Work From Home Escape
My girlfriend and I have been working from home for most of the global pandemic. As the world started to open up, we decided to take a working-from-hol trip to the Brecon Beacons in Wales.
The Plan:
We were craving a change of scene, but didn’t see any reason to waste our annual leave. So we decided to work from home… just not in our home.
So, find a location with wonderful walks and enough space for the two of us to work and relax. Quite simple really.
The accommodation:
We found a beautiful converted chapel in the Brecon Beacons (a must visit!). Note: For weekends, the cottage needs min 6 people staying. However, as we were “working from another home” the mid week was ideal for us.
5 things we looked for in the accommodation:
Work space
Parking
Nearby grocery shop
Nearby attractions (walks, museums, etc)
Great reviews
The Brecon Beacons are a short drive inside of Wales from the border to England, about an hour from Cardiff. It is full of incredible scenery, walks, and viewpoints. A fine blend of rural living whilst being a short journey to some towns and not too far from the capital.
Our first impression of the place was… Wow! The chapel living space was so open with a mezzanine housing a bunk bed, and a sitting area separate from the rest (great for taking work calls whilst the other is making lunch, or on a call). The bedroom sits in a nook above the bathroom with a large round window. It was cosy and a perfect place to retire to, after a day of work and evening of food and films.
The host of the AirBnb was charming, and incredibly helpful, offering great advice of where to walk, shop for food and visit. The best surprise was the homemade bread waiting for us when we arrived! Such a classy touch.
Adding to the rustic charm of the place was the wood burning fireplace, using local and sustainably sourced wood. This made for intimate, curled up evenings, spent discussing our day, eating dinner and winding down.
One lunchtime we took a beautiful walk along an old railway bridge next to the chapel, following a small river, stopping at the streams and waterfalls and finding ourselves encapsulated by the surrounding nature. Perfect reset perfect for the afternoon of meetings and activities. It was about 4km and 40 minutes worth of walking but it felt like we had been transported to another world after a stressful morning. There is no better remedy or exercise to reboot than getting lost in the environment. I’m just so jealous I couldn’t take the walk home with me.
Had we had the time, we’d have loved to do the four waterfalls walk in the Beacons - take a look at some of the amazing views you get from the walk!
Check out on Friday was 11am, which meant I needed to take a work call on the road, so where better to take a call than in a car park of a national trust?!
Would I do it again?
In short, yes!!! One thing the pandemic has taught me is that work doesn’t have to be fixed to one location. So, if you’re starting to get a bit bored of your routine at home, take a trip away for a week and move your home office to a new location, explore in the evening and lunch times. Hit refresh and feel refreshed. I know I did, and will look to incorporate it into my life from now on.
