Revelling in the soaraway beauty of the Beacons
Sometimes you just can’t see what’s right in front of you and I’d almost forgotten just how gorgeous Britain is, until I headed off to wonderful Wales for a few days away.
Surely landscapes don’t come more glorious than the Brecon Beacons?
Covering more than 1,350 square kilometres, the national park features sandstone peaks, moorland, green valleys, waterfalls and gorges dressed in ferns. It’s paradise for lovers of the great outdoors.
HF Holidays runs a programme of activity breaks based at its property in the market town of Brecon, right on the doorstep of the national park.
Accommodation is at Nythfa House, built in 1867 and a private house for many years before becoming a hotel.
It has 28 rooms, nice gardens with a putting green and croquet lawn, a bar, restaurant, ballroom and indoor pool.
There’s an on-site beauty and holistic therapy salon, The Retreat, too – perfect after a long hike across the hills. Like all of HF Holidays’ country houses, Nythfa is tailored for walkers, with a boot and drying room.
But there’s more to this place than just hiking – themed breaks encompass Pilates, t’ai chi, singing, dancing, music, sketching and painting.
Photographers, too, are well catered for, with adorable beauty spots, including the waterfalls near Ystradfellte, and stunning vistas from Pen y Fan, the park’s highest peak. Snapping away, I found the sheep terribly obliging, staring into the lens or continuing their grass-munching no matter what.
There’s a thriving population of red kites hereabouts as well. They didn’t stop whizzing about for a nanosecond – forget about trying to get a picture. But it was a pleasure to photograph the wild flowers, from pink foxgloves to vibrant red poppies.
After lunch at The Felin Fach Griffin inn just outside Brecon, we took a stroll around the busy little town. Brecon also has a number of nick-nack shops, where our haul included a brace of picture frames. I intend to display the best of my photographic efforts when I get home…
HF Holidays (hfholidays. co.uk, 0044 345 470 7558) offers a three-night, fullboard break from €290pp.