Up a winding single-track road through the Black Mountains, where 270 acres of family farmland meet the Llanthony Valley Dark Sky Reserve, two converted railway carriages and a geodesic dome offer off-grid escapes for couples. Featured in The Times’ 30 Epic Escapes, this corner of Monmouthshire sits twelve miles from Hay-on-Wye yet feels properly remote, no WiFi, little to no phone signal, just birdsong and tranquility, just what you need from a getaway in the Welsh countryside.

The Railway Carriage pairs two former goods wagons into one timber-beamed retreat. The main carriage handles living, sleeping, and cooking in rustic comfort: king-size bed with feather duvet and crisp linen, wood-burning stove supplemented by underfloor heating, kitchen equipped with two-ring hob, oven, grill, and fridge. The adjoining carriage delivers a proper bathroom with drench shower, heated towel rail, and locally made soaps. Glass sliding doors open onto a deck positioned like a ship’s bow, framing valley views across to the 12th-century Llanthony Priory ruins. Farm eggs, bread, butter, milk, tea, and coffee wait as welcome provisions.

The Dome provides similar off-grid simplicity in solar-powered geodesic form, king-size bed, ensuite bathroom, full kitchen, wood-burning stove. The giant window frames the same Llanthony landscape by day, revealing the Dark Sky Reserve’s stellar display after sunset. Both accommodations include firepit and pizza oven for evening gatherings beneath those famously clear skies.

The valley itself supplies the entertainment. Walk ten minutes to Llanthony Priory’s Cellar Bar or the local pub just 0.3 miles away for homemade food. Wade streams along old drovers’ tracks, spot castles and churches dotting the landscape, follow footpaths that start from the door. Award-winning restaurants sit thirty minutes away by car, Hay-on-Wye’s bookshops twelve miles distant. But most guests stay put, letting the peace of 500 Welsh Cross sheep and endless birdsong handle the rest.