A working holiday?

                                          Nant y Ffynnon
A luxurious cottage with excellent office facilities including internet connection. Don't let work commitments hold you back. Take a well deserved break and log a few working hours at the same time.
Nant y Ffynnon is close to local shops and the beaches and coves of the dramatic north Pembrokeshire coast. Grocery deliveries are available. Your pet dogs are welcome too.
What are you waiting for...........? Click on the name for more details.

The perfect Welsh souvenir - half a Welsh lamb (not for vegetarians).

When on holiday visit your local Welsh butcher and arrange for a half lamb to be prepared for you to collect prior to leaving for home. It will be neatly jointed and packed ready for your freezer. Imagine the delight weeks after your return when your wonderful holiday has become a distant memory. Pop your lamb in the oven and savour the delicious mouth watering aromas - essence of Wales. Rake out your holiday snaps and remember the great time you had. Make sure the Quality Cottages brochure is to hand you will almost certainly want to book another holiday cottage in Wales. Don't forget there are Welsh winter short breaks too. Bon appetite.

Santa Trains Welsh Highland Railway

 
Santa and his band of merry elves will join you on a festive train ride on the Welsh Highland Railway, Snowdonia (north). He can speak English and Welsh. Santa will pass through the train distributing presents to the children during the journey. Adults will be offered a glass of sherry and a mince pie. There will be lots of laughter and fun. Book the Santa Train 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, 22nd and 23rd December 2010 from Caernarfon to Waunfawr return.

See Santa and his huskies at Plas Newydd Country House (National Trust)

See Santa making toys in the workshop and take a memorable husky dog ride through the woodlands at Plas Newyddd, Llanfairpwll, Anglesey on 18th and 19th December. Plus don't forget our Christmas food abnd craft fair on 11th and 12th December

Castles in Wales - one of the top 10 tourist attractions in the UK

A recent VisitBritain poll of respondents from 20 counties chose touring castles of Wales as one of the top ten tourist activities in the UK.

We certainly have more than our fair share from north to south, east to west, coast and country and Quality Cottages has wonderful Welsh holiday homes within easy distance of most of them.

Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey

                                          Carew Castle Pembrokeshire
                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                   Chepstow Castle Monmouthshire

                                                 Conwy Castle Conwy

                                          Laugharne Castle Carmarthenshire

Christmas at the Hall at Abbey Cwm Hir

For those in the Mid Wales/Borders area this winter a visit to the Hall at Abbey Cwm Hir is a must.
There is probably nowhere else in the UK that has all its rooms (52) decorated for visits from the public.



The designs are different each year, with each of the Xmas trees and other decoration in rooms themed to colours or memorabilia. Xmas tree examples have been the gold tree, the transport tree,the glass tree, the hot air balloon trees, the knitted tree, the train tree, the shoes and handbag tree etc.


Xmas at The Hall starts on Nov 6th each year, and continues daily (with the exception of Xmas Day) until .Jan 6th

In the tranquil riverside hamlet of Landshipping even the caterpillars have time to cross the road.

Cottage on the Secret Waterway
in an 'area of outstanding beauty'.

Where else can you cast a fishing line from your own garden and catch your breakfast?
Where else can you sit sipping a glass of wine while otters play in the water in front of you and birds busy themselves in the shrubbery all around?
Where else can you stroll with your pet dog across your own private grounds directly onto the foreshore?
What about a cosy Christmas snuggled up beside a roaring log fire in a huge inglenook with the aromas of festive cooking filling the air.
You can do all of these things and more from
'Cottage on the Secret Waterway', Landshipping, Pembrokeshire. A paradise for nature lovers, walkers, artists, photographers, families, children and pet dogs. The owners may even be pursuaded to negotiate on their advertised price.
Click on the name for more details.

Druidstone November & December Feast Evenings

          Druidstone, Druidston Haven, Nr. Broad Haven, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire

November
30th Cambodian

December
7th World
14th Greek
21st Indian
28th Spanish

Meaty £12.50 Vege £9.50

Tel 01437 781221

Christmas in Wales

Christmas in Wales. Join the festivities., Activities

blog.visitwales.co.uk

Castles

Castles in Wales are dressed up for Christmas. With medieval markets, male voice choirs, and winter festivities, Welsh holidays are fit for a prince or a princess.

A Golden Opportunity

Ty Glan Afon

This delightful traditional stone cottage stands on the same land from which Welsh gold was extracted for the Royal wedding rings. The owner of Ty Glan Afon owns and leases a portion of his land to the Clogau Mining Company. Click on the name for more details.

The Queen was presented with a supply of gold from the company’s Bontddu mine in 1986 but the recently engaged couple Prince William and Kate Middleton have been offered more if needed.

It is extremely rare and has a unique pink tinge as it is stained by the copper ore also found in the mine.

The Queen Mother’s wedding ring, the Queen’s in 1947, Princess Margaret’s in 1960, the Princess Royal’s in 1973 and that of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981 were all made from the same nugget from the mine.

The British Royal Family has been wearing Welsh gold wedding rings dating back to 1923 and the tradition has continued more recently with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales when he wed The Duchess of Cornwall back in 2005.

 

Craftsman's leaving present near Cadair Idris summit

A craftsman has created a chair, and taken it up a mountain, as a leaving gift to a Gwynedd community.

Nick Bullen said he had been given such a warm welcome when he set up in business in Corris six years ago that he wanted to give something back before returning to South Africa.

It took 15 people four hours to transport the reclaimed oak chair up Cadair Idris.

