Autumn Walking in the Brecon Beacons

My walking friends and I have a tradition of Birthday Walks and this year mine was an absolute corker!

A crisp, clear day with a blue sky heralded what was to be one of my most glorious October walks ever.
We started out from the Talybont side of Torpantau car park (about half an hours drive from Gliffaes), making our way steadily up the steep side of Craig-y-Fan Ddu alongside sparkling waterfalls.

Once at the top, the meandering path led us steadily along the Graig Fan Las escarpment with staggering views in all directions. We then continued around to the West towards Fan-y-Big, our destination. From this point onwards the views of all the Brecon Beacons peaks were absolutely stunning and it was so clear we could see for miles. At the summit of Fan-y-Big we stopped awhile to stand on the famous Diving Board, a huge feat for me as I am not keen on heights!

After a delicious lunch, cooked by our friend Sally on her mountain stove, we headed back the way we had come to finish at Torpantau once more.

This walk is about 8.5 miles. It takes about 5 hours if you include a lunch break!

You could go further than Fan-y-Big and take in Cribyn and Pen-y-Fan, but you would need a longer day.

Autumn Days Out

I thought I would list a few events and some ideas of my own of what to see and do over Autumn in the Brecon Beacons and surrounding country side of Mid Wales.
I was racking my brains of places to see really good Autumn tree colours and after pouring over maps and books Susie came along and said
"We have the best Autumn colours right here at Gliffaes and up and down the Usk Valley walk."
And she is right if you can get here for the last couple of weeks in October the leaf colours here are tremendous. The oaks, beeches and sycamores really via for attention but with some many specimen trees in the grounds there is something different around every corner.
So here we go with a few ideas:

1. The Brecon Beacons National Park has laid on several interesting days out over the coming weeks and here are three high lights.
   Saturday 9th October - Star Gazing
   Cardiff Astronomical Society will once again be hosting an evening of stargazing at the Visitor Centre. If skies are clear their telescopes will be focused on interesting phenomena in the night sky, or if cloudy there will be a range of talks and demonstrations indoors. Read more
   Saturday 9th October - Photo Friendly Waterfalls Walk
   Have you been on a walk with friends, family or in groups where you have carried your camera all day and not taken a single shot? Wish you had more time to take some photos along the way without holding up the group? Well this walk is for you. Read more
   Sunday 7th November - Remembrance Day Walk to a Wellington Bomber Crash Site
   A visit to the crash site of a Wellington Bomber R1465 for a Remembrance Day commemoration, followed by lunch at the Travellers’ Rest in Talybont-on-Usk. Please come suitably equipped for variable weather conditions. Read more
2. Foraging for Fungi in the Elan Valley
   This caught my eye as I have heard the leader of this fungi forage talk before, and he is very entertaining. He is running two one day beginners courses on Saturday 25th September and Saturday 9th October. Rhayder, where this takes place is about an hour from Gliffaes up the Wye Valley. Read more.
3. Take a drive through the Elan Valley

This sparsely populated and remote area of mid wales is home to many reservoirs built in Victorian times to supply water to the Midlands. The steep valleys are covered in Sessile Oaks and look stunning in Autumn. Head for Rhayder up the very picturesque Wye Valley and then on to the Elan Valley Visitor's Centre where you will find information on routes; walking or driving. While in Rhayder go and see the daily feeding of Red Kites at Gigrin Farm.

4. Come to the Brecon Baroque Festival- 22nd - 25th October

Inspired by the Georgian architectural heritage of Brecon, this four-day event features outstanding international performers, including violinist Rachel Podger, countertenor Stephen Wallace, flautist Katy Bircher, recorder player Pamela Thorby, and dancer Katy Sinnadurai, as well as guest vocal ensemble Trinity Baroque, director Julian Podger. The annual Baroque Ball, where the revelry is led by dance expert Peter Brock, takes place this year at Theatr Brycheiniog. The Festival opens with Monteverdi Vespers at Brecon Cathedral and concludes with a concert given by the Brecon Baroque Festival Orchestra, directed by Rachel Podger, which will include Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. More details.

5. Learn Grayling Fishing on the River Wye

The trout season finishes on the 30th September and salmon on the 17th October but you can still fish for Grayling, with a fly on the Wye right through the autumn.

For those wanting to gain more of an insight into autumn grayling fishing, the Wye and Usk Foundation, in partnership with Frank Williams Fly Fishing, will be running a series of tuition days on upper Wye beats close to Builth Wells later this year. Frank is a highly recommended, qualified instructor who will help improve success rates for those thinking of venturing onto the rivers during this spectacular time of year. The days will be held on the 24th October, and 7th and 28th of November. Places will be limited to 5 per day and will cost £65 per person, which will include fishing permits, tuition and a selection of flies appropriate to the techniques being taught. To book your place or for more information, please email Frank Williams at frank@frankwilliamsflyfishing.co.uk or call him on 07824363376.

6. Go for and Autumn Walk (or bike ride)  in Talybont Forest.

You can walk or ride from the hotel up and over Tor y Foel before heading through the forest down to Talybont on Usk for lunch in the pub and then back along the canal to Gliffaes. Alternatively, drive to the forest and do the waterfall walk. There will be plenty of Autumn colours in the woods and especially up the waterfall route.  We will help you with your route when you get to Gliffaes.

