Inspiration
North Wales Mini Festivals
Though out the summer, North Wales plays host to a number of big music festivals. There are however, some smaller, lesser known ones that are just as much fun and definitely worth a visit. Here are some North Wales Mini Festivals that you might not have heard about taking place over the summer: ROCK ARDUDWY: 10 – 11th June This is the second year that Rock Ardudwy is happening and this time is taking place over 2 days. Starting on the Friday, the entertainment takes place in Harlech Castle itself with a folk inspired evening along with a couple of key local talents. Saturday sees the event move to downtown Harlech by the leisure centre and from 2pm-12pm, there will be local bands, food and drink stalls as well as entertainment for the children. CRICCIETH FESTIVAL: 18 – 25th June This week long festival is set throughout the beautiful seaside town of Criccieth; home…
Top 5 Snowdonia Seafood Dining Experiences
Being so close to the coast, we do seafood very well in Snowdonia and I’m not talking fish and chips. I’m talking about hidden gems of restaurants that offer incredible seafood in fantastic locations… here are our top 5 Snowdonia seafood dining experiences: TWNTI SEAFOOD, PWLLHELI Based in-between Pwllheli and Abersoch, this converted barn, off the beaten track really does have a reputation for excellent seafood. It has been running for over 26 years and is a real favourite with those who know of it. DYLANS, CRICCIETH Following on from its success in Menai Bridge, Dylans opened up their second location in the Maes-Y Mor on the beach fronton Criccieth. A fabulous environment with an extensive fish menu alongside pizza, burgers and pasta. They have a separate bar there too if you just fancy a drink overlooking the sea. MARRAM GRASS, ANGLESEY Having received great reviews in the national press and Julia Bradbury…
Top 5 | Best Pet Friendly Holiday Cottages In North Wales
With all the mountains, rivers and beaches, your four legged friends enjoy the Snowdonia countryside just as much as you do…. some would say more so! Having them with you to enjoy the family holiday is also important and so to help you find the right place in which to accommodate your pets, here are our top 5 best pet friendly holiday cottages in North Wales… Unique Self Catering Cottage In North Wales The Gatehouse of Cors Y Gedol Hall is a truly unique self catering cottage in North Wales. Built by the Vaughan family in the 14th century this imposing building now provides self catering accommodation for up to 7 people in one of the nicest parts of the Snowdonia national park. Having driven up the mile long drive from the coast road you cant help but be impressed by the gothic symmetry of the building. It stands of course as the welcome entrance…
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…
Top 5 Cottages for Walking Holidays
Walking in Snowdonia during the winter months is breathtaking; the snow capped mountains, the tumultuous seas, the windy beaches and the cold icy lakes are a very different experience to their Summer counterparts and in all honestly, I prefer it. Make sure you’re wrapped up warm, it’s cold up on the mountains and the wind can be quite unforgiving on the beach, but as long as you’re warm and dry, its just glorious. Here are top 5 cottages for walking holidays: Spectacular Views Over The Mawddach Estuary Formerly the home of a sea captain sailing from Barmouth, this 3 bedroom stone cottage commands truly spectacular views over the Mawddach estuary and Cader Idris beyond. The cottage itself is a traditional build of stonewalls under a welsh slate roof. I was sold on the place before I stepped over the threshold. But I can happily report that the cottage is perfect on the inside too. …
Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen - The Welsh Valentines Day
Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen (pronounced Doo-In-Wen) is the Welsh Valentines day and celebrated on the 25th January. Santes Dwynen is the Welsh saint of love and her story is steeped in Celtic folklore… She was the daughter of the king Brychan Brycheiniog and one of 24 siblings all of whom were blessed with beauty; Dwynen however was the most beautiful. During a banquet at court, Dwynwen and a young prince, Maelon Drafodrill, met and fell in love. The following day Maelon rushed to ask Brychan for his daughters hand in marriage, but alas she was betrothed to another. Maelon left the court distraught without even saying goodbye to Dwynwen. Heartbroken, Dwynwen fled to the forest where she prayed to God, asking him to rid her of her love for Maelon. When she eventually fell asleep, Dwynwen had the strangest dream. Maelon was walking towards her through the trees when an angel, sent by God, came down from…
