Glamping Pods Wales

It's almost fitting that Delyth and Bryan established their glamping site in the midst of a global pandemic. Isolation is the word here. Roads get narrower and narrower as you near their working hill farm in the north west of the Brecon Beacons, finishing with a rumble over a cattle grid and a mile of single-lane road so quiet that moss grows down the middle. Remote, rugged and wild, this is one of the least explored areas of the national park but, once here, it's hard to see why you'd want to go anywhere else. After all, a bit of peace and quiet is probably what you came for. And there's a hot tub with your name on it that has views back down the valley through which you drove and a stunningly starry location within Brecon’s Dark Sky Reserve.

Opened in 2020, Glamping Pod Wales is home to just two curved log structures, built from locally sourced materials and insulated with British wool. Inside they feature en-suite shower rooms, a modern kitchenette (think hobs, microwave, sink, Delonghi kettle and toaster) and a separate bedroom space. French doors lead on to a deck, while, to the side, is your private hot tub and also a fenced-off garden area with a stone-built barbecue. Grab a good book, sit back in the reclining sun-loungers and take in the view that earned each pod its name – the 100-year-old Scots pine in the foreground and the oak wood atop a grassy bank.

Eventually the view will draw you out. And there are plenty of places to explore. The empty lanes are ideal for cycling and you can hire mountain bikes on site or get off-road in the woods around nearby Usk Reservoir, where there's a way-marked green route that's family friendly. For walkers, meanwhile, there's a footpath, north of the farm, that also leads over to the reservoir but for big views it's worth driving to the Llyn Y Fan Fach car park, four miles away, and climbing up to the glacial lake and the dramatic Bannau Sir Gaer ridgeline. On the clearest days you can see all the way to the Bristol Channel, as well as across to Pen Y Fan, the tallest peak in the national park and a 40-minute drive away if you fancy hiking that too.

A little isolation, then, in places like this, is certainly a good thing. No cars, no street lights, no noise. Mountains and lakes make good neighbours, and bikes and boots make good play things. Visit during spring and you could even find that lambing season provides some extra entertainment, particularly if you're staying here with young children. You might even get away with supervising from the comfort of the hot tub.