I can feel myself relaxing already. Can’t you?
The Penquoit centre in Pembrokeshire takes you by surprise. We have so many hostels which target busy modern youngsters charging from wifi hotspot to Soy Latte and back, whose funky urban interiors race the heartbeat up to the pace of modern life. And then we have Penquoit. I was surprised they don’t have a website. But why should I have been?
They are unapologetically slow. Slow like ‘slow food’ or ‘slow travel’; like slow down and enjoy the real things in life.
I was surprised by the buildings of Penquoit. Charming, low slung long houses converted to accommodation, warmed by wood burners – slow down. Pembrokeshire long houses are traditional homes, like their Irish and Scottish crofting cousin sin which families and livestock lived together. i was surprised by the one simply described as ‘a long room ideal for group activities, workshops and creativity’. Creativity. Slow down. They’re all gathered round a farm courtyard, surrounded by ancient woodland, rivers and fields. Slow down. Take a look at the picture and the graceful curves of the natural wood. I shouldn’t be surprised to find that it’d all been made in that long room.
I can feel myself relaxing already. Can’t you?