New Snowdonia Holiday Cottages For 2016
We have had some really great additions to the Dioni portfolio recently, making the offering for 2016 even better. In case you haven’t seen them yet, here is a run down of the more recent ones: HEN FELIN | SLEEPS 10 Hen-Felin is a beautiful and large family holiday cottage on the Llyn Peninsula. This converted mill provides luxurious accommodation for up to 10 guests in this popular holiday destination. Exquisite furnishings and gorgeous location combine to provide a fantastic holiday cottage. LLANGOLLEN-BARN | SLEEPS 6 This three bedroom holiday cottage in popular Llangollen enjoys uninterrupted views over the Dee valley. The cottage provides comfortable accommodation for up to 6 guests in a peaceful and tranquil location on the outskirts of town. CEFN-TREFOR | SLEEPS 9 Cefn-Trefor is a beautiful detached stone holiday cottage near Harlech in Snowdonia North Wales. All the boxes are ticked on this one. Pet friendly, walking distance to…
Festival No 6 Countdown...
“Welcome to a festival like no other, a bespoke banquet of music, arts and culture in the most stunning festival setting in the world.” It’s in the Daily Mail’s top 10 UK Festivals as well as being voted Best Festival and Most Unique Festival Site in 2014 and its 4th year is set to be better than the last. Portmierion is a very magical place in its own right, but with Festival No 6 in town that magic goes to another level. Belle and Sebastian, James Bay and Grace Jones are included in a lineup of over 500 music artists. Festival goers can also enjoy a ‘conversation with Steve Coogan’ or a Q&A session with award winning director Asif Kapadia and producer Mark Ronson following a screening of their award winning film ‘Amy’. Illuminated bands, parades and carnivals fill this most inspiring of venues with life and colour. Secret raves, pop up parties, foraging expeditions, children’s storytelling and stand up paddle boarding means…
Surf Snowdonia To Open Summer 2015
The latest addition due to launch this summer in the North Wales adventure playground is Surf Snowdonia. Based in the village of Dolgarrog, Conwy, Surf Snowdonia is the first publicly accessible Wavegarden® artificial surfing lagoon. This revolutionary concept, generates powerful and consistent surfing waves, of varying heights up to 6 feet, in a 300m long lagoon. It is ideal for all surfers, from grommets (beginners both young and old) to professional surfers, and will be a fantastic family destination. Surf Snowdonia will also play host to events, competitions and surf demos, giving the public access to the World’s top surfers. Alongside the surfing lagoon will be an activity lagoon for more family based swimming fun as well as a cafe, restaurant, children’s play building and woodland trails…..So whether you are looking to learn to surf, hone your surfing skills or just want a family day out with a difference, Surf Snowdonia has a lot to offer.…
Plan Your Snowdonia Holiday with Pinterest
To help you make the most of planning your holiday here in Snowdonia we have launched our Pinterest page. For those not in the know, Pinterest is a great visual tool to use if you are looking for inspiration. It’s a catalogue of images uploaded and shared by millions where you ‘pin’ the ones you like onto a virtual board – it’s a bit like online scrap booking. If you are not a member yet, its not too late; simply create a Pinterest account, search for Dioni Holiday Cottages and follow us. Take a look at our boards and browse through our beautiful cottages, the best places to eat, the activities on offer and the beautiful sights to see. Pin the images you like to your own Snowdonia Holiday board and either keep it for your own records or share with family and friends. So what you waiting for, get pinning…..there maybe much more to Snowdonia…
Free Farm Breakfast Hamper at Iwrch Holiday Cottages