7. Gather sloes, chestnuts and rosehips.

The hedges around Gliffaes yield quite and abundance of sloes and rosehips and we have a lot of chestnuts from the trees in the gardens. Feel free to gather up some berries and nuts to make rosehip syrup, sloe gin or even take some chestnuts home to roast on the fire.

Lamb Cooked in Hay

One of our favorite guests and very loyal friend of Gliffaes, Ken Phillips asked us to a arrange a private dinner in the Drawing Room for his wife's birthday.
"My pleasure", I said.
"What would you like to have on the menu?"
"I'll leave it up to you James, but I would like four courses please. There will 19 of us."
And with that he was off. Now, this is not as easy to do as you might imagine as the only guidelines I had was no sweetbreads! Anyway between Karl, the Head Chef and I we decided that if we used as much seasonal produce as we could the dinner should receive a universal thumbs up.
This is the menu Karl came up with;

Smoked Chicken & Summer Bean Terrine with Black Bomber Cheddar Bread

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Mini Lobster Thermidor

(Tail and claw meat with a saffron volute, cooked in mussel stock along with herbs and a little cheese and finished with a herb crust)

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Leg of New Season Lamb Baked in Hay & Rosemary. Seasonal vegetables and Pink Fir Potatoes

(If you live in Wales you get to eat a lot of lamb so we decided to do something a little different and cook the lamb in hay which gives a lovely grassy sweetness to the lamb)

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Summer Pudding, Lemon Creme Fraiche

(Plenty of fresh blackberries in the hedges around Gliffaes this time of year)

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Coffee and petit fours

Thankfully the dinner went very well and we got a resounding thumbs up for the food.The guests brough their own wine which I am only too happy to decant and serve if that is what is required. (We do charge a fee for corkage)

Notes on cooking the lamb in hay.

Seal the leg of lamb in a pan until it has some colour. You need two roasting tins lined with hay and put the lamb in one along with rosemary, garlic and juniper, cover the joint with hay and put the second tin over the top, like a lid. Make sure no hay is poking out and wrap foil around both baking tins to seal them. Cook at around gas mark 5-6  for around 12 minutes per pound. Rest the meat in the hay for at least 20 minutes after taking out of the oven and by adding a little honey to the juices in the pan you will have a lovely gravy.  If you would like more detailed help please call us and we will be only too happy to talk you through it.

In the interests of researching all good days out around Gliffaes, I decided to take Alexandra, Olivia and some of our French family canoeing on the Wye yesterday.I wonder why we have not done this before? What a fabulous way to spend the afternoon. I think I may do it more often.

Having not paddled an open canoe before, I was not sure what to expect, especially with four children in tow. However, as soon as we arrived at Wye Valley Canoes in Glasbury, it quickly became the fun afternoon intended.

With two to a canoe (we found an adult and a child in each to be successful), we spent a happy afternoon paddling our way to Hay-on-Wye. The Wye is low at the moment, and as novices, we all felt quite safe. The scenery is extremely beautiful and the river tranquil at this time of year. We loved sailing past the numerous swans, who are clearly quite used to canoeists and spotted plenty of wildlife along the way and some not quite so wild ducks and ducklings. Swallows and Martins swooped down around us, catching flies for their chicks and we also saw many Sand Martin holes in the banks of the river.

Once we arrived at Hay, our canoes and our clobber were collected by some extremely nice and competent young chaps, who then drove us back to our car.

Wye Valley canoes hire out their canoes for a half or full day and give you a safety briefing, some top tips on paddling and some practice to make sure you are happy before you leave. They also collect you at Hay-on-Wye if you wish and bring you back to Glasbury. However, you might like to have  a few hours in the pretty book town before you head back. Alternatively, have lunch at the River Cafe before you take to your canoe.


The drive to Glasbury from Gliffaes takes about 25 minutes. 
Canoe hire costs around £35 per canoe for an adult and a child.

Picking Wimberries

It is around the first couple of weeks in August that wimberries or bilberries (Empetraceae) are ready for picking. These are wild berries found on moorland and mountains across a lot of Wales and uplands in England and Scotland. Wimberries look like small blueberries but are less juicy and more acidic, though just about sweet enough to eat raw. They grow on a low scrubby plant making them pretty hard to find but once you have found a patch you keep it secret and go and visit it every year.

The great thing about the patch we know about is that it is about 45 minutes walk from where you have to park the car and the walk across Llangorse Mountain is one of the best around Gliffaes anyway. Nine of us set out on Sunday afternoon armed with three very useful' berry combs'. These tools enable you to pick berries pretty quickly and don't damage the plants. You can buy these combs from Ray Mear's website.

Between the nine of us we took it in turns to pick berries and ended up with about 9lbs of berries in an hour. After carrying them home and then picking the leaves and twigs and giving them a careful rinse it was time to make Wimberry Tart. Susie has perfected the recipe; short crust pastry, plenty of wimberries and a good dose of black current liquor or cassis. Served hot with plenty of cream it went down very well in the dining room over the next two evenings.

