Welsh glamping cabin owner named among UK’s top 100 female entrepreneurs

The co-owner of an award-winning mid-Wales holiday retreat has been recognised as one of the UK’s 100 most inspiring female entrepreneurs.

Retired geography teacher, Steph MacDonald, opened the doors of Quabbs Cabin in 2025 on a sheep farm at Rhos y Meirch, Knighton with her builder husband, Paul.

Offering guests a chance to unwind in nature while embracing sustainability and wildlife spotting, Quabbs Cabin has achieved a Quality Assured Glamping Site gold award from Visit Wales.

Now Steph will be featured alongside other leading female founders from across the country as part of Small Business Britain’s f:Entrepreneur #IAlso100 campaign, celebrating female entrepreneurial talent across the UK.

The campaign website  states: “Steph is proof that life’s busiest seasons can also be its most meaningful. Managing the cabin, promoting sustainability, looking after the flock and tending the land with her husband.

“Out of this rhythm of resilience and love grew Quabbs Cabin, a sustainable, hand-built retreat crafted from reclaimed materials, designed for peace and seclusion.

“Steph’s entrepreneurial spirit lies in weaving beauty and purpose from challenge, offering guests not just a stay but a slower, deeper way of living. Her story shows that with vision, heart, and grit, anything can be built.”

The f:Entrepreneur Campaign was launched by Michelle Ovens CBE from Small Business Britain on International Women’s Day 2017 to celebrate dynamic and inspirational businesses led by women in the UK.

The campaign aims to increase the number of female-owned businesses from 20% to 30% by 2030. Through events, content and story-telling, f:Entrepreneur showcases role models to help and inspire all small businesses.

Steph discovered the campaign last summer and was invited to write to Small Business Britain. Last month she received the news that she had been selected in the top 100 female entrepreneurs in 2026, announced in full on Tuesday (6 January).

Steph said: “Having had a full-time job for decades, working on my own is very different but I am enjoying running the farm and Quabbs Cabin.

“Although I am surprised, it’s great to be selected in the top 100 female entrepreneurs.

“It can only be good to get recognition for women who quite often run a business alongside juggling family life, the school run and everything that goes with it!

“I would now love to support other female accommodation businesses by bringing them together for a cup of tea to share their stories.”

Sharing a love of nature, conservation and farm diversification, Steph and Paul designed Quabbs Cabin with eco-conscious travellers in mind, using repurposed materials and incorporating off-grid elements to create a rustic yet luxurious escape.

The MacDonalds also own a flock of 80 pedigree Zwartbles sheep on their 16-acre farm, which they purchased five years ago.

Quabbs Cabin is a member of MWT Cymru (Mid Wales Tourism), an independent membership organisation representing more than 600 tourism and hospitality businesses across Powys, Ceredigion and Southern Eryri (Snowdonia).

To find out more about Quabbs Cabin, visit their site here.