Why do people come to Pentre Bach/Llwyngwril?

Why come to Pentre Bach/Llwyngwril? When we first took over Pentre Bach Holiday Cottages, we were sure that most of our guests would be lured to our properties in the pretty village of Llwyngwril, on the southern edge of Snowdonia National Park, by the outstanding beauty of the scenery around us. Walkers and those keen on outdoor pursuits would be arriving in their droves to enjoy the countryside around Llwyngwril. Well that has been true to a certain extent but there are numerous other reasons why our guests have chosen to come and stay at Pentre Bach, some of them quite unexpected. Possibly the most bizarre purpose for a visit to this area was by a group of around 30 (mainly) men from the Netherlands, back in 2008, led by Iwan, who came to take photographs of RAF planes training in the hills above Corris. Some of them even brought along some step ladders so that they could get even higher to snap the pilots as they zoomed past!

The most popular motive for groups spending weekends in our main house is most definitely to celebrate significant birthdays or anniversaries. We’ve had parties celebrating every birthday from 21sts up to 80th! One lady, who had reached the age of 80, thought that she was coming to a little cottage for a quiet weekend with her daughter. When she arrived and sat down on the garden bench to appreciate the view over Cardigan Bay, all of a sudden heads started to pop up from the ha-ha in front of her! The whole extended family had arrived earlier to surprise her and later in the weekend a fancy dress party was enjoyed by all.

Some adults like to come and recreate nostalgic holidays spent in this area when they were young. They delight in bringing their children and grandchildren here to enjoy the pleasures of an unspoilt Welsh seaside holiday, building sandcastles, catching crabs and flying kites. We’ve had three wedding parties staying in our cottages, and actually hosted the wonderful wedding reception of Mel and Eric from Canada. Both their families came and stayed for a whole week leading up to and after the wedding, helping to organise the event and then explore the area afterwards. The ceremony was held at the top station of the Tal-y-Llyn steam railway and then Mel and Eric cycled on a tandem down to Tywyn beach for photographs. The reception was held on the lawn over the ha-ha and in a marquee, and catered magnificently by Annie Grundy.

We’ve had one or two stag parties and hen parties but I’m sure they won’t mind me saying that the participants were more ‘mature’ in age, preferring the peaceful location of Pentre Bach in the quiet village of Llwyngwril, with its solitary pub, to the hedonistic and over-indulgent type of hen/stag party that they might be treated to in Manchester, Dublin or Magaluf! The first stag party indulged in a weekend of playing poker in our sumptuous dining room and in fact the groom and several of the others from the group have since been back to Pentre Bach with their extended families. Last September we hosted a training weekend for Meirionnydd Girl Guide Leaders. Their busy weekend of meetings, planning and practical sessions was interspersed with various individuals practising playing musical instruments in the garden. We have to say that after they left, there wasn’t a single sign to show that they had ever been to stay!!! They have got to be the tidiest group ever! And we’re so pleased that they’re returning later this year! Groups of various religious tendencies have stayed at Pentre Bach. The ‘Church of Shalom’, from High Wycombe, have booked all of our cottages on two separate occasions. Robin and Chris Caine brought groups to come and stay here for a fortnight at a time. They were all delightful people and all enjoyed every day to the full, culminating in group barbeques, cooked by Robin each evening. We’re looking forward to welcoming them back in 2015. Every August in Tywyn, the event ‘Race the Train’ occurs and we’ve had both large groups and individual families who have chosen to lodge at Pentre Bach whilst taking part in this annual event. Mike has even helped out as a marshall to ‘do his bit’! Maybe I’ll take part in the race one of these days……

