"I rode down the mountain with my hair on fire,
thankfully I put it out later in the Gliffaes bar"

There are plenty of well established courses in South Wales( over 50 in total) most within easy reach of Gliffaes. The Rolls at Monmouth and the St Pierre at Chepstow are both Championship courses. You might just fancy a short game of nine holes on a beautiful country course then the club at Hay-on-Wye would be perfect, and non-golfers could browse the second hand book shops in Hay-on-Wye.

The course at Cradoc, near Brecon, commands stunning views of the Brecon Beacons and guests of Gliffaes receive a discount off the green fee. This course comes highly recommended and is the one we send most golfers to.

In 2010 the Ryder Cup comes to South Wales and will be played on the course at the Celtic Manor Hotel, about 40 minutes from Gliffaes.

• Cradoc Golf Course
• Welsh Golf Courses
• Celtic Manor

The Brecon Beacons National Park is the major centre for walking in South West Britain. It offers an entrancing diversity of scenery, from untamed mountains and moorlands to the gentle farm land of the lowlands and river valleys. There are 1250 miles of public footpaths in the 529 sq. mile National Park. There is walking to suit all abilities; canal towpaths, river gorges, challenging high ridges and the thickly forested waterfall country. The Black Mountains and Hay Bluff is a large area that is less visited than Pen-y-Fan (highest mountain in South Wales) and the Central Beacons. If it is remote country side and stunning views then The Black Mountain and Forest Fawr are the areas to make for.

Here at Gliffaes we can advise you on routes from the Hotel, arrange a pick up or a drop off or put you in touch with an experienced guide or even just make you up a picnic. The National Park has a comprehensive guided walks programme to suit everybody.

Outside the Park the walking is just as good. The Three Castles walk in the undulating landscape of wooded hillsides and hidden valleys of Monmouthshire links three ancient Norman Castles in a marked circular loop. Perhaps you could discover the wooded splendour of the Forest Dean or the vast open moors of the Elan Valley? All of these areas are within striking distance of Gliffaes.

In the unlikely event of rain we have a drying room for your wet kit! Maps for this area are OS 161 & 160 (1:50 000) and OL 11, 12 & 13 (1:25 000) - all of which we sell at Gliffaes.

Both the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Beacon's Park Society run guided walks programmes through out the year.

• Walking Wales Guided Mountain Walks
  01873 811657
• Kevin Walker Mountain Activities

• Guided Walks Programme

We would love you to explore this area by bike - so we have a tandem for guests to use! Helmets and routes are available from reception.

The opportunities for cycling in and around Gliffaes are fantastic. Wales is now regarded as one of the top ten mountain bike destinations in the world. Mountain biking in this area is terrific; plenty of forestry tracks when it is wet and mountain and moorland routes for the summer.

There are miles and miles of quiet lanes and country roads to explore. The author of this page is a keen cyclist and has explored the area extensively both on and off road.

Local bike hire form Bikes & Hikes in Brecon can be arranged and the bikes can be at the hotel ready for your arrival. All we need to know is how tall you are and how long you would like to have loan of the bikes for.

Five circular road routes, varying in length from 6 miles to 52 miles have been mapped out within the National Park and a clear easy to follow route guide is available from the hotel. All of these routes follow quiet lanes and pass towns and pubs along the way. Bike hire can be arranged.

For mountain bikers 16 off road routes have been mapped out and way marked by the National Park and put into a handy route pack (available from the hotel). The Brecon Beacons National Park boasts some of the U.K.'s finest mountain biking, with a huge network of varied trails that offer something for everybody from complete beginners through to real experts. The route pack contains maps and descriptions of 16 well researched and way-marked routes that offer a little of everything from short and easy summer-evening saunters to full-on all-day epics. They explore all kinds of terrain from the high mountaintops to the lowly valleys and offer a variety of challenges from sinuous moorland single-track to broad well surfaced forest roads.

