Luxury self-catering accommodation in the Cambrian Mountains

With the Brecon Beacons so close, the Cambrian Mountains are often overlooked by the traveller to Wales; but so here lies its charm. Miles upon miles of hiking trail without a soul in sight, quiet lakes tempting midday skinny dips and winding roads that will send even the hardiest road-cycler's heart racing. Think fiery sunsets silhouetted behind rolling peaks, skies so bright with stars one won't need a torch on midnight wanders and homegrown, organic vegetables sold via honesty box on farmstead walls. Here is a destination for the truly wild at heart.

In winter, the hills and mountains which make up these Welsh uplands are piled high with glittering snow, its waterfalls frozen bar a gentle trickle and woodlands silent and undisturbed, save for the quiet pad of foxes making their way through the powder. Steeped in folklore and said to be the home of the Holy Grail, the Cambrian Mountains have almost been plucked from the pages of Narnia, where fairytales come true (made all the more believable when cosied down by the fire of your luxury self-catering cottage, far from the madding crowds).