A Trip to Aberglasney Gardens

A trip to Aberglasney makes for a great day out from Gliffaes, the journey along the A40 westwards is very straight forward and takes an hour. We often call in here on the way back from Pembrokshire to have a look around and to have lunch in the very good cafe over looking the big pond, over which the swallows and house martens skim over through out the day.

The house and gardens were abandoned for 50 years and the restoration over the last 15 years is one of Wales' most remarkable garden projects. There are formal gardens, parapets and cloisters to explore. I think the two walled gardens however are the most beautiful part of the garden. One full of herbs and vegetables as well as the most amazing espaliered fruit trees on the big south facing wall. The other walled garden is full of shrubs and flowers. It is not difficult to to spend a very pleasant couple of hours here and if you fancy something else to the National Trust property of Dinefwr Parc and Castle is very close by as are the National Botanic Gardens of Wales.


Opening times: 
April - September 10am - 6pm (last entry 5pm)
October - March 10.30am - 4pm (last entry 3pm)

Discover more of Wales.

We have been going to the north Pembrokshire coast for about ten years now. Every time I make our annual trip I am blown away by the rugged beauty and by how few tourists there are on this wonderful stretch of coast underneath the Presseli Hills. We base ourselves in the small town of Newport at the mouth of the Nevern estuary in the middle of the Pembrokshire Coast National Park.

The beach here is enormous and most people congregate in one area close to the car park, move away from there and you can have as much space as you need to fly kites, play games, surf and make sand castles. The estuary is rich in bird life and has an easily accessible path along side it for a a couple of miles.Newport, is on the Coastal Path and a very efficent bus service can run you up or down the coast so you can enjoy the walk back home. I particular enjoy cycling around here; head for the Gwan Valley and another good trip is out to Strumble Head. 

The pictures show us on a beach (my girls call it the 'secret beach', if you want to know where it is get in touch) that we had to ourselves for most of the day where we built a fire, cooked our lunch and spent most of the day surfing (well those with wet suits did!).

If you had a week's holiday spare then a couple of days in the Brecon Beacons National Park based here at Gliffaes followed by a couple of days in Newport staying at the very comfortable Llys Meddyg Hotel,would make for a really wonderful week in Wales. The drive from the Beacons to the Pembrokshire Coast takes a little over two hours with a stop at Aberglasney Gardens along the way highly recommended.

A Generous Host + Good Friends + Good Venue = A Great Party

Every once in a while some generous individual decides to throw aparty for his or her friends, nothing too unusual about this you might think. But when your host decides to take over the whole hotel for a weekend and treat his friends to what is, in effect, a giant house party - that is pretty unusual. No small undertaking and I was very pleased to be entrusted to arrange a special birthday weekend for a very trusting Gliffaes guest. Planning started over a year ago to ensure that he could have every available room for his chosen date.

With every room booked by the host it means he is free to do as he wishes; play music, dance to a band, play games, watch a film - its up to him. The brief for this weekend was to make it relaxed and informal and for people to take their time over a couple of long slow dinners. To talk, to eat to listen to their music and to drink.

Friday night is always difficult with people having to leave work and rush to get ready for the weekend away. So we did not want to fix a time for dinner but  set up a buffet to run for a couple of hours. Chicken and vegetable curry was the order and the plates were licked clean, this was all washed down with a cask of real ale from the Breconshire Brewery. As the evening was fine almost everyone ate outside.





On Saturday evening the plan was to keep the same level of informality but up the food stakes a little. We kicked off with champagne and canapes and then tucked into a buffet consisting of ;









•    Roast leg of Welsh Lamb – carved in front of the guest by the chef. (served warm)
•    Thickly cut rare Rib of Roast Welsh Beef, Homemade Piccalilli.  (served cold)
•    Roast Sea Trout with Fennel & Lemon. (served warm)
•    Grilled Vegetable Brochette.  (served warm)
•    Herb Couscous. (served warm)
•    Warm New Potatoes.
•    Peppers stuffed with Pine Nuts, Spinach & Welsh Cheese.
•    Organic Green Salad
•    Carrot, Orange and Sesame Salad.
•    Summer Bean & Mint Salad
•    Homemade Bread

Puddings:

•    Strawberries with Elderflower Sabayon
•    Chocolate Roulade
•    Lemon Posset with a Tuille Biscuit 

Once again this was done outside but this time with a few rounds of , "Happy Birthday" thrown in for good measure. All in all a very happy weekend and one we enjoyed hosting as much as the guests seemed to enjoy their party. If you have a big occasion in mind and want some ideas on how to celebrate it - please do get in touch.

Queen comes to Gliffaes

I bet that headline got you going, well its true, we have two queens living at Gliffaes now. In the beehives at the bottom of the walled garden. Susie and I started keeping bees some years ago when the man who used to keep several hives here passed on. We had some very successful years at first and then we hit a rocky period along with most of the country's bee keepers and had a struggle to keep our three hives going. The verora mite and the disease known as, 'Colony Collapse' put paid to our bees. Due to the scarcity of bees I have been unable to buy any colonies for the hotel for two years until this year.

This summer has been a good summer for bees and the bee keeper who sells us Usk Valley Honey for the breakfast tables sold me two hives last week. The hives were brought to Gliffaes at dusk, once all the bees had returned to the hive at the end of a busy day. It does not take bees long to acquaint themselves to their new surroundings as long as you move them more than three miles from where they were before.

