Katherine MacAlister explores Wales' waterfalls and glacial lakes in style

It was the views that got me, those quiet, stoic, majestic Welsh mountains stretching away from us as far as the eye could see, as if in silent contemplation of humanity’s irritating self-importance: all cares and worries a million miles away from this calm plateau.

We were at the top of Llyn Y Fan Fach, a glacial lake of approximately 10 hectares on the northern margin of the Black Mountain in Carmarthenshire, lying within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The lake lies at an altitude of approximately 1,660 feet, immediately to the north of the ridge of the Carmarthen Fans, and it was quite a trek to get there, climbing steadily from a parking area north of the lake which takes you along the Afon Sawddle before you can begin ascending to the rim at the top, where time stands still.

The peace and tranquility was interrupted only by the twittering of birds and the rustling of the ever-munching sheep, the fresh air and the sheer escapism demanded by the location, only adding to the occasion.

It was the second day of our Welsh excursion, the first taken up reaching our Featherdown Farm location in Glanaman, Ammanford, run as a franchise by husband and wife team Mark and Sarah Dempster.

He hails from Oxfordshire, growing up in Burford and Aston Under Wychwood before moving to Carterton, going to Oxford Brookes and joining the RAF, partly in Brize Norton.

But then he met Sarah, a gorgeous nurse, and the pair decided to take over her father’s farm in the Brecon Beacons in 2014 which has been in the family for generations.

They have since given it a new lease of life, transforming it into a Featherdown idyll where couples, families, children, nature loves and anyone keen to escape the human race for a bit, can retreat to revel in the views and the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

If you haven’t been to a Featherdown Farm site, they were set up in the UK in 2006, and now boast 33 centres to provide the ultimate in glamping, the canvas lodges boasting all the mod cons.

Each one sleeps up to six and comes complete with kitchens, loos, running water, a wood burning stove, a sink, dining table, BBQ, a chandelier and the comfiest beds in Christendom. A central block houses an honesty shop which stocks all the essentials, as well as showers.

More importantly, as all Featherdowns are housed on working farms, the ethos is to encourage children and families to reconnect with the countryside, help feed the animals, run around the fields, and get away from technology – to revel in all that rural air.

Throw in the sheer beauty of the place, and the vast scale of the landscape, and Cwmberach Uchaf Farm has to go down as my favourite Featherdown site so far.

Some of the guests there didn’t even leave the site, the spectacular views, relaxation and home cooking more than enough, while the children enjoyed the farm animals.

We were more intrepid, determined to finally tackle the Four Waterfalls Walk we had heard so much about. Just a short drive away, near Ystradfellte, it is easily reachable, grandma managing it admirably, despite the trek.

The first stop, the Sgwd Clun-gwyn waterfall was wonderful to behold as we walked behind the back of it and watched people either swimming in its cold pool or swinging in by rope.

A muddy path links each of the waterfalls, all in close proximity to each other, boasting their own idiosyncrasies; Sgwd yr Pannwr’s rocky steps, Sgwd yr Eira’s Niagara-like waterfall, and lastly the majesty of Sgwd y Pannwr.

Tired and exhilarated we beat a welcome retreat back to the farm. Fortunately it was pizza night and Mark and Sarah had got the woodburning pizza oven up and running as we chose our own toppings and watched the pizzas cook, while sitting at communal trestle tables under the stars, chatting with our fellow glampers before retiring to our ridiculously comfy beds.

Does it get better than this I wondered, as I stared up at the star strewn sky? I think not.

Feather Down Cwmberach Uchaf Farm, Glanaman, Ammanford, SA18 2DZ. April till end of October. Canvas Lodges or Canvas Frills Lodges that have a private en-suite shower. Prices start at £289 for a three-night self-catering stay in a Canvas Lodge that sleeps up to six people (max. five adults and one child under 12). featherdown.co.uk, 01420 80804 or e-mail info@featherdown.co.uk