I grew up visiting my grandparents’ hotel, The Black Lion in Llangurig — Sunday roast beef, chatter and laughter filling the bar, my grandfather’s chuckle carrying above it all. 

Those memories of warmth, belonging, and the hum of happy company stayed with me. Years later, the call of this land — its full rivers, rolling hills, and crows in the trees — drew my family here from London in 1994.

During lockdown, I took a DNA test and discovered my mums family were from the Preselis something she didnt even know — a revelation that explained my deep love for this landscape and its people. In truth, I’ve come full circle: home again, in the embrace of West Wales.

Bear Holiday Homes was born from that return — from a wish to offer others the same sense of comfort, connection, and quiet magic that has shaped our life here. Each home is a cosy sanctuary: a place to slow down, breathe deeply, and feel the land beneath you.

Like the bear, we retreat to rest and dream — then re-emerge renewed, grounded, and ready to step back into the world.

With warmth,
Claire x