Energy update

Coed y Berclas energy project update

It’s now been a year since we got up and running with our solar panels and heat pumps, which have proved to be a great success. We are very happy to report that over the year, solar production and consumption are within 1% of each other. The consumption includes all the heating, hot water and cooking in Seascape, the Guest Room and our house, plus electricity use in the cottage, along with charging our all-electric Mini and a good selection of guests’ cars. We have a battery which we charge by solar during the day and generally gets us through the evening and most of the night, and over the summer we export the excess generation, and import over the winter.

Our electricity carbon footprint (and bills) have reduced to be almost energy neutral, we are very proud of this achievement. This positions us well ahead of other luxury holiday accommodation in terms of sustainability.

Coed y Berclas Green Energy project

Coed y Berclas Green Energy project

We’ve had a busy year substantially improving and committing to our green credentials. We are really happy to have installed north Wales’s largest domestic PV solar array, 45 panels! We have replaced the gas boiler in the main house with super-efficient air source heat pumps, and we have a battery to help us tick over through the night. Our ambition is to be energy neutral (or even better; a net generator) across the year, exporting excess electricity in the summer and importing any deficit in the winter. If any guests would like further information then please talk to us – we’ll be happy to ramble on for hours ! This also includes running our all-electric car; it’s a great feeling beetling around the island knowing it is literally running on sunshine.

Autumn 2023

Happy Autumn 2023

We’ve had a great summer but September always has a special charm; the busyness on the island shifts down a gear. We made the most of the amazing weather and last week, over 6 days, cycled the Lon Las Cymru, a wonderful and beautiful national cycle route from Cardiff back to Berclas. Around 230 miles – and nearly 15,000 feet of ascent ! Not for the faint hearted – but far less so on the electric bikes.

En route on the Lon Las Cymru
En route on the Lon Las Cymru
Talybont Reservoir, Bannau Brycheiniog
Talybont Reservoir, Bannau Brycheiniog

As ever, we’ve had a brilliantly busy year with so many regular returners who come for their annual Berclas fix. It’s always lovely to see familiar faces.

In another project, the lovely cottage orchard now has a private, elevated drinks terrace, with sofa and chairs, to take in the view. Over the water to the mountains. We felt it needed ‘relaxing spot’ for an evening g&t, and a sheltered, sun trap gap between the apple trees was the perfect location.

Bangor Pier in the mist from the cottage orchard
Bangor Pier in the mist from the cottage orchard

This is the time of year that we sort out our pricing for the following one. We know it’s a tricky time for everyone so have been very modest in our increases. As always we just take no-deposit reservations this side of the new year so you can pencil a date in with no commitment for now. Many of the early summer weeks are already reserved by returners so do get in touch if you need a berclas fix to look forward to!

Autumn 2022

Happy Autumn 2022

Happy autumn to you all. It’s been a while so there’s lots to catch up on!

In 2021 we were delighted to win a Lux Magazine award for best luxury self catering on Anglesey. We were not expecting to exceed that but this year we have won a UK Enterprise award for Best Luxury accommodation in Wales, and an additional award for Hospitality Excellence 🙂 We always strive to give our guests a fantastic experience, and it’s extremely gratifying to receive positive reviews, but to be recognised by our peers within a competitive industry is very special and not a little humbling. The awards set a high bar but we really hope that our guests would agree that we offer something truly exceptional here (the view helps!). We have an extremely high rate of returners which we feel is testament to this.

On a similar note Jane was invited by the Secretary of State for Wales to a reception at Whitehall to celebrate the success of Welsh female entrepreneurs. It was a brilliant event and an opportunity to share our story and meet some very inspiring women.

Ollie
Ollie

We’ve had a great year with the holiday lets, with many familiar faces and new guests, thank you to you all. In May we very sadly lost our much loved spaniel, Ollie, aged almost 15. He was such a wonderful character and a real trooper, having lost a leg to cancer three years earlier, but was always cheerful and full of beans in the face of adversity. His loss left us with a doggie shaped hole in our hearts, so in September we welcomed little Otto to Berclas. He’s Ollie’s great great nephew, and has been (self) appointed as Head of Enthusiastic Welcomes; he is very much looking forward to meeting you all!

Otto
Otto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, please look out for us on Tuesday 8th November on ‘Escape to the Country’ on BBC1. We do a 2 minute segment about our move to Anglesey and our lives here. It will be a great way to showcase our stunning views to the nation!

Happy New Year 2022

Happy New Year 2022

A new dawn for a new year. Wishing all our guests a happy and healthy 2022.

The two photos below were taken just before sunrise on the 6th January by each of us, 5 minutes apart. We couldn’t decide which we preferred !

Autumn 2021

Autumn 2021

Autumn is at its peak here, the weather is mild and we’re just back from a beautiful straits walk through deciduous woodland. Across the water the trees are turning to their gorgeous warm autumnal colours, it makes us so appreciative that we live on this corner of Anglesey with an abundance of woodland.

And speaking of woodland, we’ve embarked on an ambitious project to clear and manage our woodland at the top of the property. In the spring there is a wonderful carpet of bluebells but as the woodland was so impenetrable and with scrappy shrubs along the edge, it was difficult to see in all its glory. There were innumerable sycamore saplings, brambles and ivy choking the woodland floor. Many days with a chainsaw has made a huge difference and there is now a view all the way up the hillside from the drive. This will allow the many and varied native species of trees, such as oak, holly and hawthorn, to thrive without the sycamore competition. There is a pile of cuttings the size of a small house; this will be chipped and used to line a new circular path, carbon capture in action! Working in the woods has confirmed that we have at least one shy red squirrel in residence.

