Stargazing, S’mores & A Bath Beneath The Moon: Kaya At Blackhill Farm Review

I’m unshowered. My ankle is twisted and there are knots in my neck I fear I’ll never untangle. My clothes are soaked through with sweat. My ears are pink with cold and my trousers are coated in mud. It is then, like a desert mirage that my destination reveals itself. A little wooden yurt perched on a small mound, a chimney on stand-by for the night. A bath ripe for soaking, and a rich carpet of green fields unfolding over the valley beyond. Paradise has been found.

There are of course much less treacherous ways of getting to Kaya at Blackhill Farm – a holiday collection of two yurts and a lodge concealed in the Herefordshire countryside – than hiking. You could be a normal person and take a car (on-site parking and EV charging is available), or as we did on our return journey, a taxi to Hereford and a train ride home. But there was something infinitely satisfying about crossing a mountain to get here. Having camped the last two nights over the Welsh hills, with no shower block and a five-minute trek to the loos, breathing in the sauna-y scent of the yurt, the air still warm from its most recent fire, I only appreciated it all the more.

Credit: Owen Howells

Not that you need to have been slumbering beneath polyester to appreciate this place. With its timber framed lattice, wool-lined walls and Scandi-chic design, this yurt is far from its Mongolian predecessors. A luxuriously wide bed lounges atop a commanding oak platform, views framed by wide glass windows. Lie down and a portal up-top opens to the night sky above.

Washed clean of the campsite, I wrap myself up in a bathrobe and let my swollen ankle rest. There’s no need to worry about dinner tonight, as we’ve booked in for the pizza kit experience. With ready-made dough, tinned (Mutti!) pizza sauce, mozzarella, herbs and tools at the ready, all we have to do is roll and slather. Easy-to-follow videos shared by the owners guide us through the outdoor pizza oven, and voila, dinner is served. We crack open a bottle of South African red (a tree is planted for each bottle imported), using a corkscrew hand-delivered by the ever-attentive owner Emily – when it came to light that the previous one had mysteriously disappeared. 

As the sun prepares for sleep, we watch the clouds from the balcony blush blossom pink. A shard of rainbow slips between them. To its left, a rose bud cloud hangs in place, as if suspended from a string. To its right, a white disk of moon slinks beneath the woollen line – all set on a stage of rolling emerald hills, bird chirps and sheep bleats the only orchestra.

Credit: Owen Howells

With a fresh glass in hand, we step outside to experience by far the best feature of the Pumla yurt: its outdoor tub. Inundating it in hot-only water and scented salts, we step in and gaze out to the night sky. I could, I think, remain here forever. Just me, the bath, the breeze and the moon. 

That evening, we make the fatal error of failing to light the fire. Fooled by the yurt’s earlier warmth, we forget that there is little more than insulation between us and the September night air. Having hiked, we have fewer layers to hand than normal, but the provided blankets get us through. We both brought eye-masks, but there are spares on-hand in case you wish to ward off the morning sun. 

Whilst I would very gladly never leave this yurt, there is, we find, plenty to do in the surrounding area – all laid out for you in the in-yurt guide, with Emily and her husband Malik on-hand with further recommendations if needed. Though we are limited by the lack of car and the slightly sprained ankle, there are e-bikes available for rent, and plenty to do within walking distance.

Credit: Owen Howells

On our second day, we head-out to nearby pub, The Bull’s Head. Bandaged up (thank you in-yurt First Aid kit) we are initially foiled by a deceptively deep bog. Rushing back to clean myself up, and with our booking time growing nearer, we end-up walking there via road, before crossing over to the bridle paths for a more scenic route on our return. 

With exceptionally good food and service (it’s in the Michelin Guide after all) this pub was a welcome recommendation from our hosts. We whiled away the afternoon playing cards – if you don’t bring your own there’s a stack of games available in the yurt – devouring pies and sipping on local lagers. My only regret is that we didn’t make use of its on-site sauna.

That evening, it’s onto the main event: the stargazing. Having booked into the Stars & Sleep package, we make the most of the farm’s position on the edge of the dark sky reserve. Post-dinner (the stylish kitchen is decked out with hobs, and all the utensils you need, plus teas, eggs, oat milk and spices) it’s down to the fire pit, the included marshmallows, biccies, extendable skewers and hot chocolate at the ready.

Wrapping ourselves up in blankets we shift to the deck chairs, audio guide and book in hand. Though the first night’s clouds have dispersed, we have made the crucial error of booking in on the night of the full moon – which as our audio guide informs makes the stars 500 times less visible than under a new moon. If you’re focussed on stargazing specifically I’d recommend checking a lunar calendar when you book and downloading a night-sky app before you arrive – the yurts are WiFi free and though data is generally good, it’s not always reliable.

Credit: Owen Howells

Though I wasn’t always sure where and what our in-ear guide was on about, the experience was meditative nonetheless, speaking on light and science more generally as well as the stars above my head. In one moment that low melodious voice asks you to stare at a star of your choosing. No longer identikit static pricks, they shimmer blue, ice white, orange, flickering, flaming millions of miles away. The moon, swollen yellow, pulsing with one of the brightest halos I’ve ever seen, was majestic enough alone.

I return to the yurt, fire ablaze. I sit mesmerised by the dance. I sleep. I awake to the sound of rain roaring down. I bathe outside in the mist-clung air. When the time comes to take the taxi home it’s hard to say goodbye. I haven’t felt peace like this in a long time.

Credit: Owen Howells

C&TH Key Notes

The drink to order: Pre-order a bottle of South African red to accompany your stay. 

The dish to order: Book in for the pizza kit experience. 

The room to request: Pumla’s outdoor tub is hard to top. 

The unexpected extra: Just how much there is to do in the surrounding area (even if me and my sprained ankle couldn’t enjoy it). 

Best for: Digital detoxxing and stargazing.

Don’t miss: The Stars & Sleep package.

The Key Facts

• Address: Blackhill Farm, Craswall, Herefordshire, HR2 0PH
• Phone:  07881977377 / 01432 683846
• Website: kayaatblackhillfarm.com
• Rooms: Pumla Yurt, Sky House Yurt and The Nook (returning 2027)
• Room rates: From £139 per night. The Stars & Sleep package is £390 for a two-night stay (including a 10 percent discount, flask of hot chocolate and smores kit, stargazing audio guide, digital detox Brick device, late check-out, bottle of red wine, bath salts). 
• Accessible rooms: Both yurts can be accessed step free (with inclusion of a small ramp to enter the main door). Find full accessibility statement at kayaatblackhillfarm.com
• Check-in / check-out: Check in at 4pm and check out at 10am. The Stars & Sleep package includes a later check-out time of 11am. 
• Sustainability credentials: Discover the full decarbonisation plan at kayaatblackhillfarm.com
• Nearest Station: Hereford or Abergavenny. 
• Parking: On-site parking is available, alongside EV charging. 

The Last Word

All the good bits of camping without any of the bad. If you want to get lost in nature without the mud, sweat and tears, Kaya at Blackhill Farm is the place to go.