EmmaAvon
March 2013
This cottage is set in a beautiful location and is within walking distance of Dinas Mawddwy, where there is a great little, dog friendly pub that serves lovely food (open fire too). It is surrounded by mountains and there are walks straight from the cottage.
The cottage is set within a farm where there are other dogs and livestock but the cottage itself is enclosed and if you take your own dogs they are unable to get out of the garden unless they are determined. The farmers dogs have worked out how to get in but they tend to sit close by and just look in, which may drive some dogs crazy. The farmer, who lives in an attached cottage is extremely friendly and really helpful. We also got a lift up the mountain (at the back of the cottage) and walked down..it is a truy amazing sight but remember this is where slate originates and our dog cut her food quite badly (great, cheap local vet) so bare this in mind whilst wandering back.
The cottage itself is incredibly spacious: you enter the front door to the games room and then it divides left and right. The kitchen is to the right with a lovely large bedroom above this and the remaining bedrooms and the stunning living room is to the left. The kitchen is a true farm house kitchen, with an aga, log burner, massive wooden dining table and slate flooring (the farmer replensihes the wood whenever needed at a very reasonable price). The living room has lots of seating and there are lots of games and brochures about the locality. The hot tub was a mega hit and requires no real effort to operate on your behalf. The garden is quite small and is mainly patio but the grassed bits are elevated and provide stunning views. There is a little table and chairs set up high too , which proved to be popular for a late afternoon glass of wine. (if you want bigger wine glasses or cups then id advise you take your own as the ones at the cottage are quite small) The fridge is a normal freezer fridge, which isn't that big if there's loads of you so an ice cooler or similar may be useful for drinks etc. We left our wine outside the back door but obviously in summer that would be useless! You also have to be careful how long you shower for. I believe there was a five minute rule - something to do with the pressure and the number of people using it.
There are walks near and far and it's worth exploring this before arriving as the internet/mobile signal is pretty poor. Dolgellau is a short drive away and it has everything that you need, such as a large co-op, an amazing cake shop (the best cheesecake we've ever had!), chemist etc and one of our favourite walks around Cader Idris. There is another great walk (the torrent walk) which is between the cottage and Dollgelau.
You will not get bored!