in tip top condition by getting our hands dirty and doing the work that actually no-one can see.

Have you ever heard about or even tried wild swimming? Think of all the bodies of water you may have walked by, lakes, seas, streams, waterfalls - instead of just walking past would you ever consider taking the plunge and stripping and dipping!

Wild Swimming can be quite addictive and I’ve been told that swimmers find ‘the nip of the water and the zing of a wild swim exhilarating.  Also know as “Open water swimming”  it is classed as a discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers with more people seem to be “going swimming” but not in traditional indoor swimming pools but in the great outdoors.  Most say this is due to the best selling book “Wild Swimming” by  Kate Rew, also the founder of the “Outdoor Swimming Society”

Relaxing by the beach, a cocktail by the pool, room service, it’s the time of year to book your summer holiday.  But what if this year you were to do it different.  What if your holiday didn’t involve a plane but a car trip to North Wales.  North Wales vs the sunny beaches of Kefalonia?! I know it sounds silly but hear me out on this one.

My love of the great outdoors stems from trips to army camp when I was a teenager.  We travelled from our school in the North East of England to the Lakes.  We climbed to the top of a mountain - I had never been so high or seen so far.  Rode mountain bikes across wild terrain and main roads thinking I’d never been so fast or had never had such a sore bottom but laughing the whole way.  Camping with nature in such silence that all I

With Crashpad Lodges Josh and I have tried to go against the norm of what is expected. 

Remote lodges, “off - the - grid” accommodation providers, in-fact quite a few of the outdoor centres in the UK are usually thought of as basic, a place to lay your head, paid for per bed and generally cold and unwelcoming places.

When we first acquired the lodge, it was operating as a pay-per-bed bunkhouse generating a good income.  We could’ve kept with the existing business model but we knew we had to do things differently.  We began by carrying on the business as it was – all of our money had gone towards raising mortgages

Llanberis, home to Crashpad Lodges is recognised as the adventure sports capital of Wales and with many people’s new years resolutions to get fit, why not enter one of the amazing sporting events taking place this year.  From the Rat Race, The Scott Snowdonia Trial Marathon to The Brutal Extreme Marathon in September, there is something for everyone with some races for ages 10+.

 As Crashpad Lodges is based at the foothills of Snowdon it is very near the race path for many of these sporting events making it a great base for you and your fellow participants or supporters.  It also makes a great place to stay and watch the event take place if that’s more your idea of fun.  Either way Llanberis is full of energy with a great atmosphere and will leave you with fond memories of North Wales. To find out more about Llanberis and its surrounding areas visit:-

As the year comes to a close, one evening this week I decided to sit down with yet another mince pie and look at the business plan Josh and I crafted out in 2014 to see if we had managed to stay with the original premise.

Our original mission statement was to provide “quality accommodation for friends and families in the most wonderful setting from which to enjoy Snowdonia and the surrounding area” This statement has not changed, the bones of our business plan has remained the same. Phew.