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Y Felin

September 9, 2010 by Gwion · 16 Comments 

Y Felin is in the rural village of Dyffryn Ardudwy in Snowdonia, half way between Harlech and Barmouth on the Cambrian Coast road. A short grassy drive leads up to a private but sunny garden. (It never rains in Wales, honest!) Slate stepping stones guide you to the front door of this beautiful, typically asymmetrical, 17th century stone cottage.

Open the door and step onto the warm slates which cover the ground floor. (This under floor heating is a marvellous thing) Modern facilities, dishwasher, washing machine etc are combined with original features like the ledged and braced doors and exposed beams.

There’s a cosy lounge complete with obligatory inglenook or ‘simne fawr’ eith cast iron log burner. Perfect for those romantic evenings cuddled up together on the couch. Upstairs there’s a modern bathroom where the complete with ceramic bath and power-shower and there’s a nice view of the cows from the bath if you leave the curtains open. The two bedrooms are nicely furnished and all the linen was crisp and clean.

Both bedrooms have window seats overlooking the coastline about half a mile away. One disadvantage of this period property however was the painfully low doors. But I learnt to duck by about the third day. In front of the house some old barns and stone walls combine to provide a secluded courtyard type garden. Surrounding that is a 4 acre field which came with the property and was perfect for our Border Collie.

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Location

The train station is about half a mile away and the bus stop is just up the road. But best of all there are two pubs within walking/staggering distance. Dyffryn was a nice village complete with a small grocery store and butchers, post office and garage. The historic town of Harlech is 10minutes drive to the North and the seaside town of Barmouth is 10 minutes to the south. Moelfre and the Rhinog Mountain rage is just behind you and the beach is just in front of you.

Lots to do in the area, Harlech has it’s famous castle of course as well as a 18 hole links golf course. We also enjoyed our time at the pony trekking school in Dolgellau, a nearby market town.

Llys Bennar

September 8, 2010 by admin · 8 Comments 

As we pushed past a fragrant camellia and crossed over a little stone bridge to get to the front door, we knew that Llys Bennar was going to be a bit special.

An oak panelled hall way complete with antique chair and expensive looking pictures leads off to a well equipped kitchen which is filled with the mouth-watering smell of freshly baked bread, a much appreciated welcome gift from the owners, Sue and Richard. The kitchen in turn leads to the breakfast room. My photo of the breakfast room doesn’t do it justice perhaps. This nice bright room houses a huge long bench seat facing onto an impressive oak table. Perfect for family meals, board games and colouring in!

There’s also a small WC and a boot room come utility next to the kitchen. Ideal for our wellingtons and walking gear. Next door, the games room has a full sized pool table and a handy little docking station for our Ipod. Great fun on a warm evening with the patio doors opened up onto the back garden, drinking a beer and eating peanuts between shots.

The ground floor ensuite bedroom has a super-king bed and would be perfect for grandma and granddad if they can be persuaded to come.

A central stairway leads you to the upstairs lounge. The lounge, once again, is a treasure trove of antique furniture and tasteful décor. Having this room upstairs is fantastic as the views are spectacular. Rolling sand dunes stretch out in front of you and behind them a crystal blue sea and a cloudless sky.

Two bathrooms and three more bedrooms upstairs. A spacious and wonderfully sunny twin room, a smaller room with a set of bunk beds for the children and finally the very impressive master bedroom.

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Location

The wonderful Bennar Beach with its Green Coast Award is the obvious attraction when you’re staying at Llys Bennar, and is only a 10 minute walk away. But perhaps because the area is renowned for its beautiful coastline the mountains behind are sometimes overlooked. Luckily maybe as unlike Snowdon itself, an hour to the north, the Rhinnog Mountains are ignored by many tourists and remains one of the Britain’s few true wildernesses.

Snowdonia is of course fast becoming Britain’s activity capital. Mountain biking, white water rafting, pony trekking, rock climbing are all available nearby. Whilst Celtic hill forts, religious shrines, mighty medieval castles and revealing industrial remains will entertain the more cerebral. We also found plenty of traditional pubs, charming tearooms serving home made cakes and stylish restaurants.

