Chance to feast on spectacular views of valley
IF you fancy stunning views with your meal – you’d be hard pushed to beat a verdant South Wales valley.
And new outdoor dining pods overlooking the Afan Valley make that experience even more extraordinary.
Bryn Bettws Lodge & Bike Park has been serving food indoors for the past 10 years, and has just been renovated featuring a log fire in their lodge.
The work has included the introduction of four outside dining domes, which seat up to six people.
Each dome has a small fire as a centrepiece to provide heat.
But it is the views they provide which make them so special.
Manager Jenna Griffiths said: “We wanted to do something that nowhere else offered, and makes the best of the wonderful scenery and location.
“The domes have only been open a few days, but we’ve already had an overwhelming response, beyond what we expected.
“The weather has been awful over the past few days, but that only adds to the experience.
“You can hear the rain bouncing off the outside, but you are warm and dry inside. And, of course, when the weather is good the views are unbeatable.”
The lodge in Pontrhydyfen is in the heart of the valley popular with mountain bikers.
And they say they have noticed a change in those visiting to ride along the hillsides.
“It used to be that it was largely men coming on their bikes, but we’ve seen more and more families coming along now. It is just a lovely part of the world.
“Where we are has quite poor mobile phone reception – but that is part of the appeal.
“It means people can forget about their phones for while, and just relax and unwind and escape from it all.
“We have accommodation and great food, and now these domes making the dining experience even more spectacular.”