The creators behind a series of digital detox cabins have unveiled their latest escape - and it's less than two hours drive from Manchester.
Unplugged, the UKs 'first and original off grid cabin escape to offer guests a 72-hour digital detox in nature', has opened its first North Wales site in the picturesque Dee Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Now available for booking, those arriving at the cabin, which has been named Marley, will have the option to lock their phones in a lockbox for the duration of their stay. These are swapped for an old school Nokia mobile, with games like Snake included, as well as an instant camera with film and a physical map to explore the area’s scenic surroundings.
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Marley is sustainably built, runs on solar power and is fitted with panoramic windows next to the bed, allowing guests to wake naturally, swap ‘blue light’ for ‘starlight’, and enjoy North Wales’s luscious, rolling green hills.
As is the case with all of Unplugged’s cabins, each has a unique itinerary of potential activities in walking distance. For Marley, this includes a trip to Horseshoe Falls, The Cornmill - a beautiful waterside pub in nearby Llangollen, as well as white water rafting and canoeing - courtesy of Bearded Men Adventures.
Inside the cabin, there’s also access to a hot shower, hotel quality bedding and a fully equipped kitchen with gas hob, however no Wi-Fi is available. It is also dog-friendly as it’s located in a fenced enclosure.
As founders Ben Elliot and Hector Hughes explain on their website, a digital detox is when you voluntarily give up your smartphones, laptops and social media for a period of time to help you feel reconnected. Commenting on Marley’s launch, co-founder Hector said: “The past few years have been so exciting at Unplugged and we are delighted that the number of our beautiful cabins keeps increasing.
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"For the past few months, we’ve been at a consistent 90+% occupancy rate, which is outstanding and demonstrates that more people today are citing ‘wellness and digital detoxes’ as their reasons for travel. This constant demand we’re seeing for digital detoxes clearly indicates that as a nation we’re spending too much time behind a screen, and are consequently burnt out as a result and here, we provide the ultimate solution.
“Marley’s location has been a part of the UK. We've wanted to have cabins here for a while due to its prestigious, beautiful scenery."
Unplugged's first cabin in the North, Luna, was launched in the Cheshire countryside last year and in May they introduced a sister cabin. Known as Peggy, it is located just an hour from Manchester near Tarporley and is just minutes from Cheshire's Sandstone Trail, which stretches for 34 miles through Delamare Forest and was voted one of ‘Britain's Favourite Walks’.
A little different from sister accommodation Luna, the off-grid cabin has a lower bed and a different shaped structure but still has the same amenities. There's also a wood-fired stove with logs for cold nights and an outdoor fire pit for long summer evenings.
Unplugged's new North Wales retreat is the 18th cabin to join portfolio, and there are plans confirmed to expand this number to 40 in other UK locations by the end of 2023. All escapes are for a minimum of three nights and start from £390 per cabin.