Tucked away amidst the undulating hills near Llangynidr, Crickhowell, lies the secluded hamlet of Wern. This tiny paradise is home to a few scattered properties and doesn’t even qualify as a village.
Nestled within the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons National Park, Wern offers stunning views across the picturesque Usk Valley. Its tranquillity makes it an ideal spot for introverts, according to locals.
Despite being just over an hour’s drive from the Welsh capital, its remote location makes it feel worlds away. With the nearest shop three miles away, residents of Wern enjoy a quieter lifestyle compared to those in bustling cities and towns.
Edmund Wood, a resident since 1985, originally hails from Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire. He fell in love with the area during childhood camping and walking holidays in the Brecon Beacons and decided to make it his permanent home as soon as he was able.
Now at the helm of two charming holiday cottages in the region—Bwthyn and Crawnon River Cottage—Edmund and his wife have tapped into visitors’ desires for a rural retreat.
Edmund shared: “We do have these Airbnb properties here and the majority of people who come to stay here come from larger towns or cities and they specifically say they come to have an escape from that,” reports Wales Online.
Painting a picture of the serene valley and its winding road, Afon Crawnon, he continued: “It’s a no through road so it doesn’t really go anywhere and is a narrow country lane so doesn’t get a lot of passing traffic.
When people aren’t used to it and do go down it for the first time they are a bit surprised. But it is a predominantly farming community here and there’s not much happening.”
Highlighting the local fauna, Edmund said: “We have lots of wildlife here and sheep and cattle with owls at night and people have seen otters in the stream nearby. There’s lots of badgers and foxes and a real sense of tranquility.”
However, it’s not just the wildlife that adds to the charm of Wern—residents enjoy countless benefits too. The area boasts stunning vistas, idyllic cottages, and traditional farmhouses; but above all, a tight-knit community spirit where neighbours look out for each other remains paramount.
Edmund highlighted the strong community spirit in the valley, saying: “There’s a very strong sense from people living in the valley that there’s a shared interest in community. You feel like you can call on people to help if you need to.”
He recalled a conversation with a neighbour who expressed the sentiment that residents choose to live there for a specific reason, which is its appeal to introverts.
The valley’s landscape has been moulded by farming since the 1500s, and while working farms remain, the area is now home to an eclectic mix of individuals including artists, retired academics, rural internet providers, and even a former professional cyclist turned holiday operator.
Edmund observes that while some farmers have deep generational ties to the land, many residents are newcomers: “The majority of people who come in are from the outside.”
Visitors often leave glowing reviews, surprised by the tranquillity and beauty of the place, as Edmund notes: “People do like it when they visit. The reviews we get are from visitors who consistently talk about it being better than they expected or it being more peaceful than they expected and it’s just a very peaceful place.”
Despite the quietude, the valley is alive with natural sounds, Edmund describes: “It is quiet but there are still plenty of sounds around from the stream which we can hear constantly as it’s very close to our house and we can hear the sheep which you can also see from the window. So it’s not silent but it is I suppose a kind of natural sound.”
Edmund has declared his favourite spot in the area to be Tor y Foel, towering majestically on the eastern side of Talybont Reservoir. The summit, soaring at 551m, is renowned for offering sprawling panoramic vistas of the valley, spanning to the River Usk, all the way to the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons.
He shared his personal experience, saying: “I’ve regularly walked over to it as I travel with my wife some of the way to Brecon, where she goes to work.
“It’s definitely worth seeing particularly in the early morning and is a really lovely place to visit. It’s a high point with a 360 view and is just a really nice place to visit.”