Other outdoor enthusiasts have been those who enjoy mountain biking (great trails at nearby Coed y Brenin , where there’s also a Go Ape course!) , bird-watching (at ,amongst other places, Ynys-hir, made famous by the BBC’s Springwatch), fishing , both at sea and at the picturesque Cregennan Lakes, surfing at Tywyn or golfing at Aberdyfi, Harlech or even the par 3 course at Fairbourne. Many groups do enjoy walking and instead of joining the hordes ascending Snowdon every weekend, they opt for the relative tranquillity of climbing Cader Idris, which is practically on our doorstep, and the effort of the ascent is rewarded by spectacular views from the summit. We’re ideally situated right on the new Wales Coastal Path and only last week we had a couple staying in Y Popty, who spent two days walking along two different sections of the path, using the Cambrian railway either at the beginning or end of the day to return to the cottage each day. Many groups of friends, who used to go to university together, choose Pentre Bach as a venue for a reunion. Now in their 30s or 40s, they get together once a year and most now have young families so Pentre Bach House and the two adjoining cottages offer lots of space for the expanding groups, yet is intimate enough for cosy gatherings. Children of all ages enjoy playing, cricket, football, etc in our field.

This was a group of doctors dressed as farmers, with one individual dressed as a sheep, playing cricket!!! In August 2012 we had a couple who booked two weeks in Y Llaethdy to ‘get away’ from the Olympics!! In March this year, we’ve had an extended family come to stay, who’ve congregated here from all over the country, in order to scatter their parents/grandparents ashes over the summit of Cader Idris. Fortunately it was an absolutely beautiful Spring Day. What a lovely yet sad reason for coming to this area. These are just a sample of the many and varied reasons for choosing Pentre Bach and the village of Llwyngwril as a venue for a holiday or short break. Get in touch if you can think of any other unusual reasons.

Battered and Bruised but still in one piece (well nearly) after the Great Storm of 2014!

Some of our guests who have booked to stay at Pentre Bach this year may be wondering what state the house and cottages are in , following the storms of the last few weeks. Fear not! Pentre Bach is almost unscathed - well more or less! You may have followed some of the terrible stories on national and local news about what has happened to some of the towns and cities in this part of the country. Barmouth was hit badly with the first of the storms in early January. We enjoyed a cosy mulled wine or two in the Last Inn after walking across Barmouth Bridge on Christmas day but less than two weeks later the pub was under a metre of water. Our local Cambrian Coastline railway that passes the end of our field, was also hit badly in that same storm and complete stretches of the line were washed away, resulting in a complete closure of the line from Machynlleth round to Pwyllelli, for over 6 weeks. The line eventually reopened last week as far as Barmouth. It may be quite a few more weeks before the line north of Barmouth is reopened. Another victim of the storm was the Dyfi Osprey Project. They lost the tree perch that the ospreys used (easily replaced) and also an expensive camera that followers on Facebook are well on their way to replacing by their generous donations. Our village has got off very lightly so far. The first storm in early January brought down the footpath leading from the beach up past the Quaker Cemetery so when walking on the beach we usually have to retrace our steps and go back the way we came, but this is no hardship compared to other parts of the country. Last week's winds caused more havoc, with a number of trees being brought down and also caused numerous power cuts. The first one left us without electricity for 20 hours. So out came the candles, camping gaz and playing cards! We were lucky enough to have a log burner in our cottage so kept very cosy. Our electricity supply was then very spasmodic throughout the next 4 days. It certainly makes you appreciate electricity when you don't have it! How did people manage before TV, computers, tablets, microwaves and mobile phones? Fortunately we had an old-fashioned telephone that we'd kept (Mike never throws anything away!) so were able to plug that in to keep in contact with the outside world. We also had some damage to our main house roof when two large stone slabs from the top of our chimneys became dislodged and fell onto roof slates and smashed two of our older solar panels. The satellite dish was also affected but all of this can easily be repaired in time for our next set of guests. On the plus side, the weather has been very spring-like over the past few days, the birds are singing, and daffodils are starting to sprout everywhere. Rob's lambs at next door's farm will soon be appearing in the fields. Mike has been busy cleaning the exterior walls of the main house ready to paint the outside cream or Magnolia, which should greatly enhance the outside appearance of the house. Watch this space for more news about how this work is progressing. We've also been doing lots of spring cleaning and decorating in all of the cottages ready for a very busy season. We look forward to welcoming all our guests in 2014!

