For many people truly 'getting away from it all' for a perfectly peaceful experience surely means totally embedding yourself in a stunning and remote location, surrounded by nature and taking your foot off the accelerator while slamming on the brakes for a slower pace of life - at least for a few days.
Welcome to Ty Bach, a hideaway within this hidden stone cottage that has gone back to nature and offers you an island of tranquillity in the countryside.
There's no noise, no light pollution, no neighbours and no electricity, so cooking is done on the wood burner and enjoyed surely outside on the very welcoming veranda, surrounded by the sound of the land - birds, insects and the gentle rustling of the trees that offer a thin natural veil around the cottage to add even more privacy.
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To fully immerse yourself in the gorgeous surroundings the bath is outside on the veranda, as well as a wood fired hot tub, both of which offer mesmerising views of the rolling Brecon Beacons countryside. The large veranda has multiple places to sit and be still, including chairs around a firepit or alfresco dining at the bistro table.
What used to stand at this spot was just a stone ruin with only a few walls still existing. Many people would have run from this immense renovation challenge, but the current owners embraced it and drove, fully committed, into creating a beautiful and romantic fairytale cottage embedded in nature and the simpler things in life.
There's no WiFi and no mobile signal, so the intrusive virtual world can stay unconnected and uninvited as you relax and immerse yourself in the surroundings, both inside and out, and even rediscover the joy of long conversations and the sound of silence too.
Of course, there is a soundtrack to hear at this remote rural retreat, but it's birdsong and the sound of the stream trickling past, joined by a wealth of wildlife that can lull you to sleep under the soft Welsh blankets on the mezzanine sleeping level or gently wake you in the morning.
With no electricity, the evening lighting is romantic, soft flames inside oil burning lamps and, if the clouds allow and disappear for the night, moonlight against an inky dark night sky full of stars.
Saving the old cottage from total demise has rewarded the owners with some freedom to create inside a design that ticks all the cottage boxes, from charm and character to an intimate and welcoming atmosphere that wraps itself around you as soon as you enter.
There's a flagstone floor, white-washed stone walls, a cosy seating area under the mezzanine cwtched up next to the log burner stove, plus all the stripped wood and bare beams you could ever hope to see and surely admire inside a cute cottage.
The colours chosen for the interior design are based in nature, from stormy skies grey to soft greens, from deep sea navy to a bright summer's day yellow. Add to this the tactile textures also offering the best of nature - wool, cotton, wood, rattan and slate - they are all present and work together to successfully create an interior design treat for the eyes. It's timeless, not twee.
There are layers of old world charm here too, not stuck in the past but classic, traditional additions that surely are expected from visitors, from the Welsh blanket on the bed to the charming wooden chairs, from the rattan baskets to the dried flower wall wreath.
Designing the cottage from rundown to dreamy has meant a chance to add a few special extra features too. Leaving the ceiling off and the space open to the roof showcasing all this bare wood creates an extra layer of cottage charm to the space and a crown of visual warmth.
The mezzanine level, based on a traditional Welsh cottage crog-loft, is the perfect way to add extra space to the small cottage without impeding on the visual impact of the main, double-height space. In fact, it creates a cosy and romantic sleeping zone, cocooned under the rafters, and a cosy and warm lounge area underneath it, inviting you to snuggle up next to the log burner.
The mezzanine is maybe an expected added extra to a cute cottage, an idea that goes back centuries, but where the owners of this cottage have been inspired is by removing the stone walls in one corner of the kitchen diner area and replacing them with full-length, multi-paned windows.
This creates a very special indoor outdoor connection that constantly invites the view of the stunning surroundings into the cottage, whatever the weather and whatever the season. It's like a living piece of artwork that is constantly changing and forever engaging and a clever way to create visual flow between the inside and outside.
The cottage offers a base for exploring some of the most glorious and dramatic landscapes that Wales can offer, across National Trust commonland, fields and hedgerows that stretch uninterrupted to the horizon and hills, valleys and woodland that easily entice you to keep on wandering.
If a meal out or the call of a classic and popular market town is too strong to deny, add in a trip to nearby Hay-on-Wye that can offer all the shopping, eating, character and charm that you could wish for, plus the famous collection of bookshops. Attend the famous Hay Festival if you get your timings right, and take the opportunity to relax along the River Wye's banks and drink in the views or have a go at one of the river-based water activities on offer locally.
It is surely not a surprise to anyone who has visited or lives in the area to find out that the town was named the best in Wales by Which? in 2021. Find out more about that here. For a day by the water that is not the River Wye or the cottage stream, Llangorse Lake is 16 miles away and a trip to a country pub will take you about two miles away from the cottage.
Back at the cottage and maybe there is one little question that the cottage hasn't answered - where are the facilities? Logs are provided, as are hot water bottles, bathrobes, complimentary toiletries, rechargeable lamps, a BOSE speaker, and there's a fridge in a separate hut next door.
And the toilet? It's a composting loo within an outside hut, not inside the cottage, to keep things natural and also help keep the romance alive.
Ty Bach sleeps two people, with a seven night stay costing from £638 (£314 per person), find out more on sugarandloaf.com. And don't miss any amazing properties, interiors and renovation stories - join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter, sent to your inbox twice a week.
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