Busy couple of weeks

This has been such a busy couple of weeks with the run up to Hay Festival

First Caroline and I, Antony and Alan (Gold) had the trip up to Scotland – thank goodness for shared driving. Alex (who does our PR) and David had a wonderful “fairytale” wedding at David’s home in Monzie Castle and in their own Kirk! – just for once Alex did not have her “PR” hat on, they both looked truly beautiful and happy, surrounded by lots of family and friends – not forgetting all the Dutch relatives who were just wowed and loved the castle and especially the ceilidh. Men in kilts everywhere! Ant and I then went on to stay with friends in Forfar – enjoyed Arbroath Smokies and saw nesting Puffins.

Back to the fray and so many new properties popping up – in most unlikely places – Ceri, Ann, Lucy and I have been flat out – visiting new cottages, Lucy taking photographs with Ann behind her and I have been doing write-ups – then Ceri has the difficult bit getting them sorted out and then onto the brochure supplement sheet and the website thus leaving everyone else extra busy too.

Last week we added 11 new properties to our portfolio in time for May Bank Holiday and Hay Festival – do take a look for last minute availability.

Meanwhile Carolyn and I have been on “fox alert watch” from our chicken side window , bold as brass a large , looks like a dog fox, has been creeping up and snapping up our lovely fluffy hens and ducks – no wonder they have stopped laying. Almost one a day has been disappearing until we caught sight of him during the day making off with one of the Indian Runners ….there may be four dogs in the office but they are pretty useless!!!

So this weekend we have numerous family all arriving for half term and Hay Festival – Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages are sponsoring Alannah Weston talks to Dylan Jones – Business Breakfast on Friday 31^st May at 9.00 – for goodness sake what on hour to start! We tried to sponsor Alannah talking with Lily Cole and Steve Trent about the use of sharks in the beauty trade but “pipped to the post” and rightly so, by The Environmental Justice Foundation. Alannah, who is a close friend of my daughter, is staying with us and they are godparents to each other’s children thus my interest and connection. I cannot say any of us here are exactly very fashion conscious but it will be interesting.

So Hay Festival here we come – the Festival Office is borrowing Tomas our Twizy to buzz around Hay and the festival site – good PR for us – we will be over there most days either for an event or meeting up with people.

It is Emma’s birthday to-day – so Happy Birthday – lucky we had a cake and we have all had a jolly lunch in The Star – as usual very good pub lunch.  

A trip to Usk Reservoir

If you’re looking for somewhere for a day trip, you could do worse than a visit to the Usk Reservoir.  

It’s stunning, surrounded by woodlands, the Black Mountain towering behind with a  lovely, family-friendly path all the way around it.

I cycled with Rosie on the back of the bike, and Stevie (who’s training for the Brecon Mountain Marathon) ran.  It’s supposed to be 8 miles around it, but it only showed up as 5.5 miles on the GPS.  It’s a great path, a bit undulating, but totally traffic free apart from a tiny bit which leads to the car park.

If you’re not into walking, running or cycling, Usk Reservoir is great for fishing, bird (lots of red kites around) and butterfly spotting (marsh fritillary butterflies are resident).

You could combine your visit with a trip to the Kite Feeding Centre at Llandeusant, Trecastle Antiques Centre, visit the village of Myddfai, or take a picnic and spend the day there.

Have a look at our cottages around the area . 

  

Our pick of sunny summer cottages

Never fear, there’s still time to book yourself a relaxing summer holiday in the Brecon Beacons. From 5* Welsh stone barn conversions for golfers to properties sat within Sites of Special Scientific Interest, we’ve come up with a few of our top cottages with availability in the summer…

Ann’s barn cottage

Ann’s Barn, Brecon
A lovely 5* Welsh stone barn conversion ideal for that romantic summer trip. Walkers and bikers can go straight from the front door and onto the magnificent Brecon Beacons, with pony trekking also available nearby. And if you’re a keen golfer, there’s a golf course nearby as well. After a long day of exploration why not have a soak in the hot-tub and snuggle up on a sofa. With 15% off from 17th-24th May for a short break or weekly booking and 15% off from 28th June-5th July for short breaks & weekly bookings, you’d be mad not to book! (sleeps 2)
http://www.breconcottages.com/cottage-details/ANNSB

 

Alexanderstone Coach House

Alexanderstone Coach House, Brecon
If you’re looking for a wonderfully relaxed location for seven then Alexanderstone Coach House in Brecon is the house for you. This pretty little coach house, built back in the 15^th century, offers countless walking routes, as well as cycling, riding, clay pigeon shooting and even fishing. For those interested in wildlife, the house sits within a SSSI so there’s plenty of rare wildlife and fauna to be found. (sleeps 7)
http://www.breconcottages.com/cottage-details/ALEX

