There’s a saying at Lower Monkton: home is where our shoulders go down. That sense of ease, of breathing out and letting go, was exactly what I felt as soon as I arrived at Y Nyth (Welsh for The Nest), the beautifully crafted shepherd’s hut that has just opened for guests in 2025.
Lower Monkton is tucked away in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales’ most southerly county and home to the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. It’s an area where city, country and coast are all within easy reach — beaches, sea air, and the Vale Trails walks are right on the doorstep. It also happens to be the best place in Wales to go fossil hunting, so whether you want to unearth prehistoric treasures or simply unwind in peace, it’s the perfect base.
From the start, the experience is different: Lower Monkton is a car-free site. You park at the bottom of the meadow, load your things into a wheelbarrow, and stroll up through wildflowers towards your accommodation. It’s a simple ritual that immediately sets the tone — slower, calmer, more connected to nature.
Y Nyth itself is a dream. No detail has been overlooked, and everything has been carefully considered. The space feels both rustic and luxurious: a proper underfloor-heated hideaway with a fully equipped kitchen, modern bathroom, and a clever layout that manages to be cosy yet surprisingly roomy.
The bed was extremely comfortable — perfect for nesting — and even the sofa deserves a special mention for being so inviting (something I never thought I’d write in an accommodation review!). Fresh bedding, soft towels and toiletries are all supplied, so you really can travel light.
One of my favourite touches was the thoughtful welcome hamper: Gower coffee from Rhossili Bay, fresh milk from Penuchadre Farm, Gwynt y Ddraig cider, and chocolate orange biscuits from Cryms. All local, all delicious, and all best enjoyed at the little oak breakfast bar with the Vale’s rolling hills spread out before you. I spent a blissful morning there, coffee in hand, tapping away at some writing with the gentle braying of donkeys in the background.
Those donkeys, Tutti and Frutti, are foster rescues, as are all the animals on the smallholding. Harry the cat, equal parts charming and mischievous, kept me company too, while the rescued chickens scratched about happily nearby. The site itself is around four acres, and Hannah King, her husband Patrick, and their family have spent the past five years rewilding the land and restoring its buildings. Wildflowers now bloom, fruit trees have been planted, and even a buzzard has recently been spotted overhead — signs of a thriving ecosystem returning.
It’s rare to find somewhere that balances such comfort with such a sense of place, but Y Nyth manages it beautifully. Luxury and nature in harmony. For anyone looking for a romantic escape, a creative retreat, or simply a chance to slow down and feel their shoulders go down, Y Nyth at Lower Monkton is a little slice of heaven in the Vale of Glamorgan.
