Drovers Retreat is an Award Winner for 2025!

Drovers Retreat is a Travel & Hospitality Awards Winner for 2025

 A four-star, self-catering, eco holiday cottage, which enjoys a secluded spot in the heart of Mid Wales countryside, has won the Country Holiday Cottage of the Year in Wales Award.

Front of Drovers Retreat

 Drovers Retreat at Dolau, near Llandrindod Wells in the Welsh Borders collected the accolade in the prestigious Travel & Hospitality Awards, which recognise organisations that have gone above and beyond in providing exceptional experiences to their customers. This recognition exemplifies Drovers Retreat’s unwavering commitment to excellence and exceptional service in the travel and hospitality industry.

 Located on a small farm in the rolling borders country, Drovers Retreat was a 19th century, Grade II Listed, stone barn before it was carefully converted to a cottage for up to four guests in 2017. 

Arial view of Drovers Retreat

 A Green Tourism Silver Award winner, the cottage is situated on a local wildlife site with its own pure water supply and an ev charger.  An adjoining games barn has a snooker table, table football and darts, while the cottage has board games and books.

 Guests are able to enjoy woodland as well as self-guided walks in unspoilt countryside as well as stargaze in a dark sky at night.

 The cottage is ideal for couples, families, walkers, dog owners and anyone looking for a chance to escape, relax and unwind in beautiful, natural surroundings.

Drovers Retreat Living Room

A panel of experts evaluated submission materials, reviewed customer feedback and compared the facilities of each participant before the award winners were chosen.

 “Our esteemed winners are those who have showcased their exceptional qualities, outstanding services and facilities, and unparalleled commitment to customer satisfaction across numerous categories,” said a spokesman for the awards.

 “We were astounded by the exceptional quality of entries this year and trust that this guide will serve as a valuable resource for discerning travellers as they plan their next luxurious getaway.”

 Bob Kennard, co-owner with his wife Carolyn of Drovers Retreat, said: “The Rural Welsh Borders area has a lot to offer tourists, especially as a great place to unwind and enjoy peace and nature, as well as history, landscapes and picturesque towns and villages. Yet it is relatively undiscovered. 

“Perhaps this award will help to shine a light on the beauties and treasures of this wonderful area.”

Ends

 Notes for Editors:

About the Awards: THE TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY AWARDS celebrate the remarkable achievements of companies in the travel and hospitality industry worldwide. These awards recognize organizations that have gone above and beyond in providing exceptional experiences to their customers. With a meticulous selection process and a panel of expert judges, the Travel & Hospitality Awards serve as a trusted resource for discerning travellers seeking the finest establishments and services in the industry.
Media Contact: Stanley Lucas +44 (0) 800 048 8265 | Stanley@thawards.com

About Drovers Retreat.
www.droversretreat.co.uk; +44 (0)7377 865123; enquiries@droversrereat.co.uk
Contact: Bob Kennard

An Inspiring local walk from Drovers Retreat

Recently I chose to walk to our local garage to collect my car after emergency maintenance. The direct, main road route is 4 miles or so, but the alternative, just shy of 6, and much more attractive. Living here we are spoilt for choice with the abundance of footpaths, bridleways and green lanes accessible from Drovers Retreat in some of the most stunning landscapes in the UK.

A Sense of Place

This old stone barn that welcomes you today, encapsulates history. It stands just above an ancient Drovers track, which in former centuries saw the passage of cattle and sheep across Wales to markets far beyond, and once housed cattle beneath its roof. We have tried, modern planning rules and contemporary regulations permitting, to retain its sense of history. Flagstones that felt the press of hooves in former years, were lifted to accommodate a thick insulated floor and then replaced on top - a veritable heavy-weight jigsaw puzzle on kitchen and living room floor.

Covid-inspired poem after 'Naming of Parts'

Here in this quiet corner of Wales we are still firmly locked down. Its over seven weeks since I visited a shop! Drovers Retreat, in all its spring glory, is temporarily moth-balled while we await that moment when we can share this special place with family, friends and guests once again. I I feel I am spinning in a whirlpool of contrary emotions and so I walk. With every step I walk my spaghetti head begins to straighten out. I start singing and often the poetry comes with a sigh of relief.