Filly Farmhouse, Hay-on-Wye
Situated in a beautiful setting overlooking a stunning lake, this couldn’t be more perfect for summer family holiday and group reunions. If you’re a keen fishermen then you’ll enjoy flicking your fly into the lake thats brimming with fish. Or if walking is more your thing, don’t worry as there are scenic walks right from your door. This gorgeous stone farmhouse even has its own game room – though we very much doubt you’ll be inside much given the surroundings! There’s also now an extra 10% off all bookings. (sleeps 10)
http://www.breconcottages.com/cottage-details/FILLY

Filly farmhouse

 

Lakeside Lodge

Lakeside Lodge, Brecon
This picturesque lakeside cottage for four might just be the single best summer family holiday location the Beacons has to offer. Situated in a remote and tranquil spot with stunning views through the trees to the Pentwyn and Pontsticill Reservoirs and the mountainside beyond. There’s also zero light pollution, so you can really make the most staying in an official Dark Sky Reserve!
http://www.breconcottages.com/cottage-details/LAKESI

Beacons Gallop, Brecon
Part of a range of stone farm barns, Beacons Gallop is located on a farm that specialises in horse riding, and you are free to bring your own horse along with you. With Pen-y-fan and Corn Ddu looming large behind the cottage, you can make the most of the sunshine by lacing up your walking boots, packing a picnic, and conquering the peaks that surround you. There’s also 10% off week bookings and short breaks between specific dates in June and July. (sleeps 2)
http://www.breconcottages.com/cottage-details/GALLO

Beacons Gallop

Capel-y-ffin drive

On Sunday, after buying some new water lilies for the pond at Railway Nurseries – our ducks seem to have decimated the original ones we decided to go for a drive over Capel-y-ffin.

The hills were really alive – everywhere you looked there were cars parked up and people donning boots and striding off up ridiculously steep inclines! There were masses of mountain bikers out all trying to avoid the wandering sheep and mountain ponies who seemed to want the attention and had come down to the narrow winding mountain road.

We stopped in Capel-y- Ffin and looked around the tiny and very simple St Mary’s medieval church where David Jones painted the landscape and Eric Gill lived with some notoriety in the former monastery. Bruce Chatwin, an old friend of mine, who wrote On The Black Hill also took the farm here as the farm in the book but changed the location. My particular interest was looking at the wonderful 18^th century carved grave stones – many by The Brute Family of stone masons who travelled all over the Black Mountains carving ornate grave stones with a very particular cheeky and delightful cherub.

Then on to Llantony  Abbey for a simple ham sandwich and a pint  lunch, sitting in the sunshine at The Abbey – I felt just like a tourist!  - but beware always make sure you are good at reversing before attempting that road back to Abergavenny and home.

‘The Aftermath’ Book Launch

I had a really enjoyable evening on Friday with a glass of wine and in good company. I went to The Hours Bookshop in Brecon for the Book Launch of Rhidian Brook’s latest book The Aftermath….

Rhidian is the son of the owner of one of our cottages – Old Crofftau, and is the author of The Testimony Of Taliesin Jones and  Jesus And The Adman.  He’s also a regular on Radio 4′s Thought for the Day. 

The Aftermath is already Amazon’s “best selling” book of the month.  The book is about a reflective act of compassion, a piece of family history transposed to a novel set in post war Hamburg.  I’ve started reading it, and am hooked!

Ridley Scott has bought the film rights – so buy the book and say you read it first; definitely one for The Book Club…

Liz

Afternoon High Tea

My newly married husband and I recently spent an afternoon enjoying the delights that Afternoon High Tea at the Angel Hotel has to offer. The room was beautifully contemporary and the staff very friendly.

There was a large selection of teas to choose from, in the end I plumped for Earl Grey, Rhys however, had a Masala Chai. Described as spiced and soothing, it reminded me more of Christmas! It arrived with an appetising selection of triangle sandwiches, savoury pastries, mini desserts and a warm scone with jam and cream. Far too much for most which is why they offer to box up your leftovers. We however, ate very last scrap! At £20.80 this sweet treat does not come cheap, but I can honestly say it’s worth every penny.

A must try for any visitor to the area, but please book in advance!

Talgarth Walking Festival

TALGARTH is to host its first-ever walking festival next month. The festival is taking place from Saturday May 4 to Monday May 6.
The town has also been awarded full membership status of the Walkers are Welcome Towns Network, Talgarth is one of gateway towns to the Black Mountains, home to mountain ridges around 2,000 feet high including the highest mountain at 2,661 feet Waun Fach
Established walks in the area include an low-impact, one mile walk around the town with more challenging walks of up to 12 miles through the Brecon Beacons National Park.
For further information visit http://www.visittalgarth.co.uk
For more information on these and other activities, contact Brecon Tourist Information Centre on 01874 622485 or email brectic@powys.gov.uk

Book your place on the walks and stay in the cottages close by:

Porthamel Mill Cottage
Maggies Barn
Cobblestone Cottage
Berth Fedw Farm Cottage
Hendre