TY MAWR COLLECTION, SELF CATERING COTTAGES

WALKING & OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

There are many great walks in The Brecon Beacons National Park with high and low level walks right from the cottage's doorstep and for those coming with their dog we have a 12 acre park just for our guests and their dogs.

For low level walks The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is just a 20 minute walk away with lots of dog friendly pubs and for those who want to reach the peaks then a marked trail starts in the village and takes you on a circular route up to Fan-y-Big. Maps and guides are provided in the cottages and advise given on how to reach Pen-y-Fan (the highest of the Peaks).

Along with the rolling hill tops of the Brecon Beacon to the West of the Park is home to The Waterfall Country with lots of wooded slopes and waterfalls to explore (maps are provided in the cottages)

Other outdoor activities in the area include: pony trekking, canoeing, fishing, caving, mountain biking, rock climbing, sailing, gliding, hang gliding and paragliding.  Bikes and trail information can be found at the local Bike Hire Centre www.bikesandhikes.co.uk and Pony Trekking is available in just a 10 minute drive at www.cantref.com.

Rushing streams, rivers, waterfalls, the canal, nine reservoirs and Wales’ largest natural lake at Llangorse (10 minute drive) provide the opportunity for a range of water associated activities – from chugging gently on a narrowboat or picnicking in a lakeside meadow, to dinghy racing, windsurfing or white water kayaking. The Rivers Usk and Wye are both nearby for fishing.  Day permits for the Usk are available in Brecon and canoes for the River Wye can be rented in Glasbury, conveniently close to the River Cafe where you can enjoy a meal or some delicious cakes.

For those interested in natural history there is ample opportunity for bird watching. Nature reserves to visit include: Craig-y-Cilau near Crickhowell, where the nutrient rich limestone cliff rock gives rise to soils that support a wide variety of plants, some of which are rare. Craig Cerrig-Gleisiad, southwest of Brecon, carved and formed by ancient glacial action, is the home of arctic-alpine plants and some rare birds. Its heath, marsh, grassland and scrub habitats support many other plants, fungi, insects, birds, amphibians and reptiles. The Brecknock Wildlife Trust owns and manages Pwll-yr-Wrach, a wooded valley near Talgarth, where the river plunges over rock in two separate waterfalls. A range of trees, flowers and ferns can be found. In addition at Cwm Clydach there are beechwoods and at Coed-y-Cerrig there are woods of oak, lime and hazel coppice, which in summer are busy with butterflies.

If you have an interest in astronomy the Brecon Beacons National Park is the ideal place from which to watch the stars on a clear night. The National Park was designated as International Dark Sky Reserve in 2012 - the fifth such destination in the world and the first in Wales.

Please call if you want any further information on the activities listed.Tel;01874 665414

LOCAL FOOD & DRINK

Within reasonable distance there are local wines and ciders to taste, good food producers, award winning restaurants and food festivals to visit.
The famous Abergavenny Food Festival is held each September. Abergavenny also holds a range of markets including a weekly Tuesday market, one of the largest in Wales. The local cheese Welsh Y Fenni is a mature Welsh cheddar from Abergavenny flavoured with whole mustard seeds and ale. Near Abergavenny are the Sugarloaf Vineyards, where you can see the vines and taste the wine.  A little further afield is The Welsh Whisky Company and Distillery at Penderyn to visit.
The Welsh Venison Centre at Bwlch supplies locally sourced meat and other produce, it also has a delicatessen. At their smokehouse in Crickhowell, The Black Mountain Smokery cure and smoke British sourced ingredients - fish, meat, poultry or cheese, which they supply throughout the UK mainland.
The Llanfaes Dairy, in Brecon, produces over 90 flavours of ice cream, as well as many delicious ice cream cakes and desserts.