Dolcymerau

September 7, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment 

We turned right in Llanbedr, (there’s only one right turn in the village, so not even I could get confused there) and wound our way up towards the picturesque Cwm Nantcol, a valley sitting between the Rhinog Mountains. The lane eventually led us to a peaceful courtyard area where Dolcymerau was set. It was springtime when we visited, the sun was shining, crocuses and daffodils were in full bloom and new born lambs grazed in the field behind the cottage. Fantastic!

The property is a large converted barn. Complete with lofted ceilings and ubiquitous exposed beams. There were 5 bedrooms in total sleeping 7/8 plus a cot. Lesley and her daughter Claire have a number of properties that they let to holiday makers and their professionalism was obvious. Spotlessly clean and tidy and equipped with everything you could want. Washing machine, dishwasher, wide screen TV, DVD etc.

Claire used to work in the fashion business and would admit to being quite extrovert, so none of your standard décor here. Crammed with interesting furniture and exotic cushions Dolcymerau was a pleasing contrast to the beige walls and Ikea fittings we usually see. The lounge was luxurious and comfortable with its cast iron stove and big sofas. The kitchen, the original dairy, was newly fitted, spacious and well equipped. One of my favorite bits however, was the french doors leading off our bedroom. They overlooked a small field. There was a lake at the far end and a woodland area surrounding that. It was like having a 24 hour nature documentary playing outside your window. Outside there was a nice lawned area with garden seating and BBQ.

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Location

Llanbedr itself was the perfect little village. The river Artro winds its way past two pubs, a corner store, butchers shop and post office. The area itself is famous for shell island and the miles and miles of sandy beaches to either side. Harlech, 3 miles to the north boasts an international links golf course as well as it’s famous castle. And the mountains behind us offered even the most enthusiastic of walkers endless options right from our doorstep. The popular seaside town of Barmouth is 6 miles to the south.

Moelfre

September 6, 2010 by gwionllwyd · Leave a Comment 

Moelfre, named after the mountain behind the cottage, is a one bedroom barn conversion on a working welsh hill farm. It’s difficult for me to be objective when describing Moelfre as it’s one of the two self catering cottages that we let out ourselves here at Byrdir. But I hope you’ll agree when I say they’re nicely furnished and decorated. We’re certainly very proud with the way they’ve turned out.

Using local craftsmen to completely rebuild an old disused barn, has meant that we’ve been able to use as much natural and local material as possible. Nick and Adam did most of the structural work including laying the natural slate tiles on our heated floor. Mike, a carpenter from the village, hand carved the oak trusses and glazed gable end. Whilst stonemasons Charlie and Rich, two brothers and friends of ours, did a brilliant job of the external granite stone work.  (I was allowed to help with the backbreaking but unskilled work of fetching the stones from the fields.)

We’ve designed the barn with a ‘grogloft’ or sleeping deck up in the eaves of the barn. The velux window up there has a brilliant view over the farm, Moelfre and the Rhinog Mountains. The living area downstairs has an open kitchen. We’ve tried to include everything you’ll need such as a combination oven, hob and dishwasher. The underfloor heating provides more than enough heat but we’ve also installed a cast iron log burner to help create that romantic atmosphere. The french doors open to a fantastic view of the Cambrian coast line and the Llyn Peninsula beyond.

We’ve tried to buy the best fixtures and fittings possible. Including hand made brass lamps, oak furniture and real leather sofas. The bathroom has been kitted out with a powerful thermostatic shower and expensive taps etc. But more importantly perhaps we’d like to think that we’ve invested some time and effort into smaller projects like renovating an old cast iron radiator for the bathroom, making the curtains by hand, restoring some old furniture bought at our local auction and buying some nice ornaments made by friends and neighbors.

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Moelfre is on the grounds of our farm here at Byrdir where we also run a small B&B (have a look at www.byrdir.co.uk for more information). During the summer months, when the B&B is open, we’ll try and persuade you to join us for a cooked breakfast in the main farmhouse free of charge. Although you’re naturally free to stay in bed and cater for yourselves if you prefer. There are lots of other advantages to staying here on the farm. It’ll give you a chance to get involved in things like feeding the pigs, collecting the chicken eggs and meeting the ducks. Throwing a stick for our border collie, Dell, seems to be the favorite pastime of most of our guest however. Great views in every direction. Views over the Cambrian Coastline and its sandy beaches a mile to the west, Snowdon and her friends are to the north and you are naturally encouraged to explore the rugged Rhinnog Mountains that climb up behind the cottage to the east.

