Build A Bug Hotel

Build a Bug Hotel

A Hands-On Nature Experience for Families | July 11–12 | Pontybat Farm, Brecon £45 per family

The Experience

Come and build your very own bug hotel this July at Pontybat Farm. A hands-on half day where your family chooses, sorts, and fills a real pallet bug hotel with natural materials, plants a green roof, and builds an ivy frame that will grow all summer long.

Pick from stones, fir cones, twigs, straw, bark, drilled branches and terracotta pots.  Every hotel ends up completely different, appealing to a wide range of different bugs and insects. Then plant ivy and build a hazel frame for it to climb. It'll grow through the summer and into autumn, and in December, we'll harvest it for our handmade Christmas wreaths.

Your visit in July will become part of our Christmas.

Perfect for families with children aged 3–12 looking for hands-on nature activities near Brecon.

How It Works

🪵 July Visit (half day) Build your bug hotel, plant your ivy, and get stuck in!

🌿 All Summer Your bug hotel grows and fills with wildlife in our orchard and Christmas tree plantation

🎄 December We harvest the ivy from the hotel you built for our handmade Christmas wreaths

What's Included

Your Visit (July 11–12 - half day):
✓ Build your own bug hotel using pre-stacked pallets
✓ Choose your own natural materials from a collection of stones, fir cones, twigs, straw, bark and more
✓ Plant a green roof on top of your hotel
✓ Plant ivy and build a hazel climbing frame
✓ Meet our newest smallholding arrival
✓ Meet our friendly smallholding animals: sheep, chickens and more
✓ Hot drinks and homemade treats by the pond
✓ A Polaroid photo to take home

Private family visits — just your family, no crowds or other groups.

Practical Information

What to Wear: Wellies and outdoor clothes. You'll be handling natural materials and getting hands-on.  If hot, sunscreen and sunglasses
What We Provide: All materials, tools, plants, ivy, hazel, and refreshments 
Ages: Perfect for children aged 3–12 (though all ages welcome!)
Location on the Farm: Your bug hotel will be sited in either our orchard or our Christmas tree plantation

Available Dates

Weekend of 11–12 July 2026 
Only 4 family slots available across the whole weekend

Morning slots: 9:30am Afternoon slots: 2:00pm

Duration: Half day (approximately 2.5–3 hours) Price: £45 per family (2 adults + children)

Use the dropdown box to select your preferred date and time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What materials will we use to fill the hotel? We provide a wide range of natural materials for you to choose from: stones, fir cones, twigs, straw, bark, drilled branches, terracotta pots and more. Your family decides what goes where, so every hotel is completely unique.

Will we really see the ivy in your Christmas wreaths? Yes! The ivy you plant in July will grow all summer up the hazel frame. In December, we harvest it as part of the natural foliage we use in our handmade Christmas wreaths. It's one of our favourite things about this experience.

What bugs will move into the hotel? Bug hotels provide homes for solitary bees, lacewings, beetles, earwigs, and all sorts of other beneficial garden insects. The location in our orchard or Christmas tree plantation means your hotel will be in a genuinely wildlife-rich spot.

What if the weather is bad? We're a working smallholding! A bit of rain won't stop us! Please dress appropriately. In the case of genuinely extreme weather we'll contact you to discuss options.

Can we come back and see the bug hotel? If you're visiting in October to harvest your pumpkins, you're welcome to walk over and see how it's looking. We'd love that.

What does the new smallholding arrival mean on the sign? We have a new animal joining the farm this summer! We'll introduce you properly when you arrive!

Why Families Love This Experience

🪵 Hands-on building - real materials, real choices, a real result that stays on the smallholding 
🌿 Connected to nature - your hotel becomes a genuine wildlife habitat
🎄 A year-round story - plant in July, see it grow, watch it become part of our Christmas
🐑 Animal time - meet our friendly smallholding residents
📸 Memorable - a Polaroid and a half day they won't forget

Location Pontybat Farm, near Brecon, Powys, Wales, LD3 0PA

If you're visiting in October to harvest your pumpkins, why not combine your trip with a walk to see your bug hotel too?