Inspiration
Top 5 Farm Shops & Delis | North Wales
It is hard not to enjoy a visit to a farm shop or deli. Just being in the presence of homegrown local produce, organic meat and pesticide free everything can make us feel very virtuous. Packed full with things like charcol salt along with delicious cheeses, salamis crackers and condiments galore, they are a great foodie shopping experience… here are our top 5 Farm Shops & Delis | North Wales. RHUG ESTATE Rhug Estate has is all. Alongside the farmshop, they have a cafe and restaurant and all sell the organic produce they rear and grow on the farm. Their organic meat is well known the world over. The shop come deli offers a great range of cheeses, olives and pies along with a wonderful selection of locally sourced condiments. The Bison Grill is an all day dining area while ‘On The Hoof’ Takeaway offer incredible burgers etc. BODNANT WELSH FOOD CENTRE With a…
The New Adventure At Zip World
The 10th of May sees the opening of the new adventure at Zip World; The Fforest Coaster… It’s another first of its kind in the UK and again, Snowdonia is the launch pad. Just another feather in the Snowdonia cap when it comes to offering unique and new to market adventure experiences…. Based on the traditional toboggan, the Fforest Coaster runs on rails making it a much faster experience. The ride is over 1000m long (over 1/2 a mile), through the stunning Betws-Y-Coed woodland where you can reach speeds of upto 40km per hour. A 500m uplift takes you to the top and then you decend from there, flying through the forest at exhilarting speeds. Unlike traditional rollercoasters, you can control your speed so for those who want the full thrill, they can go brake free whilst those who are not feeling so brave have the choice to slow things down! Open to all ages,…
A Day In Betws Y Coed By Bike
The gateway to Snowdonia, Betws-y-Coed is a wonderful town surrounded by woodland, mountains and cascading waterfalls. It is ideal for outdoor activity holidays including walking, cycling and water sports with a great selection of shops, restaurants and cafes and home to the famous Swallow Waterfalls… A friend and I decided to spend a day in Betws Y Coed by bike; with Swallow falls a 45 minute walk west of the town centre and Fairy Glen a 45 minute walk south, a bike was required! We parked out of town on Ffordd Craigian off the A470 and cycled along the back road into the town centre; this is a lovely bike ride down through a quiet road flanked by trees. Making a beeline for the Swallowfalls, we followed the road round once we got to the town centre and carried on up the A5 (it’s a little steep) straight to the falls. They are beautiful, mesmerising and…
WINTER LAKE WALKS IN SNOWDONIA
The lakes in Snowdonia are an incredibly beautiful part of the area’s landscape and at this time of year, they come into their own. Walking around the lakes all wrapped up with the crisp cold air and if you’re lucky, the sun shining is incredible. Here are our best winter lake walks… LLYN TEGID | BALA To make your way around Llyn Tegid will take in the region of 8 hours. However, there are lots of different routes ranging from 1-8 hours; some part walking, part steam train or certain sections that are known for their beauty. For a breakdown of the walks, this is a great information source: Bala Lake Walking Trails. LLYN PADARN | LLANBERIS A couple of hours allows for a great walk which will include a bit of forest, a bit of industrial archeology an old quarry hospital, not to mention the incredible views of the lake and the…
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…
Christmas Markets In North Wales | 2016
It’s hard to believe that we are only 6 weekends away from Christmas making it time to start putting things in the diary. In my experience, there is nothing better than a Christmas Market to get you into the spirit of things – with all that great food, mulled wine, local crafts and music, you cannot fail to get into the festive swing. Here are my Top Christmas Markets in North Wales | 2016: LLANDUDNO CHRISTMAS FAYRE 17TH – 20TH NOVEMBER With 165 stalls, this is one of the bigger markets . A Dickensian theme runs throughout the 4-day event held in this quintessential Victorian seaside town. Lots of local crafts, food and drink. ABERSOCH CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL 25th – 26th NOVEMBER This fair takes place throughout the village of Abersoch and has become quite a big event in the calendar. A very family orientated weekend makes this a really great event. PORTMEIRION FOOD…
Top 10 | Things To Do This Half Term In Snowdonia
With the choice of things to do in the area, sometimes is hard to know what to do. To help you make the most of your half term, here are our Top 10 | Things To Do This Half Term In Snowdonia: 1. VISIT A SPOOKY CASTLE As Halloween falls over this half term, you can rest assured that the Castles will be putting on lots of spooky entertainment. For a guide as to what’s happening at those closest; Harlech, Criccieth, Caernarfon, and Conwy, check out the CADW website for more details. 2. COED Y BRENIN If you want to get te kids out in the fresh air, COED Y BRENIN is perfect. Mountain biking trails catering for all ages and abilities makes this, in my opinion, one of the best activities the area has to offer. If you don’t have your bikes with you, you can hire on site. There is a…
Historic Houses of Snowdonia
Snowdonia is home to some beautiful houses. Ambling around, taking in the incredible interiors, stunning gardens and histories are always a great way to while away an afternoon and the tales of romance, bribery and smuggling of contraband are just an added bonus! If you are looking for something different to do while you are here or the weather is getting in the way of your outdoor activities, why not take a day out and visit some of these beautiful homes. Here are four of our favourite historic houses of Snowdonia… PENRYN CASTLE | BANGOR Home to Dawkins – Pennant’s, this mock castle in Norman style is so impressive with its abundance of intricate plaster and stone carving; especially the stone staircase which is breathtaking. Queen Victoria is one of the more notable guests and the slate bed which was commissioned for her stay in 1859 is still in situ. A walled garden, extensive formal…
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…
Top 10 Landscape Photography Locations in Eryri (Snowdonia)
If you want to get to grips with landscape photography, there is no better place than Eryri (Snowdonia). Top 10 Landscape Photography Locations In Eryri…
Snowdonia Giving... Giving Back To Snowdonia
With over 6 million visitors to Snowdonia National Park every year, it naturally takes its toll on the Snowdonia landscape, especially the foot paths, rivers and mountains. 350,000 people climb Snowdon every year alone. Snowdonia Giving is a new scheme set up to work with the local communities, organisations, businesses and individuals to protect the Snowdonia National Park both now and in the future – it is a way to easily donate a small amount of money to help save Snowdonia; every penny counts and used towards the following: Practical conservation which involves the clearing of litter, maintaining foot paths and improving habitats for wildlife. Campaigning to protect the cultural heritage and inappropriate development. Support for the young people of the area, promoting traditional skills. Here at Dioni, we are very supportive of Snowdonia Giving and have set up a facility for you to voluntarily donate £1 to Snowdonia Giving when you book a holiday cottage…
What Happens To The Wool When The Sheep Are Sheared?!