The other attractions associated with Snowdonia are all close by. Historic castle and golf course in Harlech, narrow gauge steam railways in Porthmadog and Talyllyn, slate and copper mines in Bleuna and Beddgelert as well as more adventurous pursuits like kite surfing, white water rafting and mountain biking etc. Let me know what you fancy and I’ll point you in the right direction.

Gilfach Goch

September 4, 2010 by Gwion · 11 Comments 

Gilfach Goch is one of the nicest barn conversions we’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Roger and Lesley have done a fantastic job of transforming their 400 year old barn into a luxury holiday cottage. High oak beamed ceilings are complimented by newly laid solid oak floors with under-floor heating. Tasteful furniture and all the facilities you could wish for, serve testament to their attention to detail.

There’s a comfortable lounge, with TV, DVD etc and the bonus of wireless internet if you’re silly enough to bring your laptop with you. The huge kitchen diner next door is perfect for those evening get togetherws. Plenty of space for everyone to eat and drink together and discuss the days events while the men pour over their OS maps.

Four bedrooms in total, all of them twin rooms. So the cottage will sleep a maximum of 8 plus a couple of cots. But low occupancy discounts are available during off peak times. So don’t dismiss this one if you’re a smaller group. The largest bedroom is en-suite and also benefits from a small kitchenette and sitting area. Two more bedrooms lead off from the lounge but I think my favorite bedroom was the one up in the eaves of the barn. Low ceilings, exposed beams and a perfect little cottage window will mean the children will all be rushing to grab this room first.

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Location

On the outskirts of the charming little village of Llanbedr, Gilfach Goch sits tucked up into a small hill, overlooking the Cambrian plane and its beautiful coastline. The sunsets over the Llyn Peninsula are truly spectacular and this cottage is the perfect place to sit and enjoy them. There’s a long private drive to the cottage so no passing traffic to bother you, just the odd stubborn sheep that may need nudging from the lane. (Don’t worry they don’t bite!)

There are a couple of pubs in the village, a butchers, post office and grocery store. Ten minutes away by car, the towns of Harlech and Barmouth offer a larger choice of restaurants and shops. Lot’s of adventure type activities around, including white water rafting, mountain biking, pony trekking etc. Others will enjoy the prehistoric stone circles, medieval castles and narrow gage railways that dot a landscape steeped in history.

A lot of guests will flock to the cottage for a traditional beach holiday of course. But I’d encourage everyone to explore the mountains behind the house. The Rhinog Mountains and Cwm Nantcol remains one of the UK’s true wildernesses. The mountains here are arguably every bit as spectacular as their more famous sister Snowdon, but benefit from being a bit more undiscovered. At the moment at least.

Pant-Golau

September 1, 2010 by Gwion · Leave a Comment 

Pant-Golau is Welsh for sunny or bright valley. And it certainly was the day we visited. This newly refurbished house is on the end of a charming little row of three cottages in a little hamlet called Pensarn. But the country setting belies what is quite a posh and modern property inside. Chic, I think, would be the right word. There’s a thoroughly modern kitchen-diner with all the facilities you would expect. But character is added by an exposed stone wall and the oak lintels which sit above two large windows. With sea views of course.

Plenty of room in the lounge too. Three huge sofas face onto a traditional cast iron log burner (for the romantically inclined) and quite a large flat screen TV just off to the left (for the not so romantic). And the sense of style continues with large hanging prints complementing the soft furnishings and décor. Sea views again of course.

Four bedrooms upstairs. Two doubles and two twins, perfect for a large family or two smaller families. Everything’s brand new, so as you’d expect, the beds are comfy and the linen is all clean and crisp. And all the other boxes have been ticked, bed side lamps, large wardrobes, luxurious carpet, tasteful curtains etc. Oh, and the sea views are even better up here.