In order for you to plan your visit to the area, all of the routes start and finish at one of 5 major centres, which we have called hubs. Two of these hubs; Crickhowell and Talybont are very close to Gliffaes and the other three are no more than 30 minutes away. The rides have also been graded to assist you in choosing the right route for the day and your fitness/riding ability. A number of National Cycle Routes criss-cross the region and the Taff Trail runs close by. This is an on and off road route that runs over the Brecon Beacons from Brecon to Cardiff. The Celtic Trail runs close to Gliffaes and forms part of the National Cycle Network.

• Taff Trail
• Bikes & Hikes
• Brecon Beacons Circular Routes

• MTB Wales
• National Cycle Network

Riding is one of the most pleasant ways of seeing the beautiful countryside in the National Park. There are numerous bridleways that take you over the mountains and moors.

Almost all of the stables mentioned cater for young and old, experienced rider or novice. Half and full days ride are available. The National Park has a very useful website dedicated to riding.

It is worth booking riding before you arrive, ask us to do it for you if you wish. Golden Castle is highly recommended.

• Golden Castle Riding
• Cantref Farm
• Travelog Farm Pony Trekking

• Trans Wales Trails
• Llangorse Trekking

Canoeing on the River Usk takes place in the winter, out for the fishing season, that is from 16th October - 3rd March. Quite frankly during the rest of the year the water is to low anyway. The best stretches are from  Sennybridge to Brecon and Talybont to Crickhowell. There is an official put in / take out point at the hotel.

If it is a more leisurely paddle in an open canoe on a sunny day is what you want then you need to go on to the River Wye at Glasbury with Wye Valley Canoes. This is a great day out for all the family in a beautiful part of Wales.

• Wye Valley Canoes
• Welsh Canoe Union

The whole of Wales is a land steeped in history and has a rich heritage of wonderful castles, abbeys, country houses, prehistoric tombs. Gliffaes is close to many of these sites such as Tintern Abbey, Raglan Castle, Chepstow Castle and Tretower Court. (Just two miles from Gliffaes)

This is an excellent base to explore from. We can direct you to small and interesting churches tucked up in the hills on the ancient tracks used by the monks and drovers of medieval Wales.

Most of the monuments in Wales are looked after by an organisation called, CADW and their web site is the best source of detailed information on all sites in Wales.

If you would like a guided tour around some the ancient sites of Wales then we recommend Bach Travel.

• CADW

• Bach Travel

South Wales and the town of Abergavenny are a hot bed for this sport which involves a commitment of a couple of days to get started.

• Welsh Air Sports

Talgarth gliding club offers members a flight in a glider over the Brecon Beacons. Trial lessons for beginners and five day holiday courses available. Open all year. Soar above the incomparable scenery of the National Park.

• Black Mountain Gliding Club

You will find yourself traversing along rock walls, jumping across boulders, climbing waterfalls, exploring dark holes and all the time your guide will be encouraging you to get wet. As the day progresses you will find yourself abseiling, scrambling over caverns and swinging over streams. These trips usually take place in the Waterfall Region of Ystradfellte, about 45 minutes from Gliffaes.

This is a fantastic day out for any adventurous group and comes highly recommended by the author.

• Black Mountain Activities

Mountain Boarding in the Brecon Beacons has everything you get from snowboarding in the Alps, but you don't need snow or the Alps! A must try for skateboarders, snowboarders, and surfers. The Green Man Mountain Board Centre near Brecon is the place to head for and they all the gear you need for rent as well.

• Green Man Mountain Boarding

This part of South Wales boasts some of the largest networks of caves in Europe. For the experienced caver they is enough here to keep you occupied for a couple of years. For the uninitiated you have two choices in exploring caves;

1. Dirty
2. Clean

What I mean by this is if you wish to be a bit more adventurous you can go on a day's caving trip with one of the outdoor adventure specialists listed opposite or you could spend the day at one of Wales's best attractions, Dan-yr-Ogof Showcaves, where there is a lot to see and do above and below ground without donning overalls and a head lamp.