I went to see a friend at the weekend and whilst having a cup of tea was entertained by the sheep being sheared in the ‘back garden’. It it did make me chuckle seeing a ‘mobile hairdressers’ set up in the field for the sheep and made me think about “what happens to the wool when the sheep are sheared?”… STAGE 1 | SHEARING Sheep shearing is an important and social time in the farming calendar. Here in Snowdonia, the farms still join forces to help one another to shear the flocks. When it comes to the art of shearing, it is preferable to get the fleece off all off in one piece. It makes for a much easier job when sorting at the mills as different parts of the fleece are used for different products e.g. clothing, carpets, blankets etc. STAGE 2 | SCOURING Scouring is the the technical term for…
Snowdonia Style Adventure | Sailing
Sailing in the North Wales doesn’t get as much of the lime light as other adventure activities, but with all of our beautiful coastline and the abundance of lakes it’s a pretty good place to learn and a great activity for the whole family to get involved in. Here are our top 5 places you can learn to sail. PLAS MENAI | CAERNARFON Located in-between Bangor and Caernarfon, Plas Menai is the National Outdoor Centre for Wales. They offer both beginner and intermediate sailing courses on the sheltered coastal waters of the Menai Strait. Under the guidance of their highly qualified instructors, all the courses are run to the guidelines of the RYA. BALA SAILING CLUB | BALA Situated at the Bala sailing club on Llyn Tegid and surrounded by the Snowdonia mountains, this is a stunning place to learn to sail. They offer both level 1 and 2 RYA courses which take place…
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 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…
Swimming Snowdonia | Wild Swimming At Its Best
There has been a lot of coverage about wild swimming in the Snowdonia mountains of late, and the film Blue Hue produced by Natasha Brooks has certainly helped. The film was winner of the Women in Mountain Adventure film competition 2015, the Spirit Of Adventure film award 2015 and gained international recognition when selected for the Banff Mountain Film Festival tour 2016. We are very lucky here with so many beautiful swimming spots to choose from. Accomplishing a wild swim is invigorating, satisfying as well as peaceful and calming; I have never met a person yet who wishes they hadn’t done one! If entering into the realms of wild swimming peaks your interest, here are 5 top spots that will certainly give you a taster of wild swimming at its best: WATKINS PATH WATERFALL An extended series of pools and falls starting close to the Snowdon Watkins path. It’s used a lot by walkers coming…
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…
The Mabinogion Tales Made Easy....
The tales of the Mabinogion are over 1000 years old, they are the first reference to King Arthur and the earliest recorded British prose. It wasn’t until the 14th century that they were penned to paper; the origins being based upon story telling. They not only told tales of love, betrayal, mythology, politics and magical fantasies, but they promoted friendship and a code of moral conduct passed down from generation to generation. The 11 original tales have been compiled into 4 sections known as branches named: Pwyll, Branwen, Manawydan and Math and whilst the stories are bizzare, psychedelic and complicated, the key parts for each branch go something like this. Here are The Mabinogion Tales Made Easy: PWYLL, PRINCE OF DYFED Pwyll, whilst sitting on a mound which he has been told will either wound him or bring him something wonderful, sees Rhiannon riding over the hill on a white horse. Rhiannon has chosen for him…
Halloween 2015...
If you’re lucky enough to be staying in one of our cottages over Halloween 2015, you’ll be pleased to know that Halloween Snowdonia Style does not have to involve standing around getting cold and wet watching your kids collect sweets! This is a place steeped in legend and myth so there is lots on offer – we have whittled it down to our top 5 which make for unique and exciting experiences you just won’t get anywhere else…… On the 29th, 30th and 31st October, The Ffestiniog Railway is running twilight railway trips where you board the train in fancy dress at 6pm and are taken into the mountains where you stop off in the dark woods for some fireworks and a little something to eat in the creepy cafe. Prices start from £11.60 for children and £17.50 for adults. Penryhn Castle just outside Bangor offers a range of activities including; The Penrhyn Castle Halloween Experience,…
