About

Cwtch Bryn and Pen-Y-Bryn are two sustainably built tiny homes on the Grange Project, an 80-acre nature restoration site near Llantilio Crossenny, between Monmouth and Abergavenny. They sit in separate secluded spots across the land, in wildflower meadows and beside ancient woodland, with free-roaming pigs and cattle as your nearest neighbours.

They were built by local carpenter Simon Whitfield from reclaimed and locally sourced materials. The centrepiece of each is a king-sized bed with soft linen sheets. The log burners are bespoke, the crockery is hand thrown and the soft furnishings are hand woven, so most things in the cabin have a story attached to them. Power is 100 per cent solar, heat is the wood burner, cooking is a gas stove, and the loo is a compost loo.

A short walk away is the Grange Hub, a recently converted barn at the centre of the project, with hot rainfall showers, a kitchen, WiFi, an honesty bar, board games and comfortable corners to sit and take in the view.

What it is not is a log cabin park. There is no hot tub, no mains electricity and no TV. There are dark skies, wild swimming spots nearby and, in the morning, birdsong instead of traffic. Each cabin is designed for two adults, so no children, and no dogs, because the free-roaming pigs and cattle make that unsafe. Parking is at the Hub, with a ten-minute walk down to the cabin.

£100 to £130 per cabin per night depending on the night of the week, two-night minimum, so from £210 for two nights, and no cleaning fee. Open April to October. Fifteen minutes from Monmouth, twenty from Abergavenny, and well placed for the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean and Bannau Brycheiniog.