Bee hives are inspected about once week during the summer and as we do have an extra bee suit you might like to come and have a look inside a bee hive when we go and take the lid off. Friday afternoon is when we normally go and inspect the hives.
 

Skip dinner and go Fishing!

At the height of summer with bright, hot days and low flows in the river it is almost pointless going to the Usk to fish for trout. The trout are sleeping at the bottom and you will just get hot and bothered wrapped up in rubber waders.

However, if you take the brave decision to skip dinner (or eat something early)and head down to the river from about 8.00pm onwards you could be rewarded with some superb fly fishing. The hatches at dusk earlier this week have been enormous. These two pictures of Amelia and Matthew Wright were taken at the hotel's Llandetty Beat  where the spent the evening of June 12th under the guiding hand of, Jimmy Devoy, the Ghillie. Amelia's fish must be around the 3.5 lbs mark.

Somebody else who putting fishing before his supper was, Peter Gavan. He told me he was normally apprehensive wading out alone into the Salmon Pool Beat below the hotel as it normally hides some deep holes within it, but the water levels down he felt far more confident or mid-summers' eve. Fishing between 8-10pm with a Coch y Bondu and a Tups Indispensable he had six trout, with 3 over a 1.5 lbs.

Home Grown & Local

The mixture of sun, a couple of hours of rain and our very own compost ( made from a combination of food waste and wood chip) has meant a burst of activity from our vegetable patches at Gliffaes. Everything Peta has planted seems to be coming up now. While we can't pretend to grow anything like the quantity of veg we need we can grow salads and herbs very easily. During the summer and autumn we also get a great selection of organic vegetables from Pen Pont Estate near Brecon and Primrose Farm near Hay-on-Wye. Friday morning saw the following coming into the kitchen from our garden for Karl and his team to use over the weekend in  salads, garnishes and marinades.

Lettuces: Little Gem, Webbs Wonderful, Cos-Pandero & Catalogna.
Herbs: Parsley Flat and Curled & Coriander

Carrots, beetroot, beans,  Jerusalem artichokes and courgettes all to come as the season moves on.

Some of the good things appearing on the menu over the weekend were; (remembering that we change the dinner menu every night)

Rack of New Season Lamb, Nicoise Salad, Raspberry Vinaigrette
Fillet of Wild Sewin (sea trout), New Potatoes, Saffron Leeks, Spiced Oyster Tempura
Cornish Lobster, Spiced Potted Crab, Potato Salad, Samphire Grass
Y-Fenni Goats Cheese & Roquette Soufflé, Buttered Spinach, Horseradish & Thyme Cream

Remember the restaurant uis open to non-residents for all meals, and you only need to book for dinner. (01874 730 371)

Evening Trout Fishing

That wonderful moment when evening trout fishing is here has arrived. I fished last Saturday and started at about 8pm on a beautiful evening. I set off to the top part of Llandetty where I know good fish live and found lots happening and good sized fish. Using a klinkhammer with a grey body and a grey wolf hackle size 14 I soon found takers but all going short until a fish was hooked. It took off with no respect for the amount of line on my reel and when I finally netted this huge beast it was hooked in one of the front fins and was all of 9 oz!! That part of Llandetty, which has been cleared to make much easier access is well worth a visit.

I returned with my one fish to see Peta into a big fish which she promptly lost it so we needed another fish to make our Bar-B-Q worth while. A few moments later I hooked another just after ten about a lb. Sadly Ali (grand daughter) didn’t score but we all enjoyed the delicious Usk wild brown trout.

I was out last night on Gliffaes middle beat at 8.30pm fishing the same fly in the rough water using my standard tactics of a very short line. Lots of takes to begin with by mainly 5/6 oz fish which I  am delighted to see then, as dusk set in, fish were sipping everywhere. I returned three good sized specimens between ¾ and 1 ¼ lbs. I could have continued for another hour but my dog, who insists on staying by my side, even in deep water, was getting cold and I could not stand the noise of her teeth chattering!

Nick Brabner 

A Useful piece of Timber

We  had this huge oak tree felled a couple of years ago and have since burnt all the cordage on the fires through out the hotel but Nick decided to save the butt and get it cut into useful lengths of timber. So today, Martin and his mobile saw rig turned up and with the help of large tractor and its winch to get the timber into position they got the whole job done in around two and half hours. We now have some lovely long, thick planks to make benches from for the gardens, four six inch square solid oak gate posts and a good stack of oak boards for which we are undecided on how to use them. Even though the tree has been down for two years the timber will still take a good few months to season and dry thoroughly.

If you need a mobile sawmill contact Frazer & Small on 01874 638 827

Enjoy a Bike Ride

Although the countryside is not exactly flat around Gliffaes a bike ride along the lanes of the Usk Valley can make for an enjoyable couple of hours. Sitting up on a bike means you can see over the hedges and engage with the countryside, wrapped up in your car, windows shut and air conditioning on, your purr through the lanes filtering out most of what is so special about the landscape in early summer. By looking over the hedges I have kept track on a pair of curlews who nest every year in the same field, watched a sheep dog trial, even joined in with an auctioneer and several farmers walking over pasture they were keen to rent and seen countless red kites, buzzards and owls as I have passed quietly through the woods and lanes around Gliffaes.

