ウェールズの4つ星グレードの自炊可能な2ベッドルーム独立型カントリーバンガローをご覧ください

We've been hosts since 2010 and the best part about it is getting to meet so many lovely people from all over the world and sharing our two lodges at Blackthorn Meadow with them. We are happily on hand if help or advice is needed and always do our best to ensure that everything is there for our guests' stay. We built both bungalows as stables and a barn back in the 1990s when we had Section D Welsh Cobs and converted them when the buildings became redundant so they are not and never have been residential properties. My husband Joe enjoys fishing, playing the guitar but I love films, gardening, taking care of our chickens, geese and our wild mallard duck visitors.

What do we enjoy most of all? Seeing our returning guests as you know that you must be doing something right when your guests come back year after year.

Blackthorn Lodge is in a 'dark skies' area. It is a 2-3 minute drive - less than 10 minute downhill walk - to Llandegfedd Lake (Reservoir) with its Visitor and Water Sports Centre. The reservoir forms a 434 acre lake which has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its wildlife. The purpose built Llandegfedd Lake Water Sports Centre specialises in tuition and equipment hire. You may also bring your own kit and pay to launch your craft. They offer one of the best sailing experiences South Wales has to offer and is a fully accessible activity. Other water activities include windsurfing, dinghy sailing, stand up paddle boarding and pedal boarding, canoeing and kayaking. They have brand new kit for hire including the first fleet of Stand-Up Pedal Boards in Wales. They offer fishing and open water swimming. Llandegfedd Lake’s open water swimming sessions are regulated under the close supervision of their fully-trained team. Pre-booked organised sessions are tailored to clubs, groups and individuals who want to have a go at this hugely popular activity. Llandegfedd Lake also has 4 designated walks that can take you around the reservoir and into the surrounding countryside. Hawthorn Lodge is also close to three local golf courses.

Usk town offers a range of small traditional rural tea shops and restaurants while Cwmbran - less than 4 miles away - offers a Bowl Plex, Vue Cinema, Community Farm, Boating Lake and a host of cafes, restaurants and large retailers.

Local attractions include Blaenavon World Heritage Site, Big Pit, Caerleon Roman Amphitheatre, Llandegfedd Lake (Reservoir), Usk Picnic Area etc. The property is less than 6 miles from the M4 motorway which provides easy access to local castles and numerous other attractions including St Fagan's and Cwmcarn Scenic Drive

Our properties are situated within an area of Outstanding Beauty which is also a designated 'Dark Skies' area. You can visit our local country pub and restaurant - The Carpenters Arms - or visit Llandegfedd Lake Watersport and Visitors Centre which offers designated walking trails around the reservoir and numerous water sports without having to get into your car as both are within walking distance. If golf is more to your taste, we are also less than 6 minutes’ drive to Greenmeadow Golf and Country Club which has a public restaurant and bar. We are situated within the rural countryside but are only a short distance from traditional villages with quaint tea rooms and modern shopping centres with their shops, bowling alleys and cinemas. You can either relax and enjoy the lodge's Jacuzzis and saunas or if you want to do something more active you can take part in the local water sport activities on the lake or go on one of its 4 designated walks around the reservoir and into the surrounding countryside. If water sports and walks don't appeal to you then you can sit down in the Visitor's centre cafe, relax and watch the world go by while enjoying Bara Brith, Welsh cakes, scones or a full breakfast or other meals from the Visitor Centre's menu.

If you want to avoid the shops, supermarkets including Iceland, Sainsburys, Waitrose, Morrisons, Asda and Tesco offer a reliable delivery service so you can arrange to have your shopping arrive after you do. Other places to visit include Cwmbran Boating Lake, Blaenavon World Heritage Centre, Usk's rural life museum (also Roman Fort (ruins), coffee shops, range of small traditional art and craft shops) and Caerleon's Roman legionary fortress of Isca as they are only a short driving distance away. No visit to Wales is complete without a visit to Cardiff's St Fagan's National History Museum - a leading open-air museum (in the castle grounds). We are also within travelling distance of castles, beaches and other attractions.