West Usk Lighthouse Lodge

Watching the tides ebb and flow is one of the pleasures of a stay at West Usk Lighthouse Lodge. This small but perfectly-formed whitewashed cabin offers studio-style, self-catering accommodation that’s been designed to help you make the most of its views across the Severn Estuary. You can see them from the four-poster bed, from the decking outside, from the fire pit and from the hot tub. All this sits alongside the elegant but surprisingly diminutive, Grade II-listed West Usk lighthouse. It’s not far from Newport and less than 10 miles from Cardiff – and although urban life is not too far away, it’s also not that near. The lighthouse lodge enjoys a peaceful position backed by fields, more than half a mile from the nearest road.

The private drive that leads you here is used only by guests of the lodge and its owners, who’ve lived in the lighthouse for 30 years. The only traffic you are likely to see are cows in nearby fields, ships passing on the water and perhaps the occasional walker on the Wales Coast Path, which passes very close by. The accommodation sleeps two and is well connected to the outdoors – but it’s more than glamping. It’s got electricity and running water, a shower room and loo and a proper kitchenette. The dark wood four-poster bed is the focal point. It feels, like much of the rest of the room, that it could have come from the captain’s cabin of a ship washed up before the lighthouse was built, some 200 years ago.

It’s tempting to bring a copy of a swashbuckling adventure story here so you can simply settle in for the weekend. After all, the tidal nature of the river means the scenery is ever changing, and if you go out, you might miss some of its drama. But the coast path beckons, as does nearby National Trust property, Tredegar House. And then there’s Cardiff, which is too close not to visit. Its castle and museums are well worth exploring and, if you’re a Doctor Who fan, it’s a must. There are lots of locations in and around the city where filming has taken place over the years including West Usk Lighthouse itself. That explains why there’s a Tardis in the garden: another unique feature of this unique little lodge.