On one such walk the first line of this poem ‘Sourcing of Masks’ hijacked my thoughts and quickly became a mantra with successive steps, ‘Today we have sourcing of masks’.  Henry Reed’s famous ‘Naming of Parts’ had been buried in my grey matter since school days, for over 50 years, until quite suddenly I realised just how relevant the five stanzas are in these crazy, desperate times.

St Michael, and the Dragon of Radnor Forest

It is a well-known fact that St. Michael slew the dragon. Less well known are the five churches, dedicated to St. Michael, built in a ring around the Radnor Forest in mid Wales. They guard a sleeping dragon but who can tell what fate awaits us should the churches close?

Drovers Retreat nestles in the parish of Llanfihangel Rhydithon (Llanfihangel means Church of St. Michael). The other 'Michael' churches are at Discoed, Llanfihagel Nant Melan and Cefynllys.

This is my poem about the Dragon …..

Dark Skies in Mid-Wales - October 2018

Dark skies seem to be weighing us down. With constant mention of the six letter 'B' word I find myself shouting at the radio then reaching for my boots to escape to the surrounding hills. You can do just that. We have our own beautiful dark sky, of a different kind, right here on the edge of the Radnor Forest. Or you can venture on a short drive to take advantage of all that the 45,000 acres of the Elan Valley have to offer.

Whatever The Weather - August 2018

We seem suddenly to have arrived at the closing weeks of peak holiday season and what a mixed bag of weather we have had. Drovers Retreat has been booked up throughout, with guests from all over the world - from USA to Poland, Korea to Belgium, Ireland and of course UK. So much to see and do both outdoors and in, that the seasonal eccentricities have not palled the enjoyment of our guests.

Bluebells and Badgers - May 2018

Some time ago when my grandson was small I told him how I had surprised a roe deer in the Radnor Forest, a stone’s throw from Drovers Retreat. Wide eyed he enquired ‘Did you ride it?’ And that was the magic, not only that he should picture me doing just that, but that he believed in my imagined lithe leap on to its back as it pranced through the undergrowth.

Spring Tease - March 2018

The arrival of spring keeps teasing! At once throwing drifts of snow over us then sneaking up with a warm sunny day that sets the birds all a twitter! Then suddenly a biting wind forces me inside to catch up on paperwork while lambs shiver under hedges.

But today the sun is shining again and I must leave my desk. I set my sights to the Radnor Forest, boot-shod and mud-slide my way towards the hill. And what rewards I find at the peaceful dew pond .......

Drovers Isn't Just For Christmas - January 2018

Although we have said goodbye to the last of a steady stream of guests over the festive period we already have people booking for the coming weeks and beyond.

It is a great place for doing just what you enjoy. So many fabulous views to take in: I snapped this one in December, looking towards Black Mixen. I only had 5 minutes to spare and that’s all it took to walk from the front door and capture the snowy afternoon light.

Winter Wander December 2017

I walked out this morning to ‘beat the bounds’ of our smallholding. My BBC weather app gave little encouragement for a December walk in Wales - somewhere damp between low cloud and chilling wind. But it’s pointless letting weather forecasts dictate the day here, there are, more often than not, pleasant surprises along the way.
My steps soon brought me to the steep dingle and our stream that runs through. You can walk here when you stay at Drovers Retreat. Victorian labour first tamed the brook into a concrete channel during the building of the Elan Valley pipe-line to Birmingham, at the turn of the last century........

Autumn Invitation October 2017

What on Earth is going on with the world? Crazy things are all around, and not in the Dr.Seuss fun sense either.

If you are feeling it’s impossible to right the wrongs of the world then maybe it’s time you booked a break.

No, don’t go on an aeroplane! Come here for a bit of quiet reflection. The autumn colours are deepening, the air is clear and the spring water refreshing.