With solo travel on the rise and Google Search volumes for “solo travel” having increased by 132 per cent between 2021 and 2022, this year looks to be even more popular for lone traveller breaks, both overseas and in the UK. The growing trend is more popular with women, and many travellers see solo travel as a journey of self-discovery journey, and a chance to learn something new*.

With this in mind, The Angel Hotel in Abergavenny has launched a number of spring / summer packages which are perfect for solo travellers looking to immerse themselves in a weekend of foraging, art or wild gardening.

The closer-to-nature packages include one-day courses at Nant-y-Bedd Gardens, a 10 acre organic garden and woodland, plus a bed & breakfast stay with dinner at The Angel Hotel a luxurious, family-run hotel located in the centre of Abergavenny. Close to the Welsh/English border, there are beautiful walks on the doorstep of the Brecon Beacons National Park and historic sites like Abergavenny Castle in walking distance.

Spring/Summer Wild Weekend Packages

Wild Gardening – July and August

Discover how you can you can can adopt a wild gardening approach in your own garden on this one-day course at Nant-y-Bedd Gardens, a beautiful garden 10-acre organic garden, woodland and meadow in the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The gardens are a wonderful mixture of organic fruit and vegetables, imaginative planting, mature trees, winding paths, bridges, a pond and stream, and ‘designer’ dry-stone walls.

Your guide, Sue Mabberly–who has gardened here for over 40 years–will share her experience of how to create the balance between a productive organic vegetable and fruit garden, a haven for wildlife and a tranquil space to relax. You will leave armed with the knowledge to create your ‘wild’ garden without compromising productivity.

The Wild Gardening experience costs from £407 for two people sharing OR £291 for one person, including an overnight B&B stay in an Executive Room and three-course meal in The Oak Room. Sunday, July 2 (with a stay at The Angel on Saturday or Sunday) and Sunday August 13 (with a stay at The Angel on Saturday or Sunday)

Arts & Nature – June and July

Create your own Blueprints using flora you have foraged from the grounds of Nant-y-Bedd gardens and woodland. You will learn about the history of Victorian Cyanotype or Blueprint printing technique and discover the alchemy of creating your own blueprints by placing natural objects on to coated paper and allowing the action of light to create a silhouette effect.

The Arts & Nature experience costs from £423 for two people sharing OR £307 for one person, including an overnight B&B stay in an Executive Room and three-course meal in The Oak Room. Sunday 11 June and Sunday 23 July

Foraging Fun – from March-October

Learn about the edible wild plants that grow around us from spring herbs to autumn berries and fungi depending on the time of year. You will leave inspired to find and eat wild food. Your guide is Adele Nozedar (pictured) author of the The Hedgerow Handbook and Foraging with Kids.

Foraging days take place on the last Sunday of every month, departing from the The Angel Hotel..

The Foraging Fun experience costs from £337 for two people sharing OR £221 for one person, including an overnight B&B stay in an Executive Room and three-course meal in The Oak Room. 26 March, 30 April, 28 May, 25 June, 30 July, 20 August, 24 September, 29 October.

To book, visit https://www.angelabergavenny.com/ or call 01873 857121.