Wild Meadow: home from home

Sigh! Where do I start?

This was our second visit to Wild Meadow, in Powys Wales. We first came to stay earlier this year to celebrate my birthday, we stayed for less than 48 hours and we enjoyed it so much that we booked for a week in the summer just days after we had returned home.

I discovered Wild Meadow through the wonderful squares of Instagram where I initially started connecting with Andrea, the owner, via her photography which is simply stunning. Her visual descriptions of Wild Meadow and its surroundings had me captivated and I knew I had to visit. But Wales is not the direction we normally travel in, with Cornwall and Norfolk being our more regular haunts because of family connections, it took me a good year to book the first trip and that was spurred on mainly by me wanting to escape for my birthday. 

Wild Meadow is nestled at the base of rolling hills, reached by winding countryside roads that skirt by green fields full of sheeps and cows.  On both occasions we have visited, Andrea had warned me that the wild flowers in the meadow surrounding the cottage were either not quite out or just over,  but despite that it really didn’t matter! Yes I love flowers but I also love anything relating to nature and there is so much to be found within the boundaries of Wild Meadow let alone the countryside surrounding it that the wildflower meadow not being at its prime didn’t matter a jot. 

So lets start with the cottage its self, Andrea and her husband spent many years constructing the building and the attention to detail within every aspect of it is hard to miss. This is a place that has had heart and soul poured into it and you can genuinely feel that as soon as you walk through the door. With high ceilings, exposed wood and concrete floors, the couple have achieved a minimalistic look whilst maintaining an “at home” cosy feel. There are three good sized bedrooms and ample living space to enjoy. The master bedroom upstairs is a place of dreams, with a bed that you literally sink into and a balcony that faces the hills and the sun as it sets. A feature I absolutely love is that all the rooms upstairs have sky lights and with no light pollution at night you can lie in bed and gaze up at the stars and if you’re lucky (as we were on our first trip) you may hear the hoot of a passing owl.

For those travelling with children Andrea has provided everything you could need to make your life easy. With a washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher your load will be lightened during your stay. My boys love the freedom the meadow provides them with as much as the hessian bags full of toys that have found a new home in the cottage now that Andrea’s boys have grown up. Many hours were spent building train tracks and finding Wally!

Outside there are swings in a number of different places and a natural pond with nets to go pond dipping. We found dragon fly larvae, pond dippers and the odd snail which delighted the boys no end.

Our days passed by slowly as we settled in to a more relaxed pace of life, with mornings spent picking fruit from the orchard for our breakfast, where blackberries and raspberries grow abundantly.  There is a kitchen garden for guests to help themselves to fresh vegetables and despite the summer coming to an end we were able to pick peas, courgettes, onions and potatoes for our dinners not to mention dahlias as big as my head to keep the cottage looking pretty. With a fully functioning kitchen we rarely ate out and instead cooked up a storm with all the fresh fruit and vegetables available.

Whilst the lure to stay on the grounds of Wild Meadow was strong, we did venture out on a few occasions. Andrea has some brilliant recommendations and we visited Hay on Wye one day, ventured to Hampton Court Castle on another and took regular strolls in to Prestiegne which is the cutest of villages with a brilliant deli and vegetable shop.

There is a public footpath that you can follow, along the base of the hill, which means you can avoid the road for pretty much all the walk, a big bonus with the boys in tow. Beware that you will be walking through fields with cows and sheep, the first time we visited it was lambing season and the sheep were super cute but also quite intense - I’m pretty sure they thought we were going to feed them! Once in Prestiegne be sure to stop by the Workhouse for a delicious coffee and cake - it also has a perfectly curated shop with reasonably priced items that you will most definitely want to take home with you!

To be honest though, most of our time was spent enjoying the grounds of Wild Meadow. Apart from the odd passing car on the road below, the only sounds you will hear are that of farm animals in the fields around and the screeching of the buzzard who we think is nesting in a trees near by. As swallows swoop overhead and dragon flies dart across the pond it is easy to get lost in nature here at Wild Meadow.

As our final day approached the boys took their last turns on the sing at the top of the hill and I ate my last few raspberries before we loaded up our fiat 500 and set off home.

With full hearts and rested bodies Ed and I both agreed that this is a place that is good for the soul, for a break from the rat race and to come together as a family again. I cant wait to go back!