The chair now rests close to the 893m (2,930ft) summit.
The wood used is all reclaimed oak fence-posts and oak tree branches from the slopes of the mountain.
It is the type of wood Mr Bullen uses in his Sylviantutch eco-furniture business, which will carry on when he leaves.

We are heading back to South Africa on a semi-permanent basis, and the chair is an appropriate going away present," he said.

It weighs 200kg and is about 8ft and is made out of oak fence posts from the farm next door to the Cadair Idris summit," he added.

The chair should last about 20 years, but "if people are willing to go up there to give it some oil occasionally" it should survive the harsh Snowdonia weather for many years, he said.
A gift of a chair is also appropriated because the name of the mountain roughly translates as Idris' chair, he added.


Report by BBC News North West Wales

Big Guy

We all stood around watching the guy slowly perish in the flames.

Sparklers

It was hot pumpkin soup and sparklers in Mid-Wales on Friday evening.The rain stayed away long enough for us to watch the guy perish in the 10ft flames.

Im not a dog but can I join in?

My name is Murphy. Regular visitors to Barn above the Dee Valley will recognise me of course. I am very loving and like to be noticed. I am very friendly but squirrels dont like me.....hence the loss of my tail.ouch!

Hen Bost,Llandrillo

Its always a pleasure to visit "Hen Bost" in the village of Llandrillo.It has to be said without exaggeration that this holiday cottage is truly exquisite.Having travelled around Wales photographing properties over the past few years,this one is at the top of my favorites list. I saw in the visitors book that guests here had been climbing Snowdon,visiting the Rhug farm shop down the road,eating at The Tyddyn Llan restaurant in the village and even ordering freshly made Thai take-away curries from the local shop. A hidden gem without doubt.Worth raving about!

Pennant Melangell

Today I stopped off at Pennant Melangell church near Llangynog in Carmarthenshire.Melangell was a female saint of the 7th century. According to tradition she came here from Ireland and lived as a hermit in the valley. One day Brochwel, Prince of Powys, was hunting and pursued a hare which took refuge under Melangell's cloak. The Prince's hounds fled, and he was moved by her courage and sanctity. He gave her the valley as a place of sanctuary and Melangell became Abbess of a small religious community. After her death her memory continued to be honoured and Pennant Melangell has since been a place of pilgrimage for many centuries. Melangell remains the patron saint of hares.

Sparks in the Dark postponed to Tuesday 9th Nov 2010

Due to extreme weather warning the Sparks in the Dark event has been postponed until Tuesday. For further details look at www.swansea.gov.uk/fireworks or phone 01792 635 428

Superb kayaking in north Pembrokeshire

    

Cerbid House

                                                                                          

We are currently at the end of our second week of another superb stay at Cerbid House, Pembrokeshire, a fantastic cottage in a wonderful area (click on the name for more details).

The coastal area from Newgale past Solva around Ramsay Sound and up to Parrog on the north coast is some of the most stunning coastline in the UK. There are many caves, blow holes and rock gardens for kayakers to get in close and personal. With a lot of offshore islands the more experienced kayakers will also have things to do here. Green Scar / Ramsey Island and the Bishop and Clerks can all be paddled in the right weather conditions. There are many launch points, Solva / Porthclais / Porthgain /Goodwick and Parrog all having slipways and good areas for parking. When weather is a little more windy, Solva harbour makes a great safe play area for families (if the tide is in!)

Steve and Jill

Sparks in the Dark, Swansea, Friday Nov 5th 2010

On Friday 5 November the skies above Swansea will be alive with the


fizz and bang of the annual fireworks extravaganza, Sparks in the

Dark, taking place at St Helen's Ground.



With a spectacular fireworks display, live music on stage from

special guests, children's entertainment and much more, Sparks in

the Dark promises to be a great night out for everyone.



Tickets are available now - save money by pre-booking in advance,

with a family ticket available for just £12.50 for two adults and up

to three children. For more information or to purchase tickets online

visit www.swansea.gov.uk/fireworks

Pembrokeshire has been voted the second best coastal destination in the world!

"National Geographic has voted Pembrokeshire the second best coastal destination in the world sharing second place with the Tutukaka coast in New Zealand and beating places like the Seychelles, Bermuda and Costa Rica.

Comments from the panelists include:

• Fabulous example of coastal protection with a very established tourism industry.
• The seafood and food grown in the adjopining fields are culinary treats.
• Land based and marine based conservation tourism appeals to all ages.

Pembrokeshire County Council member for tourism Counciler Rob Lewis said It is quite some achievement, especially when you consider that Pembrokeshire was competing against some stunning locations from all over the world.
Apart from our world famous 186 mile coast path and the fact that Pembrokeshire is the only coastal park in the UK, we also have over 50 beaches for holiday makers to choose from."

Wildlife photos by Jo Sime

Walkers & Cyclists will love The Old Vicarage near Dolgellau and Cader Idris

The Old Vicarage

The delightful Old Vicarage is just 2 miles away from the Mawddach cycle and walking trail and 4 miles from the Coed y Brenin  Forest Centre.  Four bedrooms make this ideal for a family holiday. Your dog is welcome too. Click on the name for more information.

Take your own horse to Ty Glan Afon in a stunning location near Dolgellau

There is plenty of grazing for your horse, room for a boat if you have one and your dog is welcome too - but do take care this is sheep country. Ty Glan Afon is a delightful family get away near the bustling market town of Dolgellau. There is central heating, a huge inglenook with log burning stove and plenty of logs to make this an ideal holiday home at any time of the year.