Inspiration
Snowdonia, Things To Do When it Rains
Facts and figures Before we start, it’s only fair to point out that it doesn’t actually rain in Wales as much as you might think. The west coast of Snowdonia in particular, fairs better, weather wise, than most of the UK. Met office statistics show that the number of ‘wet days’ (days with rainfall total of 1mm or more) during the summer months averages 25 in Valley on Anglesey compared to an average of 30 days in Upper Castern, the Met Office site in the midlands. When comparing ‘hours of sunshine’ the western coast of wales again, tends towards the top of the UK table. (metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk) But you’re right of course, this isn’t Spain, and yes it might rain. So what to do? Underground Adventures Like the treasures of London during the Blitz, you might want to seek refuge in some of the slate caverns of Blaenau Ffestiniog. In 1940, on the orders of Winston Churchill,…
Last Minute Weekend Breaks
If you can get away for a quick weekend before the summer rush starts we still have a couple of cottages available. Stabal – sleeps 3Arrive: Fri 22 Jun 2012 Depart: Mon 25 Jun 2012 (3 nights) It’s the little things that make the difference don’t you think? And of course, the location is perfect. A beautiful little cottage down by the sea. [Read more…]£210.00Book online Cefn-Rhyd – sleeps 4Arrive: Fri 22 Jun 2012 Depart: Mon 25 Jun 2012 (3 nights) Cefn-Rhyd is a pretty two bedroom welsh country cottage seven miles outside the popular tourist hotspot of Betws Y Coed in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park. [Read more..]£210.00Book online Eco-Dome-Eifl – sleeps 4Arrive: Fri 22 Jun 2012 Depart: Mon 25 Jun 2012 (3 nights) Glamping seems to be the in thing at the moment. And after visiting these Eco Domes on the Llyn Peninsula here in North Wales you will totally understand why.…
20% off Last Minute Availability | Barn Conversion
Beudy-Ymwlch – sleeps 5Arrive: Sat 09 Jun 2012 Depart: Sat 16 Jun 2012 (7 nights)Beudy Ymlwch is a tasteful conversion with some nice modern features like under floor heating and a contemporary fitted kitchen. [Read more..]£430.00£344.00Book online
Snowdonia festivals, fairs and summer events
A lot of the larger events like Wakestock, The National Eisteddfod and the Royal Welsh Show already get a lot of attention and publicity. But I though it might be nice to promote some of the smaller more local fun days that we’ve enjoyed in the past. Ffair Criccieth, 29th of June. A summer fair has been held in this pretty seaside town for over 100 years. Winding streets lined with market stalls lead you down to the town car park filled with Ferris wheels and candy floss. Cytser are a theatre and production company based here in Snowdonia, North Wales. Every summer they organize some magical open air events in the grounds of Harlech Castle. They range from Shakespearian plays to musical pageants. This year, we’re particularly looking forward to Illyria Theater Company’s production of Rohl Dahl’s The Twits on the 25th of July. The Sesiwn Fawr music festival began as a small celebration of…
New 'Glamping' Domes on the LLyn Peninsula
As you know, most of our cottages are 5 star type accommodation and luxuries like hot and cold running water are taken for granted. So these new ‘glamping’ domes are a bit of a break from the norm for us. But I think it’s good to leap into the unknown sometimes. While I’m confident you’ll have a lovely time in these domes, I hope you’ll feel little apprehensive when you book. After all, there’s no adventure without a little bit of fear. [Read more..]