Mike and Wilma have finally moved to Pentre Bach!

After 5 and a half years of travelling backwards and forwards between Macclesfield and Llwyngwril every week, we have finally moved permanently to Pentre Bach!
Katie's flat in Macclesfield , which served us well for 3 years, was put on the market in late June. Within a few days of putting up the FOR SALE sign we had a lady knocking at the door, who was very interested. She just had to put her house on the market. 'Oh well', we thought........... but less than 3 weeks later she was back. She'd put her house on the market and had a buyer within 2 days! After that things started to move very quickly and the completion date was set for Friday the 23rd of August. Not an ideal time for us as Wilma was already booked to go and parent sit for the last two weeks of August while her sister was on holiday, Heather was due to fly off to Canada for possibly up to a year and to cap it all, we'd booked a holiday in Crete, setting off on the 30th of August! Not to mention coping with the busy period of bookings at Pentre Bach.
We packed the car with clothing, pots and pans, DVD players, crockery, cushions, etc, etc every time we came over to Wales and gradually the flat was emptied in time for Thiursday the 22nd of August. Heather had to spend her last few nights on a mattress in the flat, in a tiny bedroom in the caravan in Wales and finally in a cosy bed in her auntie's house before jetting off for Canada on the 25th. Ah well, it was all good practise for couchsurfing on Vancouver Island!
So the Seniors no longer have to pack up every Sunday afternoon to make the long journey back to Macclesfield. However we're still living out of bags and boxes (which are scattered throughout the cottages and caravan so we can't find anything we need!) as the move happened a lot quicker than we'd anticipated so we still have bookings in Pen y Lon (our intended permanent abode) until early October. We're still moving around and staying in whichever cottage is available until we can finally move into Pen y Lon and unpack our bags!

Bad weather ideas at Pentre Bach

Ok, so the Great British Summer in west Wales has been particularly good so far this year and our guests have been able to spend long days enjoying the great outdoors.
But with the British weather being what it is, we could wake up tomorrow to a week of rain. The adults might be content to curl up by the log fire, batten down the hatches and bring out the paperbacks and Kindles for a lazy few hours, feeling snug and cosy inside, or just sit in the window seats and watch the changing skies and white capped waves.

However, what to do with the kids?
Well all the cottages are well stocked with  jigsaws of varying difficulty and games of all types from old classics such as chess and Scrabble to Air hockey, Jenga and Twister. Please just remember to put them all back in the right boxes!

 

The kitchens are all well equipped, and even include baking equipment, so why not spend an afternoon baking. Mmm..... freshly baked scones for afternoon tea!

Play hide and seek, sardines, charades, hunt the thimble and all those games we used to play when we were young. The main house in particular has loads of hiding places.

 

Arrange your very own version of Pentre Bach's Got Talent! Get the children to do what children love to do and show off! There's a chest full of dressing up clothes in the master bedroom of the main house  (another one being prepared for Y Popty). Even the grown-ups could get involved!

 

 

You could venture out as far as the barn for a table tennis tournament.

If they've exhausted all of the above then they could always join you and read a book. There are children's books in all the cottages.

Oh and if really desperate there are lots of children's DVDs available in all the cottages. If bad weather keeps up we can always arrange a swop!

 

If you want to venture further afield then read our blog entitled

 

 What to do and where to go when its wet in West Wales!

 

What to do with children in and around Llwyngwril

If the weather is good then we have a huge field at Pentre Bach where children can run wild, play hide and seek, football, cricket, rounders, Frisbee, fly a kite, etc., etc. all within sight of the house and cottages. There are also 2 tyre swings and a willow den down by the vegetable patch.

Take up the challenge of our specially created Treasure Hunt which leads the children on a route round the village, searching for the answers to clues.

 

 

Go down to Llwyngwril's pebbly beach and have a competition to build the tallest pile of pebbles ever.

