Wales: Review of Cefn Barn, Talgarth Wales

When it comes to booking accommodation, some people just got it.

Take my friend Kathryn.

She reliably books fantastic accommodation at all budget levels. She does the same things I do — uses Google, browses a few sites. But while my track record is lamentable, hers is stellar. I once arranged a hotel in Madrid that looked perfect online for a girls’ weekend. My friend Tula took one look at it when she arrived, before walking out and booking us a suitable room a few streets away.

Meanwhile, Kathryn has arranged an eco hotel in Copenhagen with an honesty bar stocked with organic wine, a tidy affordable hotel on the edge of Bologna city centre (where my husband’s ex-mother-in-law was also staying, but that’s another story) and a Japanese hotel with multi-function toilets within walking distance of Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market.

A stylish barn in Wales

Kathryn’s most recent success was finding Cefn Barn for a couples’ weekend away in Wales. Every year we celebrate our wedding anniversaries jointly with a trip away — sometimes grand, sometimes modest. This year we only had time for a weekend away from London and fancied some walking. So we set out for the Brecon Beacons.

This renovated barn is set on the edge of Brecon Beacons, by Llanelieu, Talgarth. It’s done to an impeccable standard, with a wood burning stove, an open kitchen, sliding doors that open on either side.

 

 

My husband and I set off from London to meet Kathryn and Nick there. We used the postcode instead of the printed directions and ended up driving in a muddy field in pelting rain (thanks, Google!). We finally found our way to the well-paved road from Talgarth and down to the barn via a crunchy gravel road. I don’t know about you but I love the sound of a gravel driveway under the wheels.

We unloaded the car in the storm, running for the barn door and inside were greeted with a double-height sitting room, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a well-equipped kitchen. We stayed for 2 nights and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Here’s what I thought:

The look

This is an architecture-designed conversion and it shows. Everything from the outdoor patios on either side of the barn to the underfloor heating to the double-glazed windows and doors to the overhead walkway to the mezzanine lounge and bathroom is done to a very high standard. When the doors are closed, you can sit in the glow of the fire and you can’t hear the driving rain outside. There’s also a firepit and barbecue, although we didn’t get a chance to use them.

Location

“That’s worth seeing,” Nick said as had coffee the next morning before our walk, surveying the excellent views out of the full-length glass doors on each side. You can’t see another building, just rolling Welsh hills. We walked down the road to Talgarth, stopping to talk with the farmers next door who have worked their land for 300 years (William along with his son William who told us about William’s father William). Further down the road we passed an old asylum, beautiful and spooky. British filmmakers take note: I’ve found the perfect setting for your next haunted house frightfest.

 

 

 

Talgarth has an excellent cafe and bakery called Talgarth Mill. Good for coffee, fresh bread from grain they mill themselves, lunches of fresh sandwiches and homemade soup and even special tasting dinners from time to time. That building too is artful, hanging over the River Ellwye. Just down the street is W.J. George Butchers, ranked as one of the UK’s best and written up in the papers, GQ and just about everywhere else. There’s also a Spar, a chemist, a Chinese takeaway and a church hall that had movie night on our weekend there.

We spent the morning on our Talgarth walk and the afternoon having lunch in Hay on Wye (about 12 miles away) and browsing the shops there.

Rooms and bathrooms

We stayed in the upstairs double bedroom that has a bathroom across the mezzanine. The upstairs bathroom has a bath under the eaves with handheld shower attachment. There’s an upstairs mezzanine space — I wouldn’t call it a room, really — which would be OK for a young child who wouldn’t be bothered by the noise of the adults talking below, or perhaps a single adult who doesn’t care about privacy.

The downstairs double room has a pretty metal bed frame and a shower/wet room just next door. Our friends liked it except after you take your morning shower, you have to put on your shoes to brush your teeth or risk drenching your socks.

The mattresses are comfortable and both rooms get some indirect natural light.

Family friendly factor

We could quite happily camp out at this barn with our 10- and 15-year-old, with either both sharing a double bed or one taking over the “loft” space. The outside space before the fenceline near the barn is limited but enough for a bit of outside play and there is room to roam. Parents of younger children should note that because of the stairs and the 1st floor walkway it’s not ideal for clambering younger kids — you’ll spend your entire weekend corralling kids — but they do provide a high chair and a cot (you provide linens).

We went as a couple but I’d love to come back with the kids and do the walk down the hill to Talgarth. My 10- and 15-year-old would be up for it but the walk might be too strenuous for children under age 7. No smoking, no pets allowed.

Facilities and amenities

The wood-burning stove is ace and there’s a shed full of wood. The wifi is reliable (such a rarity) and the kitchen actually had sharp knives (ditto). There’s a TV in the sitting room and several books for holiday reading along with local maps for walking.

 

If I had to be nitpicky, I’d say the biggest disappointment was that there were several burned out bulbs and we couldn’t find replacements, which made dining at night a dim affair. We ended up buying a big bag of votives at the local Spar and eating by candlelight.

 The verdict

We all really liked Cefn Barn and, noticing the for sale sign on the gate, joked about chipping in and buying it together…until we saw the price: more than half a million! This place is beautiful but we had trouble reconciling that sum with the prices of other holiday homes in the area. Don’t worry about buying it. Just book it for a long weekend or a week and enjoy all this beauty for a more affordable price.

My star rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cefn Barn

www.cefnbarn.co.uk / www.breconcottages.com/cottages/hay-wye/cefn-barn
About 2 miles outside of Talgarth, Wales LD3
Weekend and short breaks £300 – £500 depending on the season. Weekly bookings from £420 to £700, Hay Festival week £800.

Talgarth Mill Bakery & Cafe

www.talgarthmill.com
The Mill/The Sq, Brecon LD3 0BW
01874 711352

 

W.J. George Butchers

georgebutchers.co.uk
Cross Ho/High St, Brecon LD3 0PD
01874 711233