overview
Do you have a busy and hectic life? Do you relish the thought of a lie in, or a long walk over the hills or perhaps a day's fly fishing for brown trout? Do you want nothing more than a lazy lunch in the sun with a bottle of wine rounding off the day with a great dinner and early bed? If that sounds like heaven to you then look no further.
The Gliffaes Country House Hotel is set in 33 acres of stunning gardens and woodland; overlooking the River Usk that cuts through the valley 150 feet below. It is quite simply matchless. Superbly comfortable but as casual and warm as a home, it is a house for all seasons - not even driving rain could mask its beauty.
There are some beautiful short walks around the hotel and the Brecon Beacons National Park on the doorstep offers a plethora of outdoor activities to chose from. Within the grounds there is a tennis court, and a croquet lawn and Gliffaes also has a full size snooker table. The hotel also has a small film library on DVD.
There is a daily changing menu with good locally sourced food, complemented by a worldwide wine list and a warm fire. And if you cannot wait for supper after a day out in the open air, feast yourself on an afternoon tea fit for a king with plenty of scones and homemade cakes.
Fisherfolk can cast to their hearts’ content on a prime 2.5 mile stretch of the River Usk. Gliffaes has been looking after fishermen and women since it opened in 1948 and the houses' fishing books go back further than that - judging by the records the war didn't keep folk away from the river either!
Walking in the area is outstanding. The Brecon Beacons National Park offers an entrancing diversity of scenery, from untamed mountains and moorlands to the gentle farmscapes of the lowlands and river valleys. There are 1250 miles of public footpaths within its 529 square miles and walks to suit all abilities including canal towpaths, river gorges, challenging high ridges and the thickly forested waterfall country.
And there are miles and miles of quiet lanes and country roads to explore by bicycle too, passing towns and pubs along the way. Mountain biking in this area is terrific with plenty of forestry tracks when it is wet and mountain and moorland routes for the summer. The Brecon Beacons National Park boasts some of the U.K.'s finest mountain biking, with a huge network of varied trails that offer something for everybody from complete beginners to real experts.
Riding is one of the most relaxing ways of seeing the beautiful countryside and there are numerous bridleways that take you over the mountains and moors, and nearby stables offering rides for all levels and ages. And if a break away just isn’t complete without around of golf there are some well established courses within easy reach of Gliffaes. The Rolls at Monmouth and the St Pierre at Chepstow are both Championship courses. Or if you just fancy a short game of nine holes on a beautiful country course then the club at Hay-on-Wye would be perfect (non-golfers can scour the secondhand book shops in Hay-on-Wye). The course at Cradoc, near Brecon, commands stunning views of the Brecon Beacons and guests of Gliffaes receive a discount off the green fee. In 2010 the Ryder Cup comes to South Wales and will be played on the course at the Celtic Manor Hotel, about 40 minutes from Gliffaes.
There are endless activties to enjoy in the area, but for many it is quite enough just to be here. Lie in a hammock with a magazine listening to the rush of the River Usk, sit on the terrace with a bottle of wine and gaze at the hills, curl up with a good book by the fire, take a stroll by the river and skim stones, enjoy a long dinner, have second helpings, and listen to the hooting owls at night as you and drift into a sweet sleep.