5 Things To Do in and Around Dolgellau
A small and beautiful town, Dolgellau’s story is said to date back to the 11th or early 12th century when it was believed a settlement was created by Cadwgan ap Bleddyn for a town to be created to serve as a ‘serf village’. Later in mid 12th century, Dolgellau was more recognised for its importance when the area was the location of a council of chiefs led by Glyndwr. In the 18th century, the town was recognised for its wool industry, where its output was calculated to be worth 50,000-100,000 annually. More recently, in the 19th century the area experienced decline with the development of wool looms but later, experienced a gold rush with gold being commissioned for the royal family. Today though, Dolgellau’s economy relies on the tourism industry. With the towns stunning surroundings and being set in the southern part of Snowdonia National Park, it provides a brilliant base location for tourists looking to…
May Bank Holiday in Aberdovey | Late Deal
Some of our guests have been forced to cancel their stay with us this bank holiday. So Aweldyfi is now free from Friday the 4th of May for a short break or a full week if you can make it. This is one of our nicest properties, it would be a real shame if it was standing empty over the bank holiday. Use the voucher below to get a 10% discount off the prices shown. [Property details..] Voucher Code: AWEL10
Mothers Day Special
If you fancy spoiling your mum this weekend why not book the family into Llys Bennar -sleeps 8, one of our self catering cottages down by Bennar Beach here in Snowdonia. We’ll throw in a free voucher for an aromatic hand spa and manicure at the wonderful Portmeirion Mermaid Spa. £500.00 Book online Use the following voucher code when placing your booking: MotheringSunday
New Downhill Mountain Biking Trails Comeing to Snowdonia
I visited the people at Antur Stiniog today. It was the usual bad coffee and powerpoint type affair. But I’ll forgive them, as the project really is an exciting one. And they’ve got some proper money to spend, £1.5 million being one of the few bullet points I remember. As part of the ‘Snowdonia, One Big Adventure’ initiative, work is well underway to develop a world class Downhill Mountain Biking centre at Llechwedd Slate Caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog. This is a specialist type of mountain biking where nutters, sorry, I mean ‘enthusiasts’, are ferried up to the top of a steep mountain so they can then throw them selves back down on the back of a bike. A walk along one of the easier trails highlighted the fact that this was proper hard core stuff. Not for the light harted or uninitiated. The riders are skilled and the bikes are highly specialised machines. The five ridiculously…
Easter Break Still Available
Don’t tell too many people but spring is one of the best times to visit our little part of North Wales. Daffodills, fresh pasture, spring lambs and not too many tourists to spoil it all. Some cottages are still available for the Easter Hols. Book now to avoid disappointment! (Is that two cheesy do you think?) Bwthyn-Bach – sleeps 2 Arrive: Fri 06 Apr 2012 Depart: Fri 13 Apr 2012 (7 nights) Bwthyn Bach is a lovely little studio cottage on the outskirts of Dyffryn Ardudwy. A perfect retreat for couples wanting to explore this part of rural Snowdonia.. [Read more..] £370.00 Book online Becws – sleeps 2 Arrive: Sat 07 Apr 2012 Depart: Sat 14 Apr 2012 (7 nights) Becws used to be and old bakery but don’t worry you wont be expected to wake up at the crack of dawn to bake any bread. [Read more…] £410.00 Book online Llwyncelyn – sleeps 3 Arrive:…
WiFi | Our list of self catering cottages with WiFi is growing
Our list of cottages with WiFi is growing. Tan Y Wenallt, Llys Bennar, Ysgubor, Bwthyn and Stabal can now be included in that category. So no more Angry Bird withdrawal symptoms. Let me know if you have any handy links for our guests while on holiday. You can find the full list of Internet enabled cottages here. https://dioni.co.uk/category/internet-wifi/
Farm Stay, Group Accommodation
I’ve added some more categories to the list to try and group similar cottages together. I’m hoping this will help our guests to browse through cottages that fit what their looking for. ‘Farm Stay’ includes cottages based on working farms. ‘Group Accommodation’ has been included to help people that are organising a break for a large group of people. Finally I’ve included a list of locations such as Tal Y Bont or Harlech which naturally group cottages in that area. The full list should be visable on the right hand side of this page.