If the thought of getting away from it all is on your mind, then Iwrch holiday cottages might just be the answer. Situated just outside Betws-Y-Coed on a working Welsh hill farm, they are truly idyllic. The 2 barn conversions provide luxurious self catering accommodation. Stylish inside with all the mod cons you’d expect like under-floor heating and large flat screen TV, the location, high up on a hill overlooking a beautiful valley is the cherry on the cake. For those booking a weeks stay at either Stabal-Iwrch or Hafod-Iwrch during the months of March and April 2015 will receive a free farm breakfast hamper which includes sausages, bacon and eggs fresh from the farm along with a loaf of fresh bread… just what you need before you head out for a day of adventure in the hills of Snowdonia. If you love the idea of fresh meat straight from the farm, you can also buy…
Top 10 Things a Kid should do before they are 11
So the National Trust launched a campaign last Autumn to encourage our ‘cotton wool’ kids out into the great outdoors by listing 50 things a child should do before they are 11 – all back to basics, simple fun with not an electronic gadget in sight – we LOVE this! EVERYTHING on the list can be done in Snowdonia, so if your coming to stay with us this year with younger ones in tow, make the most of it and get them ticking things off the list. To get you started, here are our top 10 things a kid should do before they are 11 that we think are unique to Snowdonia and can be done in that extra special way, creating those memories for life: 1 – SKIM A STONE – whether its by the sea or on the lakes, its so satisfying when you finally get the stone to jump (for adults too!). 2…
Snowdonia Bucket List
With so many unique and wonderful things to to see and do, bucket lists were made for Snowdonia! We’ve put together our own lists: one for you adrenalin junkies out there and one more family orientated – that everyday fun that you can only get on a visit to Snowdonia….here’s to Snowdonia bucket lists! ADRENALIN JUNKIE: Climb Snowdon via Crib Goch (it is not for the faint hearted!) Zipworld Velocity at Bethesda (fastest Zipline in the world) Have lunch above the sea in Anglesey on a porteledge with Gaia Adventures Go canyoning with Snowdonia Adventure Activities Surf at Hell’s Mouth, Abersoch Run the half marathon route at the Coed Y Brenin Trail Running Centre. Complete Y- Du (The Black) trail at the Antur Stiniog mountain bike centre. White water raft at the National White Water Centre. Fly from the Llanbedr airfield and see Snowdonia from the skies with Fly Llanbedr Brave the winter nights to see…
10 Best Cottages With A View
Now for many people, when choosing a holiday cottage in Snowdonia, a good view is up there on the want list. So if you fall into this category, we have made it super easy for you to choose with 10 Dioni cottages with that all important view: 1 – Becws near Harlech A Romantic self catering cottage with sea views. An old bakery near Llanbedr and Shell Island in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park. 2 – Beudy Ymwlch near Criccieth Holiday Cottage Criccieth. Self Catering Barn Conversion on the Llyn Peninsula combining modern facilities with the perfect rural location on a working farm. 3 – Bronwen Terrace Harlech Bronwen-Terrace is a large Victorian property with sea views in Harlech. Nestled on the seaward facing slopes of the town it overlooks miles of sandy coast. 4 – Bryn Du near Criccieth Traditional stone built farmhouse renovated to a very high standard. That perfect mix of…
Summer is coming
It’s been a tough winter here in Snowdonia. We’ve had falling trees, power outages and severe coastal flooding, but summer is coming! And it might be a hot one.. German Scientist, Armin Bunde of Justus Liedig University in Giessing is predicting one the driest summers on record. I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about. His new forecasting technique suggests the occurrence of the El Niño weather patterns his highly likely during the early summer of 2014. El Niño, the climate bad boy, as described in The New Scientist, can often lead to prolonged dry hot summers here in Northern Europe. Researchers at the University of Reading also suggest that the UK will return to pattern of much drier summers.It’s all down to the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation apparently. That and the long-term climate cycles in the Atlantic multi-decadal oscillation. Obviously!
