Fforest group to open Albion hotel in Aberteifi

West Wales-based nature retreat group Fforest is turning two historic warehouses in Aberteifi, Ceredigion, into a 23-bedroom hotel, which is set to open next year.

The Albion will be the first hotel among the group's collection of Onsen domes, crog lofts, luxury garden shacks, a Georgian farmhouse, and food and beverage outlets.

Themed around Cardigan's maritime history, the hotel has been named after the brig that in April 1819 carried 27 families for a 61-day voyage from Cardigan to St John's in New Brunswick, to establish the first Welsh settlement in Canada.

The group said it would retain as much of the original buildings as possible, leaving parts raw and telling its own story, particularly historic graffiti on the third floor, including pencil sketches of tall ships covering many of the internal walls dating back to the second half of the 19th century.

Each room will have "the feeling of a ship", with custom-made furniture using reclaimed materials and Welsh wool blankets.

Having lived and worked in London for 25 years with careers in textiles and illustration, and design, architecture and development, James Lynch and Sian Tucker opened the first Fforest venue in 2007.