The Old Bakehouse

A detached two-bedroom cottage in historic Llantwit Major

The Old Bakehouse is exactly what its name suggests: a former bakery, now a comfortable detached holiday cottage sleeping four, tucked just off Wine Street in the old quarter of Llantwit Major. It keeps a foot in two worlds, a minute or two on foot from the town’s medieval church and pubs, yet with a spacious garden of its own and views towards the river valley. Dog-friendly and unfussy, it suits a family or two couples who want heritage and a coastline on one hand and the ready convenience of Cardiff and its airport on the other.

The cottage

A bright sitting room with a fireplace, burgundy sofas and a bookcase or two makes the natural gathering point, opening through to a dining space that seats the whole party around an oak table. Self-caterers get a well-appointed kitchen with an oven and a dishwasher, and laundry is taken care of by a washer-dryer. Two bedrooms take four between them, one set up with a child in mind and a high chair available, while the bathroom keeps a bath with a shower over. Wireless internet covers the cottage, and parking can be found on the street and close by.

The garden

Behind the house lies a surprisingly large garden, part lawn and part sitting-out space, that soaks up the afternoon sun and lets dogs and children stretch their legs. To find this much green within a two-minute walk of a town centre is a rare and welcome thing.

At a glance

• Detached former bakery; room for four
• Two bedrooms and a family bathroom
• Sitting room with fireplace and a dining area
• Large private garden; dogs made welcome
• Kitchen with dishwasher and washer-dryer
• Wi-fi throughout; three-star graded

Heritage, coast and capital

Llantwit Major wears its long past openly. St Illtud’s Church was among the earliest centres of Christian learning in Britain, the street plan is medieval, and Roman villas once dotted the fields around the town. Walk south and the coastline opens up at Colhugh and Tresilian Bay, where the layered cliffs and deep rock pools reward a slow morning’s exploring. The practical side is every bit as good: Cardiff Airport is about ten minutes away, the capital and its castle roughly half an hour, and the grand gardens at Dyffryn a short and worthwhile detour to the north-east.

Who it suits

The cottage plays several roles with ease. Dog owners love the garden and the direct walks onto the coast; grandparents gather the family here for the space and the child-friendly second bedroom; and travellers flying from Cardiff Airport treat it as a comfortable first or last night in Wales. Value counts for a great deal here: four people and a dog for the price of a couple of hotel rooms, in a town where the history, the beach and the capital are all within easy reach. Few bases in the Vale of Glamorgan manage to be quite so handy for quite so much, offering a garden of this size, a dog-friendly welcome and a walkable centre, with the medieval square, the Saturday shops and a bus to Cardiff all within a couple of hundred yards of the front door.

Good to know

The cottage is available from around £70 a night for the whole house, keen value for four so close to both sea and city. Open the booking button for today’s prices and a calendar of the dates still free. One of the two bedrooms is a child’s room, so it is worth checking the layout suits your group before you book, and letting the owner know if a dog will be joining you.