 

Go to any of Fairbourne's, Barmouth's or Tywyn's beautiful sandy beaches and do what children love to do on beaches- build a sandcastle.

 

Go ponytrekking at Bwylchgwyn Farm (spelling approximate!), about 4 miles away from Pentre Bach.

Go for a gentle cycle along the nice and flat Mawddach Trail or accept the more extreme cycling challenge of black runs at Coed y Brenin. Whilst there you can also make our way through the tree tops of Go Ape.

Go canoeing or kayaking in the Mawddach Estuary.

Spend the day underground and go back in time hundreds of years at King Arthur's Labyrinth in Corris.

Go crab catching off the pier at Aberdyfi.

Take the narrow gauge railway along to the end of Fairbourne Point then catch the ferry across the harbour to Barmouth.



Climb Cadair Idris.

Watch this space for what do do when the weather's bad.

What's not to be missed in and around Llwyngwril this summer!

If you want to come to North West Wales for a peaceful, relaxing time then you can! Sit on one of our patios, gazing out to sea and possibly catch a glimpse of passing dolphins or sailing boats gliding gracefully across the bay. Unwind with a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio and watch the sun go down spectacularly behind the Lleyn Peninsula. Perhaps you might summon up some energy to stroll down to the beach or play a game of boules on the lawn, or cricket on the field?

If, however, you're up for something a bit more adventurous then this undiscovered corner of Wales has a few surprises up it's sleeves.
Next weekend sees the start of the Three Peaks Yacht Race from Barmouth. Teams of sailors and runners, set off from Barmouth on Saturday afternoon ((15th June),and sail up the west coast to Fort William , but stopping off en route so the runners can tackle Snowdon and Scafell Pike on the way. After Fort William the runners then have to run up and down the highest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis. The winning team is the first to complete the Ben Nevis ascent and descent. A truly epic race. See www.threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk for more details.

If mountain biking is your thing then why not join in (or just spectate!) the Trail Marathon Wales at Coed y Brenin Forest Park, just north of Dolgellau, on the 22nd of June.
While there you could always while away an hour or three negotiating the tree tops via cargo nets, zip wires , etc at Go Ape. You can get discount if you book through us!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Dx4LpX-X9JY


Something a bit different? Why not go to the Barmouth Kite Festival over the weekend of the 13th and 14th of July? Take your own kite or just sit , watch and be amazed at the stunts. Always a colourful event. www.barmouth.barrikiteflyers.com

If that's not enough, the same weekend hosts the Mawddach Paddlesports Festival between Barmouth and the stunningly beautiful Penmaenpool. Some fun and some serious races for rafts and canoes. Can be very exciting in extreme weather! www.paddlewales.com

From the 19th - 21st of July is Sesiwn Fawr, a music festival with craft workshops, puppet theatres, etc. at Dolgellau.

Who watched Carolyn Quentin's programme about Snowdonia National Park? One event she covered was the wonderful Race the Train that starts from Tywyn on August the 17th. Hundreds of runners participate and attempt to beat the Talyllyn Railway engine back to it's starting point. There are races of different lengths that attract runners of all ages from across the country. It's on August the 17th this year , in aid of Action for Children and definitely should not be missed!!!

Shortly after that, on August the 22nd,  is Children's Duncan Days at the Talyllyn Railway. This narrow gauge railway was the original inspiration for the Reverend Awdry's 'Thomas the Tank Engine' stories. www.talyllyn.co.uk

Watch this space for more news about events in this beautiful part of Wales.







Come and play!

I just happened to spot a little article on Independent Cottages website telling cottage owners about a company that sends out free games to be used in holiday cottages. Its a clever marketing campaign, to get holiday makers to enjoy playing the games , in the hope that they'll then buy them at a later date. We sent off a quick email to the company to say that we'd be happy to accept any games and within a few days a large package was delivered to Pentre Bach with a total of 8 boxed games! They're now distributed around our cottages for all our guests to enjoy.