The Felin Fach Griffin

Powys, Wales, United Kingdom
Book from GBP Book from £183 per night

The Felin Fach Griffin

Powys, Wales, United Kingdom

An award-winning country pub with great food, 8 comfortable rooms and lots of character

An award-winning country pub with great food, 8 comfortable rooms and lots of character

Let's face it, most pubs can't cut it when it comes to matching character, seriously decent tuck, good drink and a cosy room. Not so at The Felin Fach Griffin. Just down the road from the breathtaking Brecon Beacons, this 8-bedroom inn gives a warm homely welcome. Upstairs you'll find handsome chambers, Welsh woollen blankets and retro Roberts radios; downstairs timber beams and thick stone walls. Decorating the interior throughout is a collection of regularly changing art pieces, curated by a local gallery in Brecon. There's refreshing Welsh ale on tap and a crackling fire for warming frost-cooled fingers. Best known for its food, the adjoining restaurant has plenty of nooks in which to hide away and dine on indulgent suppers. Suppliers are local and there's an organic kitchen garden so expect a menu showcasing what's in season.

Owners and brothers Charles and Edmund Inkin have marked their turf throughout – from quirky farmyard pictures and an Aga in the breakfast room to antique wood carvings. Their company "Eat, Drink, Sleep" (which also runs The Gurnards Head and The Old Coastguard in Cornwall) says it all. When done so well without pretension, it's no wonder they win all the awards.

Highs

  • The restaurant serves excellent food and has an accomplished wine list
  • A stunning setting for the beautiful Brecon Beacons countryside; the team can recommend walks and the Black Mountains are a 15-minute drive away
  • A wonderful cosy atmosphere – log fires, local ales and weekend papers
  • Each time we visit (even when incognito), their welcome has been even warmer than the time before
  • The rooms and bar are very dog-friendly – dog biscuits and towels can be provided and the countryside location is ideal

Lows

  • Just off the A470 which can get busy
  • Noise from the road and restaurant might carry through to bedrooms, though we didn't find it a problem
  • Bedrooms are quite simple (no TVs) and some are compact; but all are very comfy and clean
  • No longer a secret: weekends can be popular and you'll want to book your table in the restaurant

Best time to go

Any time of year. This is a beautiful rural part of the UK: joyously underpopulated and sporting mountains, rivers, pretty market towns and lots of fresh air. Many people come solely for the countryside, which is glorious in any season. Bring a pair of wellingtons/walking boots if you want to explore and a good book to curl up with afterwards. Book well ahead for the Hay Festival, in May/June.

Our top tips

Head up the lane opposite the pub before breakfast and, after a 15-minute climb up a farm track, you'll find yourself in a lovely spot to watch the spectacular sunrise over the Brecon Beacons.

Abergavenny, Monmouth and Crickhowell are lovely local towns, perfect for an hour or two of pottering.

Great for...

Foodie
Great Outdoors
  • Pub with Rooms
  • 8 rooms
  • Restaurant and bar open daily
  • All ages welcome
  • Open all year
  • Pool
  • Spa Treatments
  • Beach Nearby
  • Pet Friendly
  • Disabled Access
  • Car recommended
  • Parking
  • Restaurants Nearby
  • WiFi
  • Air Conditioning
  • Guest Lounge
  • Terrace
  • Garden
  • Gym
Room: Room 8

Rooms

The eight cosy rooms are decked out in a simple country style. They aren’t huge (except Room 8), but there’s plenty of storage and charm. You can expect Egyptian cotton bedding, Welsh wool blankets, down pillows and fresh flowers, plus wood panelling, framed monochrome photography and the occasional book to peruse.

Of the two Better Doubles, Room 1 has beamed ceilings and views to the lane and hills behind, while Room 3 looks onto the courtyard. The floor has been soundproofed to help prevent noise drifting up from the kitchen.

The Good Doubles, Room 5, Room 6 and Room 7 can each be made up as a twin or kingsize double. These rooms face the main car park, with mountains in the distance. Room 7 is nearest to the main road. If you're into ghosts, you might get lucky in Room 6 - occasional sightings of "George" intrigue!

The newest addition, Room 8 (Best Double) is much larger than the others, and quieter too. It occupies the entire top floor and has an attractive beamed ceiling and '50s-style red velvet armchairs, as well as views towards the village lane and fields.

There are two Small Doubles: Room 4 faces the lane and hills behind the pub, and Room 2 faces the courtyard, with a tongue-and-groove panelled headboard and oak flooring in the bathroom.

