Featured Property
Luxury self catering on the River Dee Bala Snowdonia | Dolgadfa
Property Type: Bala, Cottages, Featured, Group Accommodation, Pet Friendly, Real Fire, Sleeps 11-16
At Dolgadfa, a grade II listed farmhouse and converted barn have been combined to provides luxury self catering on the River Dee for up to 12 people. Once you turn off the quiet country lane round onto the drive it’s immediately obvious that Dolgadfa is a bit special. The double fronted farmhouse and neighbouring barn flank two sides of a square courtyard. Manicured lawns and the River Dee provide a natural boundary on the opposite side. And all the time, that opulent sound of crunching gravel as the your car slowly rolls up to the front door. Ideally of course, you should be in a Range Rover and have at least one Labrador and two pairs of green Hunter wellies in the boot. But that’s not compulsory.
So already you’re feeling a bit posh and privileged and that continues once you step inside. My favorite room is immediately to the right of the front door of the main farmhouse. A magnificent dining room complete with open fire, mahogany furniture and ancient low wooden beams.
To the left is a smaller kitchen. The original oak panelled walls have been retained and provide testament to the historic significance of this 16th century farmhouse. A lovely traditional Aga set in the original inglenook fireplace is complimented by a more modern electric oven. A separate breakfast room provides the perfect refuge for early risers wanting a quiet cup of tea before the kids get up.
..luxurious self catering..
..Labrador not compulsory..
..open fire and mahogany furniture..
Further on we come to the snug. A small lounge complete with log burner overlooking the paddock and the river beyond. Also on the ground floor is a separate utility room with washing machine, tumble dryer and lazy made and a separate wc.
Upstairs the styling is more subtle. Three bedrooms in total. Two bedrooms have zip and link beds so can be made up as a twin or double. These share a dividing shower room and wc. The 3rd larger double bedroom has its own en-suite with bath and shower attachment. All the bedrooms have been tastefully furnished as you can imagine. Plush curtains and elegant antique pieces of furniture perpetuate the feeling of style and luxury.
Over to the barn next. A slightly more modern feel here as it’s a fairly recent conversion. But every bit as tasteful. I’m guessing guests might retire here after dinner as there’s a really big comfortable lounge with plenty of seating and yet another open fire. And don’t worry, the adjoining utility room has a handy fridge freezer for your ice, beer and wine. There is also a ground floor wc, so you should be set for the night.
..tastefully furnished..
..plush curtains and antique furniture..
..big comfortable lounge..
Three more bedrooms upstairs in this part of the accommodation, all with their individual private bathrooms. The first bedroom is a large twin room which has a French door facing out across the river. The door has a great view but, best of all, it also lets the morning sun pour in at the start of every day. The spacious en-suite has a bath with shower attachment.
The second bedroom is a double and faces onto the courtyard. The original wooden structure of the barn having been left exposed. The adjoining bathroom again, has a full sized bath with shower attachment. Finally the third bedroom is another double with a handsome brass bed. The en-suite has a shower this time.
All the fixtures and fittings, furniture and linen are, of course, immaculately chosen. The rooms are homely without being cluttered and the blank canvas provided by the original barn means that the layout is practical and convenient.
Luxury self catering on the River Dee
Location
Dolgadfa’s fantastic location on the banks of the River Dee just outside Bala in Snowdonia befits this sumptuous property well. Part of the 2,500 acre Crogen Estate the accommodation has private access to some of the finest mature woodlands in Wales as well as the more traditional mountainous Snowdonia landscape. Private fishing on the river can also be arranged with the owners.
There’s a traditional village pub just less than a mile away and a Michelin star restaurant just less than 2 miles away. So both walking distance just about, but bring a torch in winter.
The nearby town of Bala is a Mecca for adventure activities. More fishing opportunities present themselves at Llyn Tegid. Sailing and windsurfing are other popular pursuits there. White water rafting and kayaking is available at the world renowned Tryweryn white water centre. And the town itself is a wonderful mix of traditional welsh culture and contemporary shops and caffes.
Sitting as it does on the Eastern edge of the National Park, this part of Snowdonia has the natural benefit of being easily accessible from the English road network. Although saying that, costal towns such as Aberdyfi to the west and Snowdon itself to the North West are only an hours drive away.
..on the banks of the River Dee..
..a Mecca for adventure activities..
..private fishing ..
