ED HUNT has the sort of sinewy, sun-toughened body that tells you all you need to know about life in a yurt in the Ronda mountains of southern Spain. The battle for water to keep the family, the garden and the vegetables alive; the battle to clear the scrub to grow veg and wild flowers; the battle with the eco-lifestyle that he, his wife, Henry, and their two children are committed to – compost loos, solar power, wood-burning stoves and as much self-sufficient food as the soil will allow. Life in a yurt is as romantic as you imagine it to be, but that doesn’t make it easy.

“When I bought the land, we wanted to turn it into a yurt village, and provide people with healing treatments,” says Ed. But his business partner changed his mind, and Ed was on the verge of selling up and heading back to England when he met Henry. Her passion for Spain was ignited by a childhood spent in Madrid, and as soon as she saw the beauty of Ed’s land, she persuaded him they could make a go of it together.

And so, living their version of The Good Life, along came the kids, dogs, rabbits, pool, wild-flower meadows, sunshine – every parent’s fantasy for family life. Ed owned a yurt he had imported from Afghanistan, but they discovered there was a yurt dealer in Granada, so the idea for a yurt hotel was born. Henry’s cordon-bleu cookery skills completed the package, and now, three years into the project, two-year-old Florence wanders around greeting the guests in Spanish, while Henry knocks up meals for 10 in between breast-feeding their new baby, Isla.

Of course, life is never as paradisiacal as it appears. But it is testament to Ed and Henry’s determination and commitment to their value system that they have stuck by their dream.

The lifestyle itself may be rustic, but Ed and Henry’s conversions are a masterclass in how to make a yurt an utterly desirable home (Henry’s mother worked for Graham & Green for a number of years, and old family heirlooms such as Ed’s wooden cradle add charm and authenticity). “The trick is to see it as a house, rather than a tent,” says Henry. “People forget you can have a kitchen, a comfy sofa and nice furniture – you can do what you want with yurts. Ed built a fitted kitchen and wood-burning stove in ours, and we’re as cosy as anything.”

Family come to visit three times a year – “Ed’s dad wants his own yurt here” – and with broadband internet and radios, they don’t feel cut off. What’s more, the unconventional lifestyle attracts an unconventional visitor, and summer evenings under the pergola always produce an interesting mix of characters.“We have great guests,” says Henry, “most of whom have never experienced yurt life before, but they adore it – people find they sleep really well.”

As for having two young children: “In some ways, that has been easier, as you’re not surrounded by friends with kids telling you how to do it – we’ve just done it our way,” says Henry. “Florence loves it,” adds Ed. “She just wanders around naked and barefoot, going completely feral.”

For all their dedication to yurt living, there are plans in the future to build a house, but neither of them seems in any hurry. So, what’s the one thing they miss? “A night out with our mates, and a curry,” says Ed.

Hoopoe Yurt Hotel, Cortes de la Frontera.

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Living Within Tent - Sunday Times
Sunday, 05 August 2007
ED HUNT has the sort of sinewy, sun-toughened body that tells you all you need to know about life in a yurt in the Ronda mountains of...

© 2012 - Secret Andalucia - Guadiaro Valley, near Ronda

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