The drive from Coedmor Cottages to Llyn Brianne is a delight in itself. You want to take your time and savour the views as you enter the Cambrian Mountains. It is about 20 miles / 45 minutes from Coedmor Cottages.

There are a few places to stop and admire the views. This viewpoint is just off the Carreg Clochdy car park & picnic spot – the What3words address is ///hogs.raven.clinic
Not technically a Natural Wonder, the lake is actually a reservoir created in the late 1960’s/ early 70’s. The scenery is reminiscent of Canada or Scandinavia – just beautiful. 

Fannog Farm – Fferm y Fannog

There is another small car park and picnic area at Fannog (what3words: ///self.crinkled.angel . In 2022 the water level was so low that we got to see Fferm y Fannog (Fannog Farm) which appears very rarely. This was an abandoned farm that was covered by the water when the reservoir was created. See a little Reel of Fferm y Fannog from our Instagram

Llyn Brianne Dam

The dam at Llyn Brianne is the UK’s tallest at 91m (300 ft). You can walk across the top of the dam and see martins swooping below.There is a good track to walk around part of the lake from here. There is a big car park and toilets (which are sometimes open) – what3words: ///cuddled.villas.tinkle
The woodland here is famous for being one of the last places you can see Red Squirrels. You will also likely see Red Kites and Buzzards overhead.

If you are keen on stargazing, the car park at Llyn Brianne is also a Dark Sky Discovery Site – part of the Cambrian Mountains Astro Trail.

Heading Home from Llyn Brianne

The drive around the lake is a great way to take in the scenery and for an alternative route back to the cottages the road between Llyn Brianne and Tregaron is worth a detour for spectacular Cambrian Mountain views.

If you drive back towards Llandovery, you will come across the Towy Bridge Inn – right next to the bridge on the River Towy (where else would it be!) Pop in for a drink or some food (do check opening times beforehand as they can be limited to weekends). This route also takes you past RSPB Gwenffrwd-Dinas and through Rhandirmwyn valley which is just stunning.

Cycling

If you are a keen cyclist, then the Big Wilderness Adventure takes in Llyn Brianne along the route. It is a 65 mile circular route that you can get onto just 5 minutes from our cottages. You can make it shorter by not going all the way to Llandovery!

Our romantic holiday cottages are located in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains Area of Astounding Natural Beauty. You can even see the highest mountain – Pumlumon Fawr – in the distance from our meadows.

The natural beauty of the plateaux, valleys and gorges of the Cambrian Mountains is equal to and often greater than some British national parks. Although distributed among three counties – Powys, Ceredigion & Carmarthenshire – the Cambrian Mountains are geographically one area, and form the main watershed of Wales. 

The rivers Severn, Wye, Elan, Irfon, Tywi, Cothi, Teifi, Ystwyth, Rheidol, and Twymyn all have their sources here. There are only a few roads across the mountains and they are acknowledged as some of the most scenic routes in Britain.

The walker is king in the Cambrian Mountains and you can find many routes online, such as the ones on Walking Britain. The landscape is vast, but not featureless. There are plenty of lakes and reservoirs that will make you feel like you could be in Canada! 

Interesting features like Strata Florida, The Teifi Pools, Vale of Rheidol Railway and Devil’s Bridge mean that you can easily spend a week or more exploring the area. 

There are also amazing wildlife habitats like Cors Caron Nature Reserve which has great walking trails and is recognised internationally as an important wetland reserve.

And no visit to the Cambrian Mountain is complete without stopping off at the most remote phone box in the UK! You can even post letters from the post box there (we have seen the postie collecting mail from it). 😂 To find it, the What3words is ///campsites.guarding.brain

Of course, one of the outstanding features of the Cambrian Mountains is the Dark Skies. There are a number of Dark Sky Discovery Sites within easy reach of our cottages.

The Cambrian Mountains are such a special place and still relatively unknown. They are unspoilt and always quiet and peaceful – sometimes you will hardly see another soul all day! Don’t miss out on exploring this astoundingly beautiful area if you stay with us.