Don't Have a bike? Can't fit in the car?
No excuse - we can either arrange to have rental bikes here ready and waiting for your arrival from the very helpful Kieth at Bikes and Hikes in Brecon (we just need to know how tall you are) or you may borrow the hotel's very own tandem. We bought the tandem a year or so ago and it has proved very popular. We can give you a picnic to put in the bag on the back and send you on your way with a suggested route. Around the Talybont reservoir or along the back lanes to Brecon, both of these routes involve very little climbing and within the capabilities of any reasonably fit person.


Keen Cyclists
If you are a little more keen on just pottering along and are up for some longer more challenging rides then the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons is the place to head for. Wales is recognised as having some of the best mountain biking in the world and their is no shortage of routes in the Brecon Beacons and surrounding countryside. The Brecon Beacons National Park has designated a number of villages as mountain biking 'hubs' and has mapped and marked several routes radiating out from these villages. You can buy a pack of their routes from the hotel. They have also set up a dedicated website for mountain bikers coming to the park.

Those keen on road riding will not be disappointed either with some truly epic climbs around here including the ride up 'The Gospel Pass' towards Hay-on-Wye. If you are preparing for some of the big cyclo-sportive events then a couple of days riding here would be excellent preparation. Gliffaes recently hosted Daily Telegraph travel writer, Charles Starmer-Smith, as he got in some preparation for the Etape d' Tour (see his blog post)  under the guidance of local cycling expert Rob Penn. Rob is running two more training weekends based at Gliffaes for those getting ready for big rides this summer. ( 11th/12th June and 18th/19th June). You can find out more on what the weekend includes on his Etape Training website.

I have described a couple of routes on this blog, just have a look under the 'bike rides' tag. If you want any help with bike hire or have any questions then please do get in touch. We have plenty of safe storage for bikes, most tools, a pressure washer and a few basic spares at the hotel.

Crickhowell gets a Brasserie

Crickhowell has a new restaurant, well brasserie to be exact, the food offering in and around the eastern end of the Brecon Beacons just keeps getting better. This new brasserie, Number 18, (that's the name simply because it is number 18 Crickhowell High Street) has been opened by my friend Steve Lewis who all his business life has relished a challenge. By George he got one when he decided to extend his coffee shop into the derlict cottages behind the coffee shop and turn the space into a brasserie. He had to wrestle with the town council, the National Park Planning Committee, the Environmental Health Officer ( who doesn't like anything cooked rare) and British Gas to mention just a few.


Despite all this thrown in his way he was just seven days behind schedule when he opened last night to a select few who were invited to put the new kitchen, the new menu and the new staff through their paces before going public in about a week's time.

First impressions count and the new interior looks great; steel, glass, welsh oak and stone come together to give a contemporary, solid feel with plenty of light everywhere. The space is on two floors with the western end of the top floor given over to a window that runs from floor to ceiling giving stunning views out on to the surrounding hills. On the ground floor you can observe the action in the open kitchen from your table.

To break them in gently Steve had given the kitchen a limited menu to prepare and serve to all 40 of us. We started with either a salad of Fennel, Radicchio & Perl Las (Welsh Blue Cheese) or Linguine with Oak Roast Salmon then for the main course we had a choice of a couple of brasserie classics; char grilled chicken or an 8oz welsh fillet steak. For pudding we were offerdd either a very refreshing Lemon Posset or delicious Chocolate Truffle Torte. Given the situation I think everyone agreed that the chefs had made a very good start in laying the foundations for a successful kitchen. We had a great evening and would like to thank Steve and his team and wish them all the best for the future. I for one will be back.Well, I have to go back to pay my debts. I bet Steve a bottle of champagne he wouldn't be ready for his opening night!

Find out more from the Number 18 website

Enjoying Summer Food Outdoors

The best thing about good weather and Gliffaes is being able to sit outside in truly wonderful surroundings and enjoy a long and leisurely lunch in the company of good friends. Simple pleasures indeed but I think we fail to under estimate the importance of the simple things in life. With so much rush and hassle everyday, two hours sitting in the warm shade of a tree next to an old friend with a bottle of wine and a plate of cheese is a simple way to bring us all back down to earth.

This weekend it was lovely to host a birthday lunch for Nicola Hill and 20 of her friends and family and as the weather was so fine we set up her lunch table under the shade of the cedar tree on the west lawn. Poached salmon, hollandaise, some lovely fresh salads, cold Welsh beef and some fine Welsh cheese all helped down with some thoughtfuly  chosen wine. We served a light red Morgon, straight from the cellar, and some chilled white Burgundy both of which seemed to slip down quite nicely.

Although not quite so easy to serve 40-50 for dinner outside on Saturday evening, almost everyone had a drinks on the terrace before dinner and with the French doors wide open the scent from the wisteria filling the dining room it was as good as being outside. The menu had a light, early summer feel to it with such things as:

Chilled Pea and Mint soup
Pan Fried Fillet of Mackerel with sweet Pickled Vegetable Salad
Medallions of Cornish Lobster, Pickled Bream, Potted Spiced Crab & Almonds, Potato Salad

Sunday lunch time and no matter what the temperature everyone still loves roast beef and served out on the terrace in the shade of a big parasol makes for a splendid way to write off Sunday afternoon. With more sunny weather forecast I am sure lots more will be taking advantage of our position above the river for some 'al fresco' dining.

