Holiday home Wales. Remote holiday home in the foothills of the Black Mountains in Wales. Luxury holiday home in Wales providing the perfect setting for your idyllic holiday.

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Blaentrothy Cottage is a delightfull, seventeenth-century stone holiday cottage in Wales. On the eastern reaches of the Brecon Beacons National Park, situated on the edge of the Black Mountains.

Blaentrothy Welsh holiday cottage is one of the most comfortable Welsh holiday homes you will find. The local area has plenty of ancient and historic monuments, and wonderful towns in the Marches of Wales to explore.

There is something very particular and interesting about Border Country - whatever country you are in. Whether it's a fusion of culture where cultures meet or a jigsaw puzzle of very different pieces, or whether it's the tension (happy or otherwise) of living so close the edge of one's world - whatever the reasons for it, there is a special quality about marcher land.

The Welsh Marches have always been extremely lively, something you would expect from frontier country. Early British tribes, Romans, Normans, Medieval monks, and the Tudors have all left their mark. Caerleon boasts some of the best Roman archeology in Britain; the abbeys at Llanthony and Abbey Dore, and Hereford's cathedral with its famous Mappa Mundi are all hugely fascinating examples of the Medieval church's culture and politics. And the Norman castles that march up the border are extraordinary testimonies to a powerful invading force. The cities and towns are full of interesting shops, markets and restaurants as well as some really lovely architecture.

Blaentrothy Holiday Cottage makes a good base for exploring the Welsh Marches, but don't visit all the following in one day, or you'll be exhausted! Pick and choose, or spread your visits out over a few days. If you need to make a small selection, don't miss out on Hay-on-Wye or Ludlow.

Start with Monmouth, birthplace of Henry V, with its lovely old Medieval bridge and cosy coffee shops. Visit the old-fashioned farming town of Abergavenny (ŒGateway to Wales'), now a bit of a star in the gourmet food world with its yearly Autumn Food Fest. (The church of St. Mary's is really worth a visit.) Ross-on-Wye could be next, a very pretty town positioned on a bluff above the river Wye, with a pink stone covered market, some nice shops including an antique print and book shop and a few antique shops. On to Ledbury, a lovely old coaching town with a good restaurant at the Feathers Hotel. Ceci Paolo's, a few doors away, offers excellent coffee and an Italian delicatessen. The city of Hereford has an important cathedral with a chain library housing the famous Mappa Mundi (a medieval interpretation of the world, revealing how much their world was fused - or confused - with the spiritual). It also has a wonderful vegetarian café rather oddly positioned inside All Saints Church, not far from the cathedral.

The pretty town of Hay-on-Wye is a must, particularly for book lovers, as it is considered to be THE centre in Europe for second hand books. It also has some good antique shops and coffee shops. And every May/June, Hay-on-Wye hosts a now famous literary festival, attracting some big names in the literary world. Kington, strategically placed at the meeting point of ancient drovers' routes, has been a busy market town for many centuries. It is home of Hergest Court, a medieval manor house which was once a great centre for Welsh culture and bardic poetry.

Leominster lies in the heart of the Marches. Dating from the 7th century, it is named after Earl Leofric, husband of the infamous Lady Godiva. It has a wide variety of small shops, cafes, pubs and antique shops. Ludlow, capital of the Marches, is a stunningly handsome town with an interesting castle right in the middle, some excellent restaurants and shops, and an almost daily market (Monday,Wednesday, Friday, Saturday). Ludlow's historic reputation is due to the important role played by the town and castle in the politics of the area. The castle was built in 1090 by Roger de Lacey as part of the chain of Norman strongholds erected as a defence against the Welsh. The castle is very much part of the town today: festivals and fairs are held within its grounds, and the market square just outside the castle's bailey is almost constantly crowded with busy stalls of all kinds. Guided walking tours of the town can be taken, which last about 1 1/2 hours (tel: 01584 874205 for details).