Inspiration
Barmouth, a Traditional Seaside Holiday
Barmouth, a traditional seaside holiday destination in Snowdonia, North Wales. Simple old fashioned fun building sandcastles, swimming in the sea and ice cream.
What To Do In Southern Eryri (Snowdonia)
Southern Eryri (Snowdonia) has some real hidden gems which can sometimes be overlooked. Here is our guide on what to do in Southern Eryri.
Best Family Cycling Routes In Snowdonia
North Wales has lots of traffic free, flat cycling routes. Through forests, around lakes and along rivers, we have it all. Best family cycling routes in Snowdonia.
Best Walks in Snowdonia North Wales for Beginners
The walking opportunities in Snowdonia are plentiful – but it can be hard to choose. Here are Dioni’s best walks in Snowdonia North Wales for beginners.
Welsh Ice Cream At Its Best
The rise of artisan ice cream makers means an offering of far more exciting and tantalising flavours. Here is Welsh Ice Cream at its best.
BARMOUTH WALKING FESTIVAL 2017
It’s that time of year again and we are on count down to the Barmouth Walking Festival 2017. This year, it runs for 10 days from Saturday 16th – 25th September. With nearly 40 walks to choose from, the festival is set on the coastal town of Barmouth in Snowdonia. Perfectly placed to experience the Mawddach Estuary, Rhinog Mountains and the Cadr Idris range, the festival was set up to help those wanting to explore the area in the company of experienced guides. Walks are graded depending on their difficulty, varying between A++ for experienced walkers, A-Hard, B-Moderate and C easier, ensuring there is something for everyone. This year sees the introduction of eleven new walks, including two ‘super walks’ which involve a 21 miles trip along both sides of the mawddach estuary and an 18 mile trip round mawddach. You pay per walk; 1 walk costs £8.50, but if you want to make a week…
SHOP LOCAL CHRISTMAS 2016 | SNOWDONIA
A recent study showed that if every adult living in the Snowdonia area spent £5 a week in a local shop as opposed to the big chain stores, the local economy would benefit by approx £26 million every year. What better way to support the community than to buy local this Christmas. To give you some inspiration as to what’s on offer, here’s our guide to SHOP LOCAL CHRISTMAS 2016 | SNOWDONIA… HAMPERS There are so many lovely local food and drinks brands and they make for really great presents, especially those who are difficult to buy for. BODNANT WELSH FOOD | CONWY – have a good selection of wine, cheese and condiment hampers using all locally sourced produce. RHUG ESTATE | CORWEN – offer incredible meat hampers; everything you could want for Christmas. KERFOOTS | PORTHMADOG – they have a good selection of ready made hampers or you can create your own if you…
Barmouth Walking Festival 2016
From 17th – 26th September, The Barmouth Walking Festival 2016 is back in town. Always very popular with nearly 40 walks to choose from and a good selection of evening entertainment, this year looks set to be as good as ever… Set on the coast of Snowdonia, Barmouth is perfectly placed to experience the Mawddach Estuary, Rhinog Mountains and the Cadr Idris range. The festival was set up to help those wanting to explore the area in the company of experienced and knowledgable guides. Walks are graded depending on their difficulty, varying between A++ for experienced walkers, A-Hard, B-Moderate and C easier, ensuring there is something for everyone. There are varying options available; 1 walk costs £8.50, but if you want to fully immerse yourself into the week, there are various packages available. A number of evening events put on are a great way to meet other walkers and locals who are always keen to tell…
What To Do with a Moody Teenager This Summer In Snowdonia
Anyone with teenage children will know the gruelling performance one has to go through when entertaining a ‘teenager’ on holiday. Even though the days of your child enjoying or even wanting to do what you planned are a far distant memory, all is not lost… I am not suggesting the daily fight of getting them up and out will go, but from personal experience, this list of what to do with a moody teenager this summer in Snowdonia has been a life saver… CLIMB A MOUNTAIN This will be met with untold amount of complaining. However, just choose one of the bigger peaks so it’s a challenge and something they will remember with pride. After the first mile of moaning, they soon get into it and when you reach the more challenging aspects of the summits, they will come into their own. ZIPLINING Zip World have the fastest zip line in the world and…
Top 5 Unique Snowdonia Shopping Experiences
Mooching around the shops of small towns and villages is very much part of a holiday. For one, you have the time to enjoy a bit of leisurely retail therapy and secondly, it is a rare chance to see a high street of independent shops. In Snowdonia of course, we like to do things a little differently and that goes for our shopping experiences too; some are off the beaten track, some are treasure troves you didn’t know existed and some are, well in the cattle market….. here are our top 5 unique Snowdonia shopping experiences…. CAE DU DESIGNS | HARLECH This is one of the best treasure troves you will ever find and once you’ve been introduced, you will be back time and time again. People come here year on year to stock up on material for home furnishings. There is a lovely cafe next door to deposit your ‘other half’ giving you plenty…