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Preferred Arrival Date
Where do I start…From beginning to end our stay was fantastic…From the straight-forward booking back in January to the very warm welcome from the owners, Lou and John, when we arrived, then a glorious week of relaxing with the family, all 12 of us. The accommodation was charming, typical of a rural farmhouse, with 3 roaring log fires to chill out around. There are plenty of walks and fishing at the bottom of the field…what more could we ask for…..Fab holiday, highly recommended….and we will definately be back next year.
We had a brilliant time,very comfortable and easy to get to [if you have a sat nav].The large dining table was a bonus for our large group.
In one of the main building,in one of the single bedded rooms there is nowhere to hang clothes which caused problems.
R Ashton
We had a amazing holiday at Dolgadfa.We stayed with friends five days and now we know it was too short. The main house and barn was excellent inside and out with plenty of character (beams and lovely fireplaces). Great location giving opportunity to relax and forget about city noises. Plenty of fields around the house great for walking with pleasant views. There is also private access to the river Dee where everyone can try fishing. We caught 3 sea trouts even that was raining for long time and river wasn’t clear. So we can say we were lucky. Hope to go back there. Definitely can recommend to friends, because we can’t find any faults. Thank you Lou for great hospitality.
12 of us spent a very enjoyable weekend at the lovely farmhouse of Dolgadfa. It is set in beautiful country side not far from Bala – we booked it as some of us were mad enough to want to try white water rafting at the national centre in Wales and were only about 15 minutes away from it.
The house is very comfortable and well furnished with everything you need to cook and cater for up to 12 people. Having the aga in the kitchen was a novalty for all of us and made the kitchen the social heart of the house – we were pleased to have the electric oven as well. The bedrooms and bathrooms are very comfortable – more overhead showers would have been useful when there are 12 of you although not an issue if you all like baths. The only thing we would complain about were the wine glasses which were small so we had to keep refilling them more than we would normally do! Apart from that we are hoping to repeat the trip some time in 2013.
We had a lovely time even though the weather was poor my husband and grand-children did a little fishing. The farmhouse is lovely and so is the barn we rented the two together as there was 11 of us . We had an enjoyable time and as it was very near to Christmas we went on the santa steam train in Llgollen and a trip round Bala lake which is beautiful.
The only complaint is there are no utensils at all in the barn and as the lounge is more comfortable for a large group everything needed to be carried across from the house which is a little inconvenient On saying that we would re-visit..
We were a group of 12, plus our lovely little dog Bramble. We found the accommodation extremely comfortable with the added advantage that one could find one’s own space at times as well.
The dining room is a particularly lovely, well proportioned room, and it’s a joy to eat as a group in there. When catering for a large group, the cooking pots are a little small, which could be remedied easily.
The large sitting room in the Barn is a joy to use and the open fires are wonderful, too, adding a very cosy dimension to the accommodation.
Everyone in our group wants to return for a holiday, which is the best recommendation one can give.
Our stay at Dolgdafa was everything we could have hoped for and more. After a somewhat frantic and terrifying journey in the snow, we were greeted by the lovely Lou and John. Both made us feel extremely welcome and even went to see if the road, that some of our party were travelling on, was closed. They could not have been anymore welcoming.
The farmhouse and barn were perfect for our needs. The large dining room served as a excellent place for us to all sit around and eat. Whilst the large living room, in the barn, has a lovely log fire and is where we spent all of our evenings. The space was great for the competitions, games and acitivities we planned for each evening.
The fact the the buildings were split in two was ideal. It meant that the younger ones could lie in and wouldn’t be disturbed by the young children or early risers.
Overall, we had a wonderful weekend, relaxing in such beautiful surroundings. We are already discussing next year!
What a fantastic location. Wonderful cottage. Lovely area. Lots of interesting things to do, not too far away.
Definately go back again to do all the things we missed this time. Our friends who came with us thought the same.
We celebrated my 60th Birthday at Dolgadfa and it was wonderful to be surrounded by all of my family in a lovely location. It was great fun as everyone arrived at different times and then to enjoy eating as one big group in the dining room. We even mastered the aga and my son served up 2 amazing cooked breakfasts for 12!!
My family decorated the sitting room in the barn as a surprise then we had fireworks outside. My husband caught two trout on Saturday he loved the fly fishing on the river. Although the weather was mixed we had some lovely walks and the log fires were magical. The whole weekend was all I hoped it would be.
Just had a lovely bank holiday weekend at Dolgadfa. Amazing cottage in stunning scenery. We are planning on making this a yearly trip!!
Just had a fantastic week at Dolgadfa.
The weather was beautiful, glorious sunshine the whole week!!
The farmhouse and barn were perfect for the whole family!
Would love to come and stay again!