Four lovely holiday cottages within the spectacular Cairngorm National Park offering numerous activities, fantastic walking or simple relaxation amongst beautiful Scottish Countryside. Sleeps 8
Self-Catering Holiday Cottage - Bwlch Y Gwynt, Penmachno, Nr Betws-y-Coed, Conwy, Snowdonia, Wales
Bwlch Y Gwynt
Click on a picture to enlarge
Bwlch y Gwynt is a delightful traditional Welsh long house, built in 1787, offering the opportunity to escape from the pressures of every day life in a beautiful tranquil location. It holds an isolated position and sits approximately 250 metres above sea level in the Snowdonia National Park and is suitable for a family holiday and equally suitable for a romantic break for couples who want to be uninterrupted and truly relax.
The owners have now converted a near ruin into a rustic holiday cottage which offers three main rooms on the ground floor, two of which having sleeping lofts above, one of which is accessed by a ladder (see photo). The house is served by a natural spring water supply, mains electricity and wood burners along with electric heaters provide the heating.
Bwlch y Gwynt is located in open countryside on the outskirts of the sleepy village of Penmachno, in Conwy County, North West Wales. The village is some four miles to the Southwest of Betws-y-Coed and on the edge of Snowdonia, lying at the heart of the valley of the River Machno, one of the upper tributaries of the River Conwy.
The cottage is on the side of a hill at the top of a quarter mile track, overlooking the Conwy Valley. By car the cottage is within easy reach of the beautiful Snowdonia mountain range and several wonderful beaches. The historic town of Conwy with its medieval castle is just half an hour away and provides great shopping, restaurants, cafes and places of historic interest. For those who enjoy walking, hiking or mountain biking, there are many miles of footpaths, cycle tracks and open country in this area to enjoy and explore. For the more adventurous there is climbing, high ropes, white water rafting and canoeing all nearby. Anglers too will not be disappointed with good salmon fishing on the river Conwy and the river Lledr, plus plenty more opportunities locally.
Betws y Coed and Llanrwst are the two nearest local towns where you can stock up on provisions and between the two you can usually find what you want or at least a close substitute! Betws y Coed is a small tourist town about ten minutes from the village of Penmachno where the cottage is located. There are several excellent stores specialising in outdoor clothing and footwear and specialist outward bound gear for the more serious climbers and walkers. The town has various pubs and hotels, a range of small shops, a leisure centre (with pool and gym), a newsagent, a post office and a cash machine. The town also boasts a motor museum. Llanrwst is a small market town about half an hour away in the car, which is better for food shopping and which also has an internet cafe. There are a couple of good butchers, a deli with a good selection of wine and alcohol, a supermarket, hardware shop, chemist, bank, cafe etc.
Bwlch Y Gwynt offers guests the opportunity to completely unwind and relax in beautiful tranquil countryside and it provides the perfect setting for enjoying some of the more basic pleasures in life like stoking up the fires over a glass of wine whilst chatting about the days adventures.
Facilities
Stables / Livery facilities nearby Log Burner Near Pub/Restaurant Garden/Outside Area Bike Storage Golf facilities nearby Off-Road Parking DVD Washing Machine Tumble Dryer Dishwasher Video CD Player Bath Cot
Accommodation and facilities comprise:
The cottage consists of three main rooms at ground floor level and a bathroom.
The left hand end of the building is arranged as a sitting/dining room (approximately 4.5 metres x 6 metres). The room is comfortably furnished with two sofas, a dresser, a dining room table with seating for 6 and is heated by a Villager wood burner. A television, video, DVD player, CD player, iPod connection and some videos and DVDs are also provided along with a good collection of novels, reference books, maps and some games.
The central room is arranged as a kitchen/dining room (approximately 4.5 metres x 6 metres) heated by a Jotul wood burner. The owners spend quite a lot of time cooking when they visit so the kitchen is equipped with a good level of basic utensils as well as a number of cook books. The cooker is gas with four rings, grill and oven. There is a small domestic fridge.
Above the kitchen is a sleeping loft furnished with a double bed and a chest of drawers. This loft is accessed by an open tread ladder (not suitable for people with limited mobility and children would need to be closely supervised).
At the other end of the cottage the original barn has now been divided on the ground floor to provide a bedroom, (approximately 4 metres x 2.4 metres) with a single bed which also offers a pull out 'guest bed'. There is also a chest of drawers.
The other half of this end of the cottage has been fitted out as a utility area with dishwasher, washing machine and tumble drier (all in cupboards).
Above this end of the cottage is the second sleeping loft (accessed by a conventional staircase) which is furnished with a double bed, chest of drawers and airing cupboard.
The bathroom (approximately 2.3 metres x 2 metres) is fitted with a bath, basin and WC.
Outside there is a small garden to the front which faces west, part of which contains a low wall which is a great spot to sit and admire the views, and into which we have built a BBQ. There is a garden table and chairs plus parasol.
Additional information: The cottage is quite remote and the track to it is about a quarter of a mile long from the road and is quite steep in places and bumpy - sports cars and very low vehicles are not advisable and four wheel drive vehicles are recommended. The water supply to the cottage is from a natural spring - whilst it supplies plenty of water, it is not possible to have appliances (e.g. dishwasher, washing machine and taps) on at the same time due to the speed of the flow of water. Prices includes winter fuel and electricity. All beds have pillows and duvets provided. Bed linen and towels are not included but can be rented for a small additional charge. A discount may be offered for couples renting the cottage - please enquire with the owner. It may be possible to offer alternative changeover days and also holidays/breaks of different duration.
Prices for 7 nights: Low Season from £500 Mid Season from £550 High Season from £600 Peak Season from £600
Sleeps 2-5 people in 3 bedrooms (2 Doubles, 1 Single with additional pull out bed)
Pets: No Smoking: No Children: Yes Changeover Day: Flexible
Owner: Peter & Elizabeth Huxtable click Contact Details for owners phone number and email
Reviews and Testimonials for Bwlch Y Gwynt
From the Visitors' Book:
What an idyllic honeymoon cottage!! Long rambling walks, lovely hot baths, gorgeous beds, cosy log burners, great BBQ, stunning sunsets - will definitely be back! Thank you. Dr and Mrs McLaren.
Brilliant! Pure escapism. We had wind, snow, hail and sunshine. A great retreat. The Greens, Herefordshire.
Lovely cottage, beautiful setting - we may be back! The Livingstons, Warrington.
Thank you, we really enjoyed our stay! The Hutchinsons, Hampshire.
Had a fantastic time. -4 degrees for 1 week. Log burners were lovely. Thank you!! The Morgans, Flintshire.