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As mentioned, Pant-Golau is one of a small collection of houses in Pensarn which is a mile or so to the north of the charming little village of Llanbedr. Just about walking distance to the pub but maybe a car journey if you’re carrying shopping back from the shop. Both pubs in the village serve food. The Victoria Inn has a fantastic beer garden and the ‘Ty Mawr’ has a selection of real ales and a fantastic atmosphere especially when there’s rugby on the TV.

Harlech with its famous castle and 18hole links golf course is five minutes away by car and the larger seaside town of Barmouth is about ten minutes away in the opposite direction. So plenty of other restaurants and shops within easy reach.

The cottage itself overlooks the Artro river estuary and the famous Shell Island. Fantastic blue flag beaches are dotted all along this coastline but one of our favorites was Llandanwg beach just a mile up the coast. We ordered a pizza from the small café there before sitting on the beach with a glass of chilled white wine and watched the sun dipping down over the mountains of the Llyn peninsula. Idyllic.

The little lane leading to the cottage eventually leads up towards Cwm Nantcol and the lake at Cwm Bychan. So the cottage provides a great base for walking, cycling and fishing. The lake holds brown trout and a fish known locally as “the red bellied char”.

Aweldyfi

August 31, 2010 by admin · 4 Comments 

My happy childhood holiday memories of sandy chips and wooden forks meant I really liked Aberdyfi from the minute we arrived. The wooden forks have been replaced by blue plastic ones but my chips drenched in vinegar tasted every bit as good. Add the harbour sounds and fresh sea and we all got that real ‘holiday’ feeling straight away.

I should talk about the house. First of all, it’s in a great position. Right on the sea front and walking distance to the pub and shops. It’s a big 3 storey house, typical Victorian architecture I guess. The huge bay windows at the front meant we had a great view across the estuary and out to the distant Cambrian Mountains.

Inside the kitchen is well equipped and has large double doors opening onto the dining room which meant I didn’t feel left out when cooking breakfast. There’s a lounge next door and four bedrooms in total. Two of which are en-suite and plus another two bathrooms. Glenn and Rachel, the owners, have only just bought the house so everything is newly decorated and gleaming. Rachel has great taste and has furnished the house to a really high standard. Glenn’s included all the necessary boys’ toys, LCD Digital TV, DVD, MP3 etc.

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Aberdyfi is a very fashionable town with some fantastic pubs and restaurants, as well as all the usual shops. The town, somehow, remains untarnished from the neon commercialism that has spoilt a lot of British seaside resorts. We enjoyed an afternoon crab fishing on the old wharf and we must have built hundreds of sand castles on what is a fantastically clean beach. I’m told that the yacht club is very active and that the links golf course is among the best in Wales.

The more energetic out there also have plenty to chose from. Kite surfing, white water rafting, sea kayaking and mountain biking are all available. Tywyn and the famous Tal Y Llyn steam railway is 10 minutes to the north and the city of Aberystwyth is about 30 minutes to the south. So, in conclusion, if you decide to stay at Aweldyfi I’m confident you’ll have a nice time, but drop us an email or give us a ring if you have any questions.

Hengaeau

August 29, 2010 by Gwion · 1 Comment 

Another hidden gem nestling among the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park. This two bedroom ground floor cottage is a perfect retreat for people looking to get away from it all.

It’s quite a new build so all the essentials are well taken care of. Efficient central heating, unlimited hot water, a fully fitted kitchen and immaculate décor throughout. The lounge is comfortably furnished and include a very traditional and handsome welsh dresser. We spent a lot of time with the large patio doors thrown open so as to make the most of the view. The cottage looks out onto the northern slopes of Moelfre and the Llawlech mountain range which stretch out towards Barmouth and the Mawddach Estuary. And cow watching is much more fun than people watching.

There’s separate dining area which sits five or more quite comfortably. Next is the kitchen, quite small but it has everything you’d need including a dishwasher and washing machine. There’s a large bathroom with shower over bath. One twin bedroom room and finally, a large family bedroom with double bed and an extra single bed if required. Opening the curtains in this south facing bedroom every morning was one of my favorite bits of the holiday.