Festivals, Events and Family Days Out this Summer

June, July and August are when most of the countries big outdoor events take place and the Brecon Beacons and surrounding area has many established events and a couple of new ones have come on to the scene this year or last year. I have listed the events with a link to their own websites along with the time taken from Gliffaes to get to them.

Crickhowell Art Trail - May Bank Holiday weekend
Over the three days of the Bank Holiday Weekend many artists in the Black Mountains are opening up their studios to the public for us to come and see and buy their works. This is not just paintings. Art trail maps are available from most tourism outlets in the area or at the visitor information centre in Crickhowell. One could have a lovely day's drive or cycle around these studios as so many are well off the beaten path.

Hay Litrary Festival - 27th May - 6th June (30 minutes from Gliffaes)
The annual book beano in Hay-on-Wye. But it is now so much more than books; farm visits, nature walks, guided tours around ancient monuments, film screenings, concerts and comedy not to mention plenty of events for children on half term. If you can't find one item on their programme that interests you,  must be very, very dull.

How the Light Gets In - The philosophy and music festival at Hay - 28th May - 6th June.
Now in its second year and sited away from the main festival in the Globe Theatre at Hay and in the Globe Fields across the river. The blur describes this year's event as, "....it is only fitting that this year's festival theme is 'Being Human'. What it is to be alive? What is essential to our humanity and what is peripheral? What is truly important?" So if you want to get your head around some of these concepts have a look at their website and book a ticket to an event or two.

International Horse Trials at Glanusk Park - 1st - 4th July (1 mile form Gliffaes, in fact you could walk there.)
A brand new event on the International eventing circuit and a brand new and challenging course for horse and rider alike in the spectacular Glanusk Park. For those in the horse world this is event is replacing the one that used to be held at Chepstow. Fo those not in the horsey world this is great day out for all the family with a shopping village, displays and much more.

International Polo - 17th July at Glanusk Park (1 mile)
After last year's inaugural success this one day of polo and events, including a visit from the Red Devils freefall team, is back bigger and better than last year. England v Wales is the feature match and the idea is to load up your car with a picnic and some friends and spend the day under an oak tree soaking up Pimms and polo.

The Royal Welsh Show - 19th - 22nd July,  Builth Wells (normally about 40 minutes but on show day's allow an hour)
Wales' premier Agricultural Show, and now that the Royal Show has ceased it could well be the UK's major agricultural show, so much going on and its certainly not just for farmers.

The Brecon Jazz Festival - 6th, 7th & 8th August - Brecon (20 minutes)
This enduring festival has had its ups and owns recently but seems to be rising above with new backing. A very impressive line up of jazz greats and rising stars from all over the globe this year.


The Green Man Festival - 21st-23rd August at Glanusk Park
If the names of these bands and musicians ring any bells with you then you will know what this Festival is all about; 'Neon Indians', 'Bear in Heaven', 'Darwin Deez' and the 'Smoke Fairies'.  They don't mean much to me but if you fancy sleeping in a bed rather than in a tent Gliffaes is the closeset hotel to the festival.

Fly Fishing for Beginners at Gliffaes

Fishing is this country's biggest participation sport and this weekend Gliffaes swelled the sports ranks by another 9 new recruits. Over the last three days we have hosted our tenth, 'Fly Fishing for Beginners' course. Gliffaes is the perfect venue to learn to fish, although not an easy one, we don't stock the river so new recruits have to get used to stalking wild brown trout, which are wild in every sense of the word. This is very much akin to learning to swim in the deep end of the pool. The course is run by Bill Price from Builth Wells who is a qualified Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructor (APGAI for short) and Bill brings a lifetime of experience of fishing and guiding on the Usk and Wye to the course. He is very well assisted by his son Tristan.

Starting on Friday morning with an introduction to the sport; the trout and its habitat and equipment needed to get started. The students then moved out onto the lawns to begin learning the techniques of fly casting, something that looks easy but certainly requires careful instruction and plenty of practice. Saturday morning and the students moved from the lawn down to the river and spent the morning getting used to casting and wading in a fast flowing river. By lunch time skills and confidence were higher and students set off in pursuit of the quarry which could be seen rising tantalisingly up and down the river.

It was not until Sunday morning that someone finally hooked a real live trout as opposed to a tree behind them or a stone in the river, young Ben Scott just 12 from Crickhowell, caught his first wild brownie and I think he still has the huge grin on his face today. Buoyed up by this early success everyone carried on valiantly for most of the day but sadly nobody else was able to catch a fish. Almost everyone left Gliffaes with a huge determination to continue proved by the fact that Bill was able to sell six of his rods at the end of the weekend. Although not everyone left with a fresh Usk trout they did leave with a huge appreciation for how absorbing and relaxing being on the river is with the river, birds, fly life and fish all around them. Not forgetting the huge amount they had learnt over the three days.

(I hope to be running another course next May but need to find another instructor as Bill can't help next year. If you would like to be kept informed of any future fishing courses please get in touch with me or drop me an email.)