In addition we have planted 850 spring bulbs along the edge, a mixture of bee and butterfly friendly, along with daffodils and tulips. Hopefully this will provide some colour from February to May (and possibly a rich food source for the squirrel!).

A few months ago we bought a brilliant little all electric mini which we love, and use for almost all of our journeys. We can now offer overnight charging to guests with electric and hybrid cars.

We are delighted that the local paintings we commissioned are complete and hanging in Seascape’s bedrooms. The first is of Aberffraw beach, one of our favourites, looking over to the mountains of the Llyn peninsular, done with a gorgeous palette of blues.

The second is of the sunrise from the terrace and beautifully captures the glowing morning light and sense of peace of the moment.

In other news; we’ve been mulling renaming the apartment for a while now. The name never did it justice as it suggested the idea of a top floor, maybe with a shared entrance, whereas it’s a purpose built, private and separate wing of our house, with its own outdoor space. After much deliberation we have settled on ‘Seascape’. The accommodation is beautifully appointed, spacious and comfortable but its wow factor is definitely the mesmerising and ever changing view. We wanted the name to encapsulate that, and the idea of it being of both the mountains and the sea. It was difficult! But we’re happy, and we hope you approve too.

We’re only now just starting to see a drop off in bookings after a what has turned out to be a great year, despite the shaky start. As ever, it’s wonderful to see so many returners. Incredibly more than 90% of our current 2022 bookings are from either returners or direct recommendations, and we love to see you back!

Summer 2021

Summer 2021

We’ve been in the news (sort of)! Firstly, whilst reading the news on the terrace we stumble across . . . the view from the terrace! The Guardian has deemed Bangor pier to be Britain’s best, and we’re not going to argue. It’s worth a detour if you have a spare hour or so, there are a few cafes and gift shops, and it’s a particularly lovely sight when the boats from Beaumaris sailing club are racing past. And you get a great view of our house! We reckon the accompanying photo was taken from the bench at the bottom of our garden.

Click here for the article in the Guardian.

It’s a lovely photo but I think some of guests have taken even better ones!

And secondly, the beautiful Welsh slate landscape of North Wales has become a UNESCO world heritage site. We always thought it was pretty special so very proud that it’s been recognised. Coed y Berclas is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with an unparalleled view across the strait at a world rated heritage sight. Yesterday our apartment guests were out sketching the view in the golden late afternoon light.

We’re fully booked here but not feeling too busy to be out and about, still exploring the island and Snowdonia. Everyone is so happy to arrive, and it still feels like the best job in the world. For those of you who have been in the last year I can report not only that the garage is now finished but it houses David’s lovingly crafted Caterham 7 (when he’s not roaring around the island.)

David's Caterham 7
David’s Caterham 7

One way the year has been like no other is that we have so many bookings for 2022 already, with most of May and June already booked in the apartment, and a few weeks booked for 2023! As ever, we don’t take a deposit until six months in advance so if you’d like to pencil a week in let us know. It’s always good to have something to look forward to!

Have a wonderful summer.

April 2021

April 2021

Ollie in the bluebells

Spring is more than in the air, the bluebells are dazzling and the orchard is in full blossom, and the earlier sense of optimism has come to fruition; it’s wonderful to have guests back again. We have old favourites (you know who you are 😊) and new faces, with hopefully the latter turning into the former over time.

Newborough beach from Llanddwyn Island

April has been brilliantly sunny and we’ve been out and about as much as ever. Having invested in electric bikes (best invention ever!) we’ve been more adventurous than ever, exploring Snowdonia. There are a multitude of astonishingly beautiful quiet tracks and lanes. Yesterday we cycled to Caernarfon for lunch in the sun in the picturesque cobbled castle square, edged by outdoor cafes and the castle itself; it felt positively European!

Over the winter we’ve thought about how to improve our guests’ stays and have done the following:

Improved the outdoor lighting

Cottage:

    • New bean bag sunloungers (already well received!)
    • Bigger, smart television
    • Blackout curtains in the main bedroom

Apartment:

    • Outdoor sofa set
    • TV upgrade to smart (via streaming stick)

Guest room:

    • TV upgrade to smart (via streaming stick)
    • Small sofa
    • Folding table and chairs for indoor or outdoor eating
LLanddwyn Island beacon

If you’ve been before we hope you approve! If there’s something you’d really like to have seen on that list then please let us know and we will definitely consider all suggestions.

As an ongoing project we are updating the artwork in the apartment and have commissioned some local seascapes (one actually from the terrace, couldn’t be more local!) from a very talented young artist. We’re really excited to have that underway and hopefully the finished results will feature in the next blog!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

As we start 2021 we hope you share our sense of optimism of good times ahead and brighter and safer days in the coming months. We are so thankful to have you as our guests, followers and friends.

We are taking bookings, but not deposits, for the coming year until the future is a bit clearer. Please get in touch if you’d like to pencil in some dates. When the days are short and cold, it’s always good to have something to look forward to!

Another year, another lockdown, but at least we can feel in our bones that in 2021 the clouds will clear, the sun will shine, and we can busy ourselves with what we love doing best, sharing this amazing place with our guests.

2020 was a year like no other but between lockdowns we were fully booked with faces familiar and new. It was good to meet you all, and we are so grateful for your support, friendship, visits and messages.

The mountains of Snowdonia are covered in snow and when the sun shines the view is spectacular. The wood has been chopped for the cottage wood burner for when guests can come; we love seeing the wisps of smoke from its chimney, knowing the inside will be super toasty and cosy.

View from the summit of Elidir Fawr View from the summit of Elidir Fawr

Love is in the air

Love is in the air

We had a Coed y Berclas first (for us!); love was in the air and guest Dan proposed to girlfriend Louise. She said yes! They are an absolutely delightful couple and we couldn’t be happier for them.

Dan and Louise
Dan and Louise