Your accommodation at Stay Balanced is in a shepherd’s hut, kept warm with a woodburning stove and stylishly furnished with a comfy king size bed (with linen sheets, result), a sofa, dining space, and a kitchen corner with everything you need to conjure up simple meals. Outside is a private garden with a hammock for snooze time and a hot tub for soaking away any residual cares. This area is fenced off to keep any canine companions safe – while they are very welcome on site, please be mindful that we have accumulated two dogs, chickens and ducks of our own as well as the alpacas, so your pets need to be on a lead around the four-acre smallholding.

We are Nilesh and Gavin, and in March 2021 we made the move from city dwellers to country gentlemen, with the animals and weekend labour to prove it. Why We Went From City Life To A Greener Life! Like many, after the pandemic we were looking for ways we could make the most out of time here, live better and do better for our environment. We changed our home, our jobs and our lifestyle – a greener more sustainable life, for us to make our future. As with any adventure you have to be ready for the twists and turns, after accumulating 2 dogs, 9 chickens and 5 ducks – Alpacas were the obvious next addition, right? Faced with the challenge of how to manage the 4 acre small holding we had made our home, was where the idea of the Alpacas came into play – not part of our original plan, we quickly realised their calm, inquisitive and gentle nature would be the perfect addition to our new life – they would help bring the balance to our home. It didn’t take us long to fall head over heels in love with our Alpacas and our new ‘life in the country’ so much so that is why Stay Balanced was born, our little slice of the good life is too good not to share.

The centre of Newport is 15 minutes’ drive if you need stock up at supermarkets, while Cardiff’s gourmet food market (closed Sunday) is 35 minutes away by car. Stay close to go birdwatching at RSPB Newport Wetlands (five minutes’ drive), where you might spot a heron or two. You can embark on long-distance rambles along the Wales Coast Path (10 minutes), or go hiking through the trees at Cwmcarn Forest (half an hour). There are lush water gardens, rockeries and follies to admire at Dewstow Gardens and Grottoes (20 minutes), and woodland sculpture trails at Fourteen Locks Canal Centre (25 minutes, look out for those herons again). You might also like to sneak over the border into England and have a nose around the spectacular Gothic-era facades of Cistercian Tintern Abbey (half an hour). There are two 18-hole golf courses within 20 minutes’ drive, and should you hit a rainy day (always a possibility in the UK), make a beeline for the big screens at Cineworld Newport Wales - Spytty Park (five minutes).