Small Group Discount | Holiday Cottages North Wales
We pride ourselves in always quoting the real price on the website. No booking fees or small little extras**cough** like some of our competitors **cough**. But I sometimes think that means smaller groups miss out on some great bargains in our larger properties. Ty’n Buarth is a great example. This 4 bedroom house is immaculately furnished and sleeps up to 7 adults comfortably. But if you’re a smaller group of 4 or less wanting a short break between now and christmas for example, we offer a 20% discount on the headline price. Click on the link below for more details, and remember, take 20% off the price on the calendar. https://dioni.co.uk/tyn-buarth/
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Llew-Glas Café in Harlech, North Wales
I dropped in on Fraya and the girls at Llew-Glas Café in Harlech last week with my video camera. This is the result. P.S. Thanks for all the tea and cake. Music: Once In A Lifetime by Landon Austin [youtube]http://youtu.be/9M9H-pjx8ss[/youtube] Our self catering cottages nearby include Hengaeau and Moelwyn
Hot Tub Self Catering Holiday Cottages
Gary and Bethan, the owners of three of our holiday cottages here in Dyffryn Ardudwy have installed a hot tub for their self catering guests. Sit back and relax, surrounded by warm bubbles and watch the sun set over Cardigan Bay. Have a look at the cottage pages for more information. https://dioni.co.uk/bwthyn-bach/ https://dioni.co.uk/bwthyn-clyd/ https://dioni.co.uk/ty-bach-twt/
October Half Term | Self Catering Cottage Availability
We still have some availability in our Self Catering Cottages here in North Wales for the upcoming October Half Term Holidays. Have a look at the options below or fill in our [enquiry form..] if there’s something specific you’re looking for. Bwthyn-Bach – sleeps 2Arrive: Sat 27 Oct 2012 Depart: Sat 03 Nov 2012 (7 nights) Bwthyn Bach is a lovely little studio cottage on the outskirts of Dyffryn Ardudwy. A perfect retreat for couples..[Read more..]£352.86£317.57Book online Stabal – sleeps 3Arrive: Sat 27 Oct 2012 Depart: Sat 03 Nov 2012 (7 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…]£420.00£378.00Book online Granar-March – sleeps 6Arrive: Fri 26 Oct 2012 Depart: Fri 02 Nov 2012 (7 nights) Granar-March | 3 bedroom Abersoch holiday cottage sleeps 6. A traditional seaside self catering holiday cottage on a working farm…
August Availability | Holiday Cottages North Wales
If you’re still looking for a break in August here’s a list of some of the gaps that we still have available. (The picture above is Tryfan near Snowdon, my favourite mountain.) Bwthyn-Goronwy – sleeps 2Arrive: Fri 03 Aug 2012 Depart: Fri 10 Aug 2012 (7 nights) Bwthyn-Gronwy is a single storey, one bedroom barn conversion near Barmouth.[Read more…] £550.00£495.00Book online Llwyncelyn – sleeps 3Arrive: Sat 04 Aug 2012 Depart: Sat 11 Aug 2012 (7 nights) The renovation of Llwyncelyn has obviously been a labor of love for owners Paul and Di.[Read more…] £570.00£513.00Book online Aweldyfi – sleeps 8Arrive: Fri 03 Aug 2012 Depart: Fri 10 Aug 2012 (7 nights) Luxury 4 bedroom Victorian town house in fashionable Aberdovey.[Read more..] £1,290.00£1,161.00Book online Bwthyn-Goronwy – sleeps 2Arrive: Fri 10 Aug 2012 Depart: Fri 17 Aug 2012 (7 nights) Bwthyn-Gronwy is a single storey, one bedroom barn conversion near Barmouth.[Read more…] £550.00£495.00Book online Moelwyn – sleeps 6Arrive: Fri…