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Location

I say this about a lot of our cottages. But the location really couldn’t be much better. Hengaeau sits above the pretty little seaside village of Llanfair on the Cambrian coast. You climb up a small lane out of the village before winding your way back down a private driveway to the farm. The nearest beach, Llandanwg, is already one of our favorites, with its little rock pools to one side and sandy dunes on the other. The historic castle town of Harlech is about 2 miles to the north. There are three or four pubs in the town as well as a selection of restaurants. There’s also the castle of course and the famous St David’s links golf course.

If you decide to stay at Hengaeau you must also find the time to drive a little further up the lane to Cwm Bychan and the magical lake up there. It’s a beautiful spot and offers some fantastic wild trout fishing. Other popular activities in the area include mountain biking and walking of course.

Cefn-Uchaf

August 28, 2010 by gwionllwyd · Leave a Comment 

Cefn-Uchaf is an idyllic stone cottage sitting high above the village of Llanbedr. This three bedroom cottage offered that perfect combination of historic character features and more modern luxurious facilities. In the lounge soft sumptuous furniture sat alongside a traditional 18th century range. This centerpiece of the lounge along with other period pieces dotted around the cottage helped us relive a time where the pace of life was a bit slower and more balanced perhaps. More modern developments such as central heating, a fitted kitchen and double glazing are naturally welcome but do not detract from a property brimming with character.

The kitchen dinner for example is one of those easy spaces where we could sit, cook, eat and relax together. Next door a central spacious hallway leads up to a split level 1st floor landing. Three bedrooms in total, two double rooms and one twin room. Here again exposed and ancient wooden beams are complimented by more modern comfy beds. Ledge and brace doors provide charm while the newly fitted bathroom and power shower provides a pleasing level of comfort.

All the bedrooms have wonderful views over woodland and fields stretching down to the beautiful coastline.

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Location

From the Cambrian coast road which passes through Llanbedr you have to turn inland up a quiet twisty lane that leads up to Cwm Nantcol. Just past the famous Nantcol Waterfalls. Cefn Uchaf sits in its own grounds on a private farm. A traditional 5 bar wooden gate leads you to the front door. The gardens to the right roll down to the Nantcol River. Free fishing is to be had along it’s banks. Whilst behind the peaks of Rhinog Fach and Rhinog Fawr dominate the skyline. There are award winning nature trails nearby as well as one of the national cycle routes.
It’s about a mile and a half back down to the village of Llanbedr. There are two pubs in the village as well as a grocery store, post office and butchers. The slightly larger towns of Harlech and Barmouth are 5 miles to the north and South respectfully.

Ysgubor

August 27, 2010 by Gwion · 5 Comments 

Pastel painted garden furniture sits on a manicured lawn. Shaded from the midday sun by a clematis, hanging heavily on a nearby trellis. The borders are full of flowers and a noisy finch twitters angrily as I try to photograph it all for the website. I wonder if Sue and Richard, the owners, would mind sorting out our garden some time.

Ysgubor is a converted 18th century granary. The front door opens up onto a comfortable lounge with Sky TV (bring your card with you) and hifi etc. The kitchen diner has a county cottage feel and is well equipped. There’s also a large en-suite bedroom on the ground floor. Some beautiful antique furniture adds a touch of class to each room.

Upstairs there’s 3 more bedrooms plus a second bathroom. One large bedroom with 3 single beds and across the hall a very cute child’s bedroom leads onto the master bedroom. All the bedrooms upstairs benefit from large skylights which fill the room with soft light each morning.

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Ysgubor is a beach lover’s paradise. One of the nicest and cleanest beaches in this part of North Wales is just a short walk away. For us and our two young children it was a daily pilgrimage. Buckets, spades, towels, sandwiches, lots of water, and then a short shuffle in our flip flops to the beach. Stopping only to send Dad back for the forgotten sun cream.

Lots of other things to do in the area as well. A selection of pubs and restaurant if you eventually tire of the BBQ in the garden. Historic castles and monuments are dotted everywhere on the map. Barmouth, a popular seaside town is 3 miles to the south and The Royal St Davids, a beautiful 18hole links golf course, is a short drive to the north. A pair of breeding Ospreys near Tremadog are also attracting a lot of new visitors and finally, the hills behind the village, offer plenty of options for even the most enthusiastic walker.

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