• Black Mountain Activities
• Bikes & Hikes

• Dan-yr-Ogof Showcaves

We can arrange clay pigeon shooting which can be done near the hotel or at Woodland Park Shooting Ground, near Brecon (12 miles away). This ground, set in 32 acres of woodland provides a wide selection of shooting activities catering from the novice (give-it-a-try) through to experienced clay and game shooters, as well as small groups (corporate or stag parties) and disabled shooters. Activities range from coaching for beginners to a simulated game flush for game shots. Safety equipment, guns and ammunition are provided. Full and half day events with refreshments and local pick-up can be arranged.

• Woodland Park

• John Butland
  07811 189 413

Why not admire the spectacular scenery of the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons from a balloon? Take off from the lawn outside the hotel and fly for at least one hour before landing and returning to the hotel by vehicle. Be warned this is not a cheap day out, but a real treat. These trips are weather dependent and usually take off in the early morning when there is very little wind.

• Bailey Balloons

There are not very many good climbing sites close to Gliffaes however a number of outdoor adventure specialists can provide climbing days and tuition.

However, your best bet and a good wet weather fall back is to visit the nearby (15 minutes) Llangorse Rope Centre. This is a great place for both children and adults with not only terrific indoor climbing but also an outdoor aerial rope way. They also provide pony trekking. They are great with children and I can not recommend them highly enough.

• Black Mountain Activities
• Bikes & Hikes

• Llangorse Rope Centre

Although Gliffaes is a wonderful spot to host a shooting party and we do several through the season we do not actually have any shooting of our own. Those who would like to arrange shooting from anything from 4-8 guns and from 40-200 birds you will need to plan at least 12 months ahead. If you are keen to put a day together please call me directly and I shall put you in touch with a number of shoots who who may be able to help.

• James Suter
  01874 730 371

Off road driving in Landrovers can be arranged through Andy Like of JV Like Landrovers, our local dealer. One to one instruction on their off road course in one of their vehicles costs ’70 (Aug 05) per hour. The off-road school is about 30 minutes from Gliffaes.

There is a another off-road driving centre at Coleford, east of Monmouth or about 50 minutes from Gliffaes. This is the Whitecliff Off Road Driving Experience.

Those wanting Quad Biking are best going to Taff Valley Buggy Trails, about one hour from here, near Cardiff.

• Taff Valley Buggy Trails
• Andy Like
  07779 287 324

• Whitecliff
• JV Like Landrover
  01497 842 100

The Black Mountains Falconry Centre (about 25 minutes from Gliffaes) has over 70 different birds of prey and run falconry displays at 11.30 and 2.30 on weekdays and at 11.30, 1.30 and 3.30 at weekends. (Closed Mondays). Highly recommended for adults and children. Play area, refreshments and shop. Get to see a Red Kite flying and close to.

The Red Kite Feeding Centre at Rhayader is also worth a visit and a chance to see these fairly rare birds in their natural habitat.

• Black Mountains Falconry Centre

• Red Kite Feeding Centre

While this part of Wales is hardly a shoppers paradise there are a number of good shops in Crickhowell. Webb's is a wonderful store full of hardware, furniture and kitchen appliances. They seem to deliver anywhere in the country and I defy you to find such a good combination of price, selection and above all service. In fact we buy all our beds and bedroom carpets from them and it is not an unusual occurrence for a guest to order a new bed from Webb's having stayed here.

For a good day out it is well worth heading to Hay-on-Wye (35 minutes). Hay is the second book capital of the world set in a very unspoilt village with good pubs and cafes. There are several shops selling prints, arts and crafts and is home to the annual Hay Festival of Literature. (Held over the last weekend in May)

• Webb's
• Crickhowell
• Hay-on-Wye

• Hay Festival