Selfsufficientish.com

We moved to 10.47 acres of undeveloped grassland and woodland in the Dordogne in August 2007. The idea: To set up a super-eco yurt campsite for people and families interested in self sufficiency. The result: Ran into a bureaucratic brick wall.

Very French. We learnt to shrug.

We cracked on anway, fencing, planting, raising pigs, chickens, rabbits, working with a horse - almost everything the hard way, with hand tools. To cut a long blog short, we're finally opening with one yurt at the end of June 2010.

The professionally made 18-foot coppiced chestnut yurt sleeps up to four very comfortably, and there's a 12-foot play yurt that can be used for extra accommodation, or reading, meditation or long-distance chicken watching. There's a fully equipped canvas-covered outdoor kitchen, compost toilet and more nature than you can shake a stick at.

So if you haven't booked your holiday yet, come and see us. We're people like you. We should get along nicely.

Or if you want somewhere beautiful to run a self-sufficient(ish) course, get in touch. We're happy to host good ideas in or out of season. We live here all year round (in a yurt as it happens) and have most of the gear already (only one wheelbarrow though, which we'll have to share). Maybe you can tell me what I'm doing wrong with my scythe.

For more words like these, take a look at the website (www.ecovallee.com) and/or read the blog (http://thedevolutionary.blogspot.com). Then come on down, across, up or over, depending on where you're starting from.

Alex

How's it going Alex? Have you had many people come to stay in your yurts? Sounds like a very good idea. Best wishes.

Thanks se-isher. We've been fully booked, as it happens. We got a mention in a The Observer piece as one of the top 10 eco luxury campsite in Europe, or something - and were pretty much sold out in three days. Which was superb. We've had an unbroken run of excellent guests and still more to come. Makes me wonder why we didn't do it years ago. How's East Sussex these days - that's where we started.

East Sussex is the same as it ever was... very nice in places but that longing to escape still lingers. Great to hear it's going well then, brilliant. I'm thinking about Yurt living at some point depending what options are available at the time when ready.