Each room comes with a Roberts radio, a hairdryer, WiFi, bottles of Welsh mineral water and a tea- and coffee-making kit. Bathrooms all have fluffy white towels and Bramley products.

Features include:

  • Hairdryer
  • WiFi

Eating

The Felin Fach Griffin's take on food has won them many accolades and excellent reviews from the most unlikely critics. Head Chef Gwenann Davies (hailing from mid-Wales herself) and her team showcase simplicity, quality classical cooking and use of tasty local ingredients.

At breakfast, there's home-baked farmhouse loaves, local Wye Valley apple juice, loose-leaf tea, cereals in big jars, prune compote, yoghurt from Rachel's or berries from the kitchen garden when in season. If you're hungry go for the full works, which includes fat pork sausages, proper bacon and black pudding. On our last visit, we treated ourselves to the fluffy eggy bread with perfectly crisp bacon and lashings of maple syrup.

For lunch and dinner, there are four separate dining areas, including one less formal, more dog-friendly section by the bar. It's a popular eating spot for locals, so it's often buzzy. Well-thought-out dishes include locally sourced ingredients and demonstrate a certain flair that stops short of being overly fussy. We enjoyed three excellent courses. Supper started with flavoursome baba ganoush served with goats curd and a buttermilk cracker, followed by melt-in-the-mouth pork belly with creamy mash and red cabbage. The warm cured salmon came with duck egg mayo and palate-cleansing pickled cucumber, while the local chicken breast was succulent and tender.

Their wine list is one you can really trust. Not excessively large, nor overpriced, and one which they keep fresh and tailored to the season.

Features include:

  • Bar
  • Breakfast
  • Kids' meals
  • Organic produce
  • Restaurant
  • Vegetarian options
Eating:
Activity:

Activities

  • Walk out the door – there's a good 2-hour round walk up the lanes behind the pub that gives great views of the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains. Maps and details of local walks are available to borrow
  • The Brecon Beacons: loads of wonderful walks including the climb up the stunning Pen y Fan – the highest peak in South Wales (15 mins' drive from the hotel). If you get caught in a downpour wet clothes and boots can be dried in the boiler room on your return
  • Here in August? Zip into Brecon and enjoy the world-famous Brecon Jazz Festival
  • Visit Hay on Wye (20 mins' drive away), an especially pretty small town beneath the Black Mountains that's famous for its second-hand books and annual literary festival
  • Go fly fishing on the river Usk or Wye – visit Wye and Usk Foundation for the lowdown on fishing in these parts
  • Go canoeing down the Wye from Glasbury (10 mins' drive away)
  • The Brecon Beacons are also a Dark Sky Reserve; it's just 2 minutes' drive to the common if you'd like to indulge in a little astronomy

Activities on site or nearby include:

  • Birdwatching
  • Fishing
  • Hiking
  • Historical sites
  • Horse riding
  • Kayaking
  • Mountain biking
  • Well being

Kids

The Felin Fach welcomes all ages and the surrounding landscape is great for outdoorsy children.

Family friendly accommodation:

Room 8 has space for two fold-out beds, so can sleep 4. Rooms 3 and 6 have space for one fold-out bed.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Baby equipment:

  • Baby cots
  • High chairs
  • Children's cutlery
  • Colouring books

Remember  baby and child equipment may be limited or need pre-booking

Children's meals:

There's a short children's menu, or the kitchen can serve smaller portions of adult meals

Kid Friendly:

Location

The Felin Fach Griffin is located 4 miles north-east of Brecon, just off the A470 road towards Hereford.

By Air
Cardiff International Airport (95km) is the closest, at an hour's drive away.

By Car
The Felin Fach Griffin is 3 hours from London and an hour's drive from Cardiff. There's a free on-site car park. See our car rental recommendations.

By Rail
The nearest station, Abergavenny, is a 30-minute drive away; there's a reasonably fast service from London Paddington (2.5 hrs).

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to the UK and getting around

Airports:

  • Cardiff International 95.0 km CWL
  • Cardiff International 265.0 km LHR

Other:

  • Beach 60.0 km
  • Shops 9.0 km
  • Restaurant 9.0 km

Our guests' ratings...

Based on 3 independent reviews from i-escape guests

10/10
Room
9/10
Food
10/10
Service
9/10
Value
10/10
Overall

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Rates for The Felin Fach Griffin

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