2027 Dates Are Live and the Valley Is Absolutely Glowing Right Now
Right. I am BACK. After what can only be described as the beautiful, chaotic, utterly exhausting whirlwind that is lambing season, I have finally surfaced, caught my breath, and done the thing I have been meaning to do for the past month: the Llanthony Castaway website is fully updated with 2027 dates, and they are ready and waiting for you.
If you follow along here, you’ll know that lambing does not just take it out of you during the weeks it’s actually happening. It takes about a month afterwards to feel human again. The kids think it’s brilliant, the dogs are beside themselves with excitement, my husband and I are running on strong tea and something close to organised chaos. But the lambs are here, they are thriving, and now my attention is back where I love it: welcoming people to this extraordinary valley.
Why Right Now Is Such a Special Time to Visit Llanthony
Can I be honest with you? I genuinely think this is one of the most beautiful corners of Wales at this time of year, and I live here, so I am not exactly unbiased. But the Llanthony Valley right now is something else.
The wildflowers are coming out all along the valley floor and up into the hedgerows, the hills are that deep, almost impossible green that only happens after a good bit of Welsh rain, and everything just feels alive and buzzing. We have had a fair bit of rain lately (this is Wales, after all, and we are not going to pretend otherwise) which means the landscape is lush and gloriously overgrown in all the right ways.
I will be upfront with you: the Castaway garden area is looking a little wild right now. Not in a neglected, nobody-loves-it way. More in a meadow-full-of-surprises, this-is-what-nature-actually-looks-like way. If you are the sort of person who books a glamping break in the Brecon Beacons because you want to feel genuinely immersed in the landscape rather than staying somewhere that looks like a manicured garden centre, you are going to absolutely love it. I think of it as part of the charm, and I hope you will too.
The Road is Open Again, Brilliant News
For those of you who have been keeping an eye on things here, you will know we had a stretch of road closure in the valley after a landslide. It was properly disruptive and I know it put some of you off booking, which was completely understandable.
I am absolutely thrilled to tell you that the road is fully open again. A brand new section has been built, and you can now travel in and out of the Llanthony Valley from both ends once again. No diversions, no uncertainty, just a straightforward drive through one of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful valleys in the whole of the Black Mountains.
If that was the thing holding you back, hold back no longer.
What Makes Glamping in the Llanthony Valley So Special
For those of you who have not stayed at Castaway before, let me set the scene a little.
Llanthony sits in the Vale of Ewyas in the Black Mountains, tucked into the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It is genuinely remote in the best possible sense. There is no phone signal fighting for your attention, no noise from nearby roads, no ambient glow of town lights at night. Just hills, sky, the sound of the stream, and the kind of quiet that most people do not realise they are desperate for until they actually experience it.
We are a working sheep farm, which means staying here is nothing like staying in a holiday park. The seasons are real here. Lambs appear in the fields. Tractors go past. The dogs come to say hello. The children might be tearing around somewhere in the background. It is proper, lived-in Welsh countryside, and I think that is exactly what makes it so restorative.
Whether you are planning a walking holiday in Wales, coming to celebrate a milestone birthday or anniversary, bringing the family for a digital detox, or just escaping with a pile of books and no fixed agenda, this valley will do something genuinely good for you. I say that to every single person who books and I mean it every time.
Book Your 2027 Dates Now
Right, the practical bit. 2027 dates are now live on the Llanthony Castaway website and I would absolutely encourage you to grab the dates you want before someone else does. Summer weekends and the peak walking season always go first, so if you have a particular month or school holiday window in mind, get in there.
A few things people tend to book around:
Anniversaries and birthdays – there is something about this place that makes celebrations feel genuinely special. The remoteness, the stars, the fact that you are completely away from ordinary life. It just works.
Walking breaks – the Llanthony Valley sits at the foot of some of the most spectacular ridgeline walking in the whole of Wales. The Offa’s Dyke Path passes through, the Black Mountains ridges are on your doorstep, and you can walk for days without running out of new ground to cover. Proper boots and an OS map and you are away.
Family escapes – the kids love it here. There is always something to look at, animals to spot, space to run around. And honestly, watching children completely forget about screens for a few days is one of my favourite things to witness.
Solo retreats – more people are coming on their own and I think it is wonderful. Come. Read. Walk. Sleep. You will not regret it.
First Time at Castaway?
If this is your first time here, welcome! I am so glad you found us.
Have a good explore of the Llanthony Castaway website to get a feel for the place, and if you have any questions at all, just get in touch. I reply to everything personally, usually in the evening once the farm has quietened down and the kids are in bed.
There is genuinely no question too small. Parking, what to pack, whether dogs are welcome (yes, always), what the nearest pub is (there is a beautiful one, do not worry), whether you need a 4×4 for the track. Ask away.
I cannot wait to welcome new faces and familiar ones back to the valley in 2027. This place does something to people. It slows them down, opens them up, and sends them home feeling like themselves again.
That is the whole point, really.
Stay wild!