The Brecon Beacons National Park is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes that Britain has to offer. Despite its beauty there are rarely many people around – even in peak season. Ty Watton is ideally situated with many good walks of varying length and gradient available from the cottage. There are a variety of maps and books at the cottage to help you to plan your walks.
If you wish to plan your walking itinerary before you arrive www.go4awalk.co.uk offers some good ideas.
There are a wide range of outdoor pursuits and extreme sports available locally including: canoeing, climbing and caving, hang-gliding, horse riding, fishing, mountain biking, paragliding and sailing.
Less extreme sports and relaxation
Brecon Leisure Centre has great facilities including a health and fitness suite, indoor swimming pool, squash and tennis courts, indoor bowling green and a state of the art athletics track. There is also ample space to kick a ball around at the Talybont Memorial ground in Pen Pentre.
For the over-exerted, Peterstone Court, just outside Brecon on the A40, offers luxurious massage, jacuzzi and sauna facilities at reasonable prices.
The garden at Ty Watton and the surrounding fields and woodlands offer plenty of open space for children to play in relative safety. Dam building and Pooh stick racing in the stream have become firm favourites over the years. For younger children, there are two excellent local play barns – details of which are available in the Ty Watton information pack which you will find on your arrival. There is also a good outdoor play area at the Talybont Memorial ground.
There is an abundant variety of local wildlife. Look out for the resident Nuthatches, Woodpeckers, Buzzards, Kingfishers and Otters. Otters are not commonly seen but have recently been reintroduced to the surrounding riverbanks. Kingfishers are a reasonably common sight particularly during the summer months. The all-time nature highlight was an Osprey sighting in late summer 2005 – perhaps an indication of more to come.
Beer lovers and tired walkers should pay a visit to The Star Inn in Talybont which is a firm favourite for excellent ale, decent home-made meals and a genuine welcome. There are three further pubs in Talybont to try out if you feel the need to change watering holes during your stay.
The area has grown in stature over the last few years as a destination for fine dining, with several excellent places to eat. Highlights are the Felin Fach Griffin, The White Swann in Llanfrynach, The Cider Mill and The Bear Hotel in Crickhowell and Peterstone Court – details of all these and other good food options are available on the internet and in the Ty Watton information pack, which you will see on your arrival.
If you prefer to eat at home, there is a well equipped kitchen with space-enough to sit eight people. There are some excellent food markets in Brecon, Crickhowell and Abergavenny selling quality local produce. Particular recommendations include Venison from the Welsh Venison Centre near Bwlch and Lamb from Cashell’s butchers in Crickhowell. You may also wish to sample the wine from the Sugarloaf Vineyard near Abergavenny.
If you get tired of mountains and natural beauty during your stay there are plenty of man-made points of interest including a local roman fortress called Pen y Gaer, The Big Pit at Blaenavon and various attractions at the local towns of Brecon, Crickhowell, Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye.
There is a village shop and Post Office (Talybont Stores) which sells basic provisions and newspapers.
Supermarkets
Morrisons in Brecon and Waitrose in Abergavenny (Waitrose is worth the trek!)
“We arrived late on Friday night, stressed after a busy week at work.
By Saturday morning we felt like we had been here for ages and were completely relaxed for the whole week."
By Saturday morning we felt like we had been here for ages and were completely relaxed for the whole week."
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