Family Fun this Christmas
Here are five suggestions for family-friendly activities and events taking place in Meirionnydd during the 2011 Christmas holidays. 1. See a pantomime Pantomime is a lovely Christmas tradition that can be enjoyed by all members of the family, from tots to grandparents. The pantomime at the Dragon Theatre in Barmouth this year, on 28th and 29th December, is Sleeping Beauty. The performance comes courtesy of the Ardudwy Youth and Community Theatre, and tickets – which are available at the door, though it’s advisable to call the theatre to check performance times if the weather is especially bad – cost just £5 for adults, £4 concessions and £15 for a family ticket, which covers two adults and two children. 2. Full steam ahead It may not be quite the Polar Express – you won’t see waiters cartwheeling down the aisles, at any rate – but a trip aboard one of the Talyllyn Railway’s steam trains at Christmas…
Christmas Discounts
We still have a couple of cottages available for the Christmas week. So I’ve discountd the price by 10% across the board. Follow the links for more information and if your tempted to spend your Christmas up here in the wilds of Snowdonia, drop me an email [Enquiry Form..]. Cornel Glyd Sleeps 2-4. This new barn conversion is walking distance from the beach. A bit chilly for swimming I admit, but perfect for that after dinner walk. £449.10 for 7 nights from 23rd of December. https://dioni.co.uk/cornel-glyd/ Llwyncelyn Sleeps 2-3. This is a lovely little cottage near Dinas Mawddwy. The log fires and unique décor ad a touch of romance to any holiday spent here. £517.50 for 7 nights from 23rd of December. https://dioni.co.uk/llwyn-celyn/ Maes-Y-Llan Sleeps 8. Walking distance from two lively pubs in this village. So if you and the family fancy some real ale this Christmas this is the one for you. I might see…
October Half Term Holiday
Were discounting the price of the few cottages that we have left for the half term week. So if you fancy a break away with the children this October, have a look at the cottages listed below. I’ve listed the weekly prices, but let me know if you can only manage a short break via our [Enquiry Form..] and I’ll quote accordingly. Cornel-Glyd 2 bedroom cottage near the beach. £404.10 for 7 nights from 21st October 2011 https://dioni.co.uk/cornel-glyd/ Maes Y Llan 4 bedroom 5 star home in village location. £900 for 7 nights from 21st October 2011 https://dioni.co.uk/maes-y-llan/ Moelwyn 3 bedroom house with panoramic views over Cardigan Bay £693 for 7 nights from 21st October 2011 https://dioni.co.uk/moelwyn/ Nant 2 bedroom house on a working welsh hill farm (breakfast included) £610 for 7 nights from 22nd October 2011 https://dioni.co.uk/nant/ Stabal Small studio cottage down by the beach £423 for 7 nights from 21st of October 2011 https://dioni.co.uk/stabal/
Pet Friendly Cottages, Real Fire etc.
Now that we’re beginning to get a bit more choice of holiday cottages on the website I’ve tried to set up some categories to group similar cottages
Newborn Foal at Bwthyn-Bach
[iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/27494495?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&autoplay=0″ width=”100%” height=”338″ frameborder=”0″] To the delight of our recent guests a new foal was born born in the field near Bwthyn-Bach and Bwthyn-Clyd, two of our self catering cottages here in Dyffryn Ardudwy, Snowdonia.
Horse whisperer tames Carneddau ponies in Snowdonia
This story really caught my eye. I’ve been fascinated by the wild horses of the Carneddau mountains in Snowdonia since I was a little boy. I was lucky enough to see three of the ponies whilst walking with an elderly aunt near Sychnant. We came upon them unexpectedly one cloudy morning. The encounter caught us and them by surprise. The horses stopped to look at us for half second before charging off across the fields into the mist. My auntie went on to explain how they had never been tamed and how the English king, Henry the VIII, had failed in his attempt to have the horses “exterminated”. They were truly magical and lived in the imagination of this 9 year old boy for a long time afterwards. But as ever, their future in our modern world is far from certain. So, in an effort to make the breed more commercially viable for Snowdonia farmers, efforts…
Late Availability Seaside Cottage Deals
I’ve added a couple of Late Availability Deals on the properties we have down by the beach. We’re famous for our mountains here in Snowdonia of course but in this little corner of the National Park we have some great long runs of sandy beaches for you to enjoy as well. The weather’s great here at the moment so bring some sun cream and flip flops with you. Socks optional. August 10, 2011 We’ve only got the one week remaining now: Bwthyn Goronwy (Sleeps 2 ) Late Deal: Fri 19 – Fri 26 August 2011, Was £550 £495 per week, save £55
Portmeirion, Free Family Pass
Sue and Richard the owners of [Bwthyn] and [Ysgubor] are including a family pass for Portmeirion within their usual welcome hamper during August (2011). Portmeirion the famous Italian styled village was designed and built by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. It lies two miles south of Porthmadog on the banks of the Dwyryd Estuary. The gardens as well as the architecture are fantastic and well worth a visit if your in the area. The village has provided the backdrop to numerous films, TV shows and music videos. If you visit, you’ll be able to add your name to a long list of famous guests. Noel Coward, Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman, Paul McCartney, Iron Maiden and Patrick McGoohan star of cult 60’s TV series The Prisoner. Please quote number P001 when placing your booking. This will not affect you rites as a “free man”. Offer Runs until 31 August 2011