National Garden Scheme & Timber Operations at Gliffaes

There has been a fair bit going on in the garden this week. Last Sunday we opened the gardens as part of the National Garden Scheme which helps raise money for various charities but in particular the Macmillian Cancer Care Trust. This meant a flurry of activities; straitening the edges of the lawns and paths, strimming, mowing and sweeping and brushing around the buildings. We opened for three hours on Sunday afternoon and collected just under £350 for the charity from about 100 visitors.  Spring in the gardens at Gliffaes is wonderful;  cherries , magnolias, berberis, bluebells under the trees, lilacs and rhododendrons are all out at the moment.This picture of cherry trees in blossom was kindly sent to me by Ray Grenfell of Crickhowell.

Having two fire places and a wood burning stove in the hotel we certainly get through a lot of timber, this past winter especially, we are still having the odd fire in the evening and it's May! We need to have the space to season timber for at least 8-12 months before we can burn it, which means we need to have at 12 months supply at any one time, more if possible, There is nothing worse trying to burn wet wood which just sizziles and hisses. As we burn about 15 tons a year we need a lot of dry storage space and this week we have extended our wood shed and we can now store about 85 cubic meters of wood. Nick and I did the work ourselves and used a smallish oak tree from the grounds to make the two uprights needed. We now have to fill all that space with split timber. Anyone keen for a bit of axe work?

I have had my eye on a large oak tree that fell down during a storm about 12 months ago but on a very steep bank, with no chance of us getting any of the timber out. I had a word with the forester on the Glanusk Estate who said it wouldn't be a problem for him with his large winch on his tractor. He was here at 8.30 this morning and its now midday and the job is done. Just look at all that timber that has to be cut up then split. I feel weak just looking at it. I am thinking of running a work / stay swop in February next year for anyone keen on working in the woods doing some thining, burning and wood splitting etc. Your food and accommodation would be free in exchange for your labour and for every two days you work the third day you could have off and would be free as well. Any takers please get in touch?

Guest Report on a Fishing Break at Gliffaes

This piece and the photographs has been supplied by Jonathan & Peter Steeds.


To celebrate our fiftieth birthdays my twin brother Peter and I thought we would treat ourselves to the three day fishing package offered at Gliffaes - what a treat it was!

Although we have done a fair bit of still water trout fishing over the years, we are both pretty new to river fishing so arranged to meet up with hotel ghillie Jim Devoy on day one who took us over to the adjacent Llandetty water and very expertly showed us the ropes. I was delighted with a fish of about a pound after the first ten minutes even though this turned out to be the only fish of the day other than a couple of salmon parr. Of course Jim managed to catch a trout just to show how it should be done.

On the second day we were back at Llandetty and in the cold and blowy weather we struggled a bit and although Peter got stuck into the salmon parr again we couldn't’t interest the trout. Jim’s 50 years of experience of fishing this water rewarded him with three trout to about a pound and on a hard day showed what a master he is.

On the third day we parted company with Jim and went on to the top beat of the hotel water starting with a couple of idyllic hours in brilliant sunshine before breakfast. By the end of day we had six trout between us on a mix of nymphs and dries including a cracking one and a half pounder and another salmon parr. We were both drenched from the late afternoon downpour but could not have been happier. Back to the hotel for a celebratory drink in its cosy bar followed by yet another delicious dinner before rounding off the evening with an embarrassingly slow couple of frames of snooker.

The renowned Gliffaes hospitality is evident in everything – the wonderful atmosphere, the friendly staff, the great food and drink and the marvellous attention to detail shown by the whole team led by delightful owners James and Susie Suter. Add an exquisite stretch of the Usk to all that and we couldn't have dreamt up a better place to celebrate our half centuries. If you could design your own perfect fishing hotel you would struggle to come up with one as complete and as lovely as Gliffaes. We’ll be back before we’re much older!
Jonathan Steeds.

Grannom & Stonefly on the Usk

As I look back over the last two weeks I cannot remember a year in the last fifteen that has produced such dense hatches of grannom, and, in addition, that huge fly that literally crawls out of the river, ‘the stonefly’ has been in evidence. The water has been relatively cold and the result has been of a lack of rising trout for two reasons. One, trout like stonefly, and a stonefly represents breakfast, lunch and tea all in one so collecting the groceries while it is around for eating is dead simple and the old trout takes a rest in between. Secondly because the grannom are being taken under the surface just deep enough not to show. Feeding on grannom as stonefly hatches dwindle is the next dish on offer.

There was a great article in the Trout & Salmon (March) by Louis Noble featuring the grannom and he concludes that the most successful patterns are the ones devised by Dave Collins – the Shuttlecock Suspender and Parachute Emerger. I have friends who have successfully used them, I have not but will make certain I am properly prepared next time.

With the big Dark Olives and March Browns over what is on the menu next. The sort of armory one needs are Light Olives, Iron Blues, Blue Upright  and Usk Naylor and as May progresses Blue and Evening Dun, Ginger Quill, Alder and Pheasant Tail.

We could really do with a top up on the rain front though the river is a delight to be on with all the wonderful wildlife busily building, sitting or feeding. Swallows, house and sand martins, and sandpipers are all in evidence not to mention the wagtails.

