The Brecon Beacons National Park is set to play host to an exciting new development this year with 40 new holiday cabins to be built in the beauty spot.
Forest Holidays, in partnership with Natural Resources Wales, has announced plans to bring its cabin holiday experience to south Wales.
The site of the Natural Resources Wales Visitor Centre, situated amongst the woodlands at Garwnant has been selected as the location for 40 bespoke eco-sensitive timber cabins. It will not only bring valuable jobs and inward investment to south Wales, but will also enhance the natural environment though their sensitive design and management.
It is hoped that the new location will eventually create up to 60 jobs in the area as well as providing an annual boost to the local economy of £1.5m.
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Garwnant Visitor Centre sits in the heart of the Coed Taf Fawr forest on the edge of the Brecon Beacons near Merthyr Tydfil, and is the starting point for many walking trails and mountain biking routes.
Visitors will benefit from an upgraded visitor centre, a café and shop with longer opening hours and extra seating, a brand-new bike hire facility, and more outdoor activities and experiences so visitors can make the most of all that the National Park has to offer.
Gavin Bown, head of Mid Wales operations for Natural Resources Wales, said this was an exciting opportunity for the continued development of the area.
He said: "One of our key roles is to sustainably manage our natural resources in a way that benefits the environment, people and economy of Wales. This partnership with Forest Holidays, whose cabin locations are designed to protect and enhance their forest locations is a fantastic example of this.
"NRW manages around 126,000 hectares of woodland on behalf of the Welsh Government, covering six per cent of the land in Wales. We want to encourage more sustainable commercial opportunities that benefit the Welsh environment for people and for nature now and into the future.
"This exciting project is a great example of how we are realising our ambition to support the right development in the right places."
Forest Holidays currently operates in 11 locations across the UK in partnership with Natural Resources Wales, Forestry England, and Forestry & Land Scotland, offering holidays and short breaks in some of the UK’s most spectacular natural settings.
Their first Welsh site at Beddgelert opened in June 2018, with 16 cabins giving guests the opportunity to enjoy the stunning Snowdonia National Park. The opening of Garwnant in the Brecon Beacons later this year will be the company’s second Welsh location and sixth location set within a National Park.
Forest Holidays chief executive Bruce McKendrick said he felt privileged to be able to operate in the area.
He added: "For anyone who loves the great outdoors, the Brecon Beacons National Park is an incredible place to discover, and we feel privileged to be able to help others enjoy and spend time in this iconic landscape with such rich history.
"We are looking forward to making a valuable and eco-sensitive contribution to the growing tourism economy in South Wales, with the creation of new local jobs, enhancements to the forest environment and the economic benefits our new location will bring to the surrounding area."
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