Five minutes up the road in Pen-y-cae village sits the valley’s destination meal: a handsome inn rebuilt in local stone, slate and green oak, with seasonal menus, a Sunday lunch people plan weekends around — and, improbably and delightfully, its own licensed micro-zoo in the back garden.
Yes, the rumours are true: while you wait for your roast, the kids (of any age) can wander out to meet meerkats, wallabies, pygmy goats and Japanese cranes. The zoo is free to visit and fully licensed — around thirty animals and birds in all.
It’s the natural choice for a proper evening out during your stay, and close enough to Craig-y-Nos Castle to be the perfect next-day lunch for wedding guests.
Worth knowing
- Holds a full zoo licence (granted 2015) for its garden menagerie of around 30 animals and birds — free to visit.
- Rebuilt in local stone, slate and green oak — worth a look in itself.
- Previously recognised in the Great British Pub Awards.
- Has its own on-site rooms, aptly named the Sleeping Giant Hotel — Cribarth looms right behind.