CASTLES

For those interested in history there are many castles to explore in the area.
Little remains of some of these fortified structures, such as those at Brecon, Bronllys, Crickhowell, Abergavenny, Hay etc. More can be seen at the “Three Castles” of Skenfrith, Grosmont and, the best preserved of the three, White Castle, the centre of which is surrounded by powerful round towers.
The impressive Raglan Castle, near Raglan in Monmouthshire, begun in the 1430s, was created into a grand fortified castle with a large hexagonal keep, surrounded by parkland, water gardens and terraces. Its decline followed its capture by Parliamentary forces in 1646. It is a fascinating place to visit.
At Tretower, near Crickhowell, there is Tretower Court & Castle an interesting and rare example of the development from a castle - initially motte and bailey, then a stone keep to which a great tower and walls was added - to a fortified manor house, which can be seen be one of the finest late medieval houses in Wales. CADW, which now cares for the property, have recreated a suite of rooms as they may have been in 1470, with intricately carved furniture and the pots and pans of a working kitchen.

PRIORY, CATHEDRALS & COUNTRY CHURCHES

In the attractive and peaceful Vale of Ewyas, which is close to the Black Mountains, are the spectacular ruins of Llanthony Priory, which is all that remains of one of the greatest buildings of medieval Wales. Not far from Llanthony, at Capel-y-Ffin, is the chapel of St Mary The Virgin which was built in 1762 on the site of a medieval place of worship and pilgrimage. In the chapel's graveyard is a headstone carved by Eric Gill, who established a community - including the artist and poet David Jones - in 1924 in what remained of the monastery established in 1870 by 'Father Ignatius'.
There are many other interesting and picturesque chapels in the area, including St. Martin's at Cwnyoy with its leaning tower and the Church of St Issui at Patricio, with its intricately carved rood screen. In Brecon is an eleventh century Cathedral, which has the largest Norman font in Britain and a rare Breeches Bible. It is much visited for its vaulting, lovely choir and stained glass windows which depict Welsh saints. Less than 40 miles away is the City of Hereford with its magnificent Cathedral, the Mappa Mundi exhibition and The Chained Library.

CAVES & CAVING

If you are an experienced caver you can explore the impressive chambers, with stalactites and stalagmites, and substantial lengths of passages deep beneath the Black Mountain in the western part of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
For non-cavers there is the National Showcaves Centre, south west of Brecon, with 3 fascinating caves to experience - Dan-yr-Ogof, Cathedral Cave and Bone Cave. In addition, there is a Dinosaur Park, a Shire Horse Centre, an authentic Iron Age farm, a Museum and a Millenium Stone Circle, exhibits which all the family can enjoy. (Bona fide experienced cavers can also obtain permission to explore beyond the Show Caves).

MUSIC THEATRE AND RELAXATION

The annual Brecon Jazz Festival, held each August, plays host to a range of jazz musicians who travel from across the world to take part.
There are theatres and cinemas in Brecon and Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye hosts an annual Literary Festival.  Hay also has a range of bookshops to explore, one of which - Richard Booth's Bookshop, also has a cinema and cafe.
Within 40 minutes you can reach the Welsh capital of Cardiff, with its many sporting, musical, theatrical, artistic and historical attractions. St. David's Hall in Cardiff hosts a range of concerts, ballet and other events including the bi-annual BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
For complete relaxation, a few miles away is Court, a Country Hotel and Spa which provides a range of beauty and massage treatments, as well as a jacuzzi, gym and sauna.  A swimming pool is also available to spa guests and an outdoor pool is also used in the summer.

SOUTH WALES BORDERERS

If you are interested in military history Brecon Cathedral has the regimental chapel of the South Wales Borderers which, as the 24th Regiment of Foot Regiment, served in the Zulu Wars. Also in Brecon The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh houses a fascinating collection of military artefacts, including items from Rorke's Drift and VCs won at that battle as well as that given to the Lieutenant who sought bravely but vainly to save the Colours at Isandlwana.

HERITAGE, INDUSTRIAL SITES & RAILWAYS

The Blaenavon World Heritage Site covers an area of around 13 square miles, the principal visitor attractions of which are the Big Pit National Coal Museum and, at the head of the Afon Lwyd river, Blaenavon Ironworks.
Blaenavon also has a local history museum dedicated to author Alexander Cordell (1914-1997). Southwest of the town you can take a trip on a steam train along the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway.
At The Brecon Mountain Railway, from a carriage behind a vintage steam locomotive, you can see stunning views of the peaks of the Brecon Beacons across the Taf Fechan reservoir. You can also visit the workshops where steam locomotives are repaired and new ones are built.