Byrdir Farm's New Self Catering Holiday Cottages
So Louise has finally hung up her oven gloves and the former Byrdir Farm B&B has now been renovated into 3 self-catering cottages. All three properties have been beautifully designed in line with the existing cottages on the farm; Nant and Moelfre offering a cosy, yet modern feel using the quirky features of the original cowsheds alongside a high spec interior. Whilst Louise’s breakfasts will be sorely missed, the stunning views across cardigan bay will certainly make up for it as will the fact that they are offering short breaks over the peak season. So lets see what Byrdir Farm’s New Self Catering Holiday Cottages have to offer…. TY-GWAIR-BYRDIR This open plan studio cottage has a double bed up in the ‘grogloft’ or eaves of the barn accessed via a fixed ladder. A lovely little kitchenette with fridge, combination oven and hob plus dishwasher is set against the back wall of the cottage. A luxurious leather sofa sits facing…
Nigel Mansell Opens Restaurant Near Barmouth
The 29th June 2015 saw the official opening of a brand new restaurant & bar, Nineteen.57 in Tal Y Bont, Barmouth. Having undergone a £700,000 refurb over the last 6 months the restaurant brings a fabulous fine dining experience to the area. A 40 cover restaurant offers a great bistro style menu and the bar light bites, a children’s menu & play park. To celebrate the opening, our headline ‘Nigel Mansell Opens Restaurant Near Barmouth’ gives the game away! Having been a regular visitor to the area for the last 58 years, he was more than happy to give his time for the opening. Guests included local residents and business owners who relaxed with a complimentary glass of prosecco and homemade canape’s whilst enjoying the sun and soaking up the atmosphere. If you want some pointers on the menu; its Mum’s homemade lasagne (Nigel’s favorite), the homemade slow roast shoulder of lamb and of course shepherds…
Snowdonia Gold Is Fit For A King
Since 1911, Welsh gold has been used to decorate the crowns and hands of the British Royal family. At the investiture of Edward 1 as Prince of Wales, his coronet, rod, ring, sword and robe all incorporated pure Welsh gold from North Wales. In 1923, the late Queen mother started another tradition by having her wedding bands crafted out of Welsh gold from the The Clogau Gold Mine in Bontddu. Some 88 years later, this tradition continues and this small village situated between Barmouth and Dolgellau in Snowdonia has been providing the gold for Royal wedding rings since including; Queen Elizabeth (1947), Princess Anne (1973), Princess Diana (1981), Prince Charles (1981 & 2005) and Camilla. More recently in 2011, from an ingot of gold given to the Queen on her 60th birthday from the Clogau mine, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding bands were made……you see Snowdonia gold is fit for a King! Sadly the…
5 Family Walks For The Easter Holidays
Walking in Snowdonia is a must when visiting, but not all of us are up for the full mountain experience, especially with children in tow. So we have put together 5 family walks for the Easter holidays that offer beautiful views along with a mix of terrain suitable for all ages and abilities….. BARMOUTH The Panorama Walk: This Barmouth classic that boasts 3 different walks; short (1.7Km), medium (7.1Km) and long (10.2Km). The views are totally breath taking when you look down the Mawddach Estuary from the gardens. You might want to take a picnic to sit and eat here as there is a bench for the adults and great stones that look like chairs for the kids! DOLGELLAU The Precipice Walk A 3 mile walk through the Nannau estate offers great views down the Mawddach Estuary and the principal mountain ranges of Snowdonia; there is not much climbing or descending involved and it is an…
Pieces for Places | Retail Therapy In Barmouth Just Hit The ‘Jack’pot!
Pieces For Places is a new furniture come lifestyle store that has just opened on Barmouth High Street. Off the back of seeing lots of people proudly clutching their ‘Pieces for Places’ brown bags this week, I thought I must go and visit. It is the brainchild of Jack Brooks, who when you walk into the shop, clearly has an innate sense of interior design. With his brother Fred, the two have bought the old Caersalem Chapel back to life and installed 3 floors which now house a fabulous eclectic mix of furniture and homewares. The product offering is great and everything is covered, the idea being that you can kit a full house out from this one shop. From sofas, beds and beautiful chests of drawers to the smaller bits like candles, photo frames and vases, there is a lot on offer and everything has clearly been chosen carefully, including a bijou gardening collection! It…
