Step out of these Welsh holiday homes and campsites into the great outdoors –with walking, cycling, kayaking or surfing all on the doorstep or nearby.
Fox and Hounds Cottage, near Chepstow, Monmouthshire
The perfect mix of rustic escapism and urban comfort, this pretty stone cottage sits between the Wye valley and the Forest of Dean, with access to great walking straight from the door, as well as kayaking and mountain biking. Inside the two-bedroom retreat, stone floors, stripped wooden beams and a 19th-century range are brought up to date by underfloor heating, designer bathrooms and an uncluttered aesthetic. Despite the clean lines, it’s dog-friendly and great for families with young children, with a cot, high-chair and stair-gate provided, a fenced garden for running around in (or barbecuing) and a boot room with washing machine, tumble dryer and space for storing bikes.
Bron Yr Aur, near Machynlleth, Powys
Led Zeppelin wrote some of their best songs while staying here, and were so inspired by the cottage and this corner of west Wales that guitarist Jimmy Page wrote the acoustic instrumental Bron Yr Aur in tribute. Now an off-grid retreat, the family who own the cottage is launching bell-tent breaks on the property this summer. The tent comes with beds, linen and campfire cooking gear. There is direct access to mountains, forests and waterfalls, and the chance to spot goshawks, red kites and stars (it’s within Snowdonia’s Dark Sky Reserve). And stroll along Aberdovey’s wild, windswept beach or up the antediluvian hills that shelter it and the landscape will soon have you reaching for your camera. Should inspiration strike while staying, guests are given a leather journal in which to record songs, poems and sketches.
One Cat Farm, Lampeter, Ceredigion
This new glampsite outside Aberaeron, on the mid-Wales coast, has much more to offer than a cat. There’s a rustic-chic communal kitchen and washing area and four stylishly sparse, heated wooden dens (cabins) for guests to sleep in; each one comes with duvet-topped beds, a fire pit, a hammock and picnic table. And, as there are only four dens, it’s ideal for groups looking to book out a whole site for themselves. There are three acres of meadow to play in, fenced wildlife ponds and a tangle of footpaths to wander, including the Aberaeron-Lampeter footpath and local trails to the National Trust’s Llanerchaeron estate. Or head to the coast, four miles away, to spot dolphins.
Plas Curig Cottage, Betws-y-Coed, Snowdonia
Snowdonia’s most stylish hostel gets a new addition later this month when the owners’ former house opens as a holiday cottage. Attached to the hostel (though not accessible directly from it), this cosy three-bedroom hideaway has a log-burner in the living room, a smart new kitchen and bathroom and views of the mountains from every window. If that inspires you to set out for a walk in the hills, there are maps and guidebooks galore to help with the planning. It’s also so dog-friendly that there are dog bunkbeds in the entrance hall. The mini versions of the hostel’s cabin beds were originally designed for the owners’ two Welsh collies.
The Tollant, near Rhayader, Powys
One of three converted cottages on an organic farm near Rhayader, this three-bedroom eco-cottage is ideal for families. Not only does it come with a high-chair, cot and washing machine but the farm includes a games room, children’s playground, nature and cycle trails and gentle riverside walks (though there’s only a small roof garden attached to the cottage). Spend the day feeding lambs (in spring), or spotting badgers or birds from a treehouse, then return to sit by the Tollant’s beautiful ceramic wood-burner, salvaged from a railway station. The owners can also arrange wild camping sleep-outs as part of a stay.
Willow Springs, Port Talbot, Glamorgan
Maybe Port Talbot isn’t seen as a holiday destination, but drive half an hour north-east into the hills and you come to the Afan Forest park, home to six mountain biking trails, a low-level cycle route and numerous walking trails (kayaking is also possible in the nearest village and, 20 minutes away, you can go kite-surfing on Aberavon beach). There’s a well-known mountain biking lodge here, Afan Lodge, but if you want to leave the world behind, head a little further on, to Willow Springs campsite. Its 11 camping pitches have access to showers, toilets and a dishwashing area but no electric hook-ups, to keep the peace. This summer it is also opening a shepherd’s hut. Backing up to a small waterfall and – like the rest of the campsite – having direct access to the forest park, when it opens in July it will have 360-degree views of wildlife, plus a little chicken coop so that guests can collect their own eggs for breakfast.
Weavers Cottage, near Crickhowell, Powys
Not far from pretty Crickhowell, with its independent shops and pubs, this 17th-century longhouse (or, rather, one end of it: the owners’ house takes up the other end) is newly available this year as a two-bedroom holiday cottage. Though the name suggests indoors occupation, a stay here is really all about what you can do beyond the door. On a rare-breed sheep farm, with a bluebell wood and pond on site, the cottage is within the Black Mountains so there’s copious walking, cycling or horse-riding to be had in the surrounding hills. Start with a climb up Pen Tir, straight from the door, for views of Llangorse Lake and, if you’re lucky, red kites.
Preseli Venture, near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire
This eco-lodge, on Pembrokeshire’s north coast, has long offered a winning mix of budget accommodation, hearty home-cooked food and organised outdoor activities. This year, between May and October, the lodge is making the most of Wales’s Year of Adventure by running new National Trust Coastal Discovery Wildlife Tours, in partnership with the heritage organisation’s rangers. Spend a morning or afternoon walking, kayaking or coasteering with a guide to help you spot seals and sea birds along the coast. Then return to Preseli Venture for dinner … and bed.
Wonderfully Wild, Beaumaris, Anglesey
Turn right after you cross the Menai suspension bridge onto Anglesey and it’s a 20-minute drive to this glampsite, on a working farm outside Beaumaris. Book one of its four luxury canvas lodges and you can explore the 200 acres of fields, woods and stream that surround them in comfort (each one has three bedrooms, a kitchen, flushing toilet, gas-powered shower and views of Snowdonia). Mountain biking, kayaking, wild swimming, surfing and hiking are all possible within an hour’s drive, but there’s plenty to do on the doorstep, with Lleiniog Beach an hour’s walk away and the Telor cycle trail passing right by the campsite (hire bikes in Beaumaris). If the rain descends, take shelter at Anglesey Sea Zoo, 30 minutes’ south; this year sees three new exhibits: one on lumpfish, one on rare British spiny seahorses and one on moon jellyfish.
Glamping under Stars: Shepherd’s Hut, Flintshire
For an off-the-beaten-track holiday in Wales, head to the Clwydian mountains in the north of the country; you’ll rarely have to share its footpaths, mountain biking trails or kayaks with more than a handful of fellow adventurers. Base yourself at this new shepherd’s hut in the grounds of a farmhouse outside Mold, and when you’ve slept in its bed, showered in its private (separate) bathroom and breakfasted by its wood-burning stove – or out on its picnic table – set off on local footpaths or bridleways, or venture further afield; Snowdonia and Lake Bala are a short drive away.
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