Nick Brabner

You might find this post about fishing with grannom on a fishing forum of interest.

Spring Blossom at Gliffaes

Here is a very short and very amateur video of the wonderful trees in blossom in our garden at the hotel.

Volcanos, Earthquakes and other Tremors

 This time last week I was feeling very smug; the hotel was fully booked for this weekend with a group of Texans off to wedding near by. We were laying on a lavish dinner for 60  on Friday night, the night before the wedding, for the brides family, and  with all the Texans out at the wedding on Saturday night I had arranged a Chilean Wine Dinner for locals to keep our restaurant busy for Saturday night. So far so good but I certainly had not factored in a volcano! The Americans could not fly, the wedding postponed  and I was left with a hotel to fill in five days.


Thanks to the power of email ( a good lesson about maintaining a sound customer data base) I was able to re-fill the empty hotel for the weekend and we still had to pull off the Chilean Wine Dinner on the Saturday night. Head Chef, Karl Cheetham working with Michael Cox of Wines of Chile put together a great dinner, with each course accompanied by a different wine. All the wines came from Great Western Wine in Bath. Thirty people came for the  Dinner and £360 was raised for the Chilean Earthquake Appeal. The menu and wines were as follows:

Canapes served with either a glass of Elki Pedro Jimenez or Leyda Sauvignon Blanc Garuma Vineyard

Aspargus with Hollandaise - 2008 Leyda Sauvignon Gris
***
Paupiette of Cornish Sole with Salmon & Chive Mousseline - 2006 Leyda Lot 5 Chardonnay
***
Loin of Wild Fallow Deer, Boulangere Potatoes, Savoy Cabbage & Juniper Sauce - 2006 Falernia Carmenere Reserva
***
Saffron Poached Pear with Vanilla Parfait or Welsh Cheeses & walnut Bread - 2008 Leyda Pinot Noir - Las Brisas.

Some of the wines are on our list and I want to serve the Pedro Jimenez by the glass as it will make for a lovely light summer drink.

So in the end we pulled something out of the ash(es)!

A Walk around Cwm Mawr ( The Big Valley)

My wife suffers from what she calls, "ridge envy" and the condition is brought on by gazing up to the top of any stunning ridge, plenty of them in the Black Mountains around Gliffaes, and on spotting a tiny speck of a walker or two, she immediately turns green and wants to swop places with them. The treatment is swift and pretty tiring - you have to climb the ridge. Saturday morning and a beautiful spring day, perfect conditions for a bout of ridge envy. We had to get her to the top.

Where the lane leading up to the hotel meets the main road (A40) you pause for a second to look left and right for traffic but your eyes are always drawn upwards to the magnificent ridge that runs between Pen Cerrigcalch to Pen Alt-mawr, and at 650 meters high that was our target. With two old friends of Gliffaes staying at the hotel we set off at around 10am for this 5 mile circuit of Cwm Mawr (the big valley). A 5 minute drive from Gliffaes finds you at the parking spot somewhere in the region of 203 213 (OS map 13) this has the advantage of a height gain of some 250 meters, every little helps.

The route is a simple one. Straight up hill for about 1 mile following the ridge towards Pen Cerrig-calch (217 225), no need to climb right to the top, when you see the flat saddle on your left, between the two high spots, head left along the ridge towards Pen Gloch-y-pibwr (203 233) before descending the opposite ridge you went up. These two ridges frame a perfect, steep sided bowl shaped valley. This area was once used for grouse shooting and the old grouse bouts are very much in evidence. We saw no grouse but did see plenty of sky larks and welsh mountain ponies. It was a perfect day and we had stunning views all the way across to Pen y Fan.  At the bottom of the ridge you meet the mountain wall and the Beacons Way path, turn left for the short stroll back to your car. One case of ridge envy dealt with.

Notes: Do this walk before the bracken gets too high, so avoid late summer and autumn. I will be happy to mark up your map and give detailed instructions to any guest wanting to go on this walk. It can be very windy on top and I have been snowed on here in June.

The Sun has finally Arrived

What a difference the weather makes to running a hotel in the country. The sun comes out and the first thing to be done is not sort out the parasols on the terrace but rush to the boiler and turn down the heating, that is the first sign of spring for an oil burning hotelier like me. The first proper sunny weekend of the year and it is a really great to see people outside on the terrace having long lazy lunches, children running around the gardens through the daffodils and even a very plucky young chap called, Isambard going for a swim in the river. Gliffaes seemed to be full of sun and laughter all weekend. We hosted two birthday lunches, a family reunion and a group of dedicated cyclists taking advantage of the hilly roads to prepare for the Etape d Tour under the guidance of cycling guru and journalist, Rob Penn. ( If you are a riding the Etape this year Rob is running two more training weekends from Gliffaes in June.)

More and more of the garden's shrubs, trees and flowers are coming out; magnolias, camellias, blue bells, wild cherry and still the daffodils keep going.

However, not everything is looking quite so rosy. The Icelandic volcano eruption has probably put paid to a whole party of Texans coming to Gliffaes for a wedding next weekend so I now have a hotel to fill in just five days. Anybody like to make me an offer for next weekend? Please do call.