Calm. One Word says it all – it’s amongst Rarebits’ most soothing properties. A true country experience - meet the locals in a country inn with a modern twist. Good food- tasty, inventive cuisine, good value and fabulous breakfasts.

A long and winding road up the beautiful Ceiriog Valley leads to a crossroads and the tiny village of Llanarmon, locked away in the undiscovered Berwyn Mountains. Near to Llangollen as the crow flies, this soothing retreat is superbly placed for exploring especially enticing countryside (one of those ‘best-kept secrets’). It’s a mix of rolling borderlands, grassy highlands and hidden valleys, one of which leads to Wales’s highest waterfall.

The Hand is an ancient hostelry with all the attributes you’d expect – bags of character, a cosy, relaxing ambience and a warm welcome from your hosts, Jonathan and Jackie Greatorex. As soon as you arrive you feel the weight of the world dissolving as the surroundings work their magic. All the classic ingredients are here – old beams, roaring fireplaces, a casual mix-and-match of pine and oak furniture, real ale and good food. The latter is seriously good. Thanks to the talents of Head Chef Grant Mulholland and his team, The Hand is renowned for award-winning food, an inventive marriage of country fare and sophisticated metropolitan cuisine.

The bedrooms, in a variety of sizes, reflect similar influences, with rustic décor and sparkling modern bathrooms. Country lovers just love the location. You can walk in the Berwyns for hours with only the sheep for company and the ever-helpful Hand can arrange many country pursuits, including horse riding, fishing and shooting. You may be away from it all, but you’ll also be in the swing of things; this gem of a country inn is so much a part of village life that locals and visitors mix in unaffected harmony.

Directions

The whole of North Wales is beautiful, but few areas compare to the Ceiriog Valley.
Llanarmon D.C. is at the heart of the Upper Ceiriog: the most remote, most beautiful part of the valley, set against the backdrop of the Berwyn Mountains. This truly is stunning, real countryside. Whereas in many parts of Britain today, the drone of traffic is a permanent background, here you can get up on the tops of the hills and not hear a sound, apart from the birds and every turn of the track reveals another breath-taking view.

This is a genuinely tranquil place in which to while away a few days and The Hand is uniquely situated as a base for all sorts of outdoor activities or just sitting and soaking up the atmosphere.

This is wonderful walking country - you can walk for miles and not see another soul and almost any country pursuit can be arranged nearby. Some wonderful National Trust properties - Erddig, Chirk and Powys Castles - are nearby and many of the popular attractions of North Wales such as Snowdonia, Portmeirion and Bodnant Gardens provide a pleasant day out within easy striking distance.

Thanks to good road networks we are easily reached from major centres and although sufficiently off the beaten track, we are in fact only 34 miles from Chester, 28 from Shrewsbury, 82 miles from Birmingham, slightly less from Liverpool and Manchester, and 196 miles from London. Turn off the A5 at Chirk and follow the B4500, signposted to the Ceiriog Valley.