New Year 2026

Happy New Year

Happy new 2026 to all our guests and website visitors.

We started the year with a snowy blast, however the amazing views and the special quiet that it brought made up for any inconvenience.

2025 was a good one for us, we hope it was for you too. The year was our best ever in terms of guests with more stays than ever, and we have a healthy start to 2026. As always, it is gratifying to see so many returners who have a special place in their hearts for Berclas; the view, peace (and hopefully the welcome!) bring them back year after year.

And in other great news, since the last blog we can report that by being more proactive with our energy usage, we are now overall electricity negative, with our annual export exceeding our import. I’m sure there are very few, if any, similar businesses who can claim this. Although we have always offered overnight charging to our guests with electric cars, for greater convenience we will have a fast charger installed in the next couple of weeks.

We always enjoy the great mix of guests who visit. We were honoured to help host a very special 60th reunion of international mountaineers from the 1975 expedition to the Himalayan Kishtwar, which at the time was unchartered. The expedition was led by our neighbour, eminent mountaineer and neurologist, Dr Charles Clarke. All the participants, now in their 80s attended, and made it here from around the world.

We also had a New Year’s eve proposal, to the backdrop of fireworks (she said yes!).

2025 was rounded off for us with a fantastic Central America trip, including climbing to the 13,000 foot summit of Acatenango in Guatemala. It has to be one of the most awe inspiring locations in the world, as it has a direct view of the highly active Volcán de Fuego, just over a mile away, which dramatically erupts every 15 minutes or so, ejecting molten lava hundreds of feet into the air. We camped near the top and at night the view is even more spectacular, not just the fiery red of each blast but also the deep roar that goes through your body.

We did have to do some serious training beforehand, and thankfully Snowdonia is on our doorstep!

In the months beforehand we would head there a couple of times each week, not always in the best of weather, but were rewarded with some amazing views.

It strikes us how Snowdon is many people’s go-to in the area, but arguably there are even better views from nearby peaks that are far less frequented and consequently have a truly remote beauty, such as Moel Eilio, Moel Wnion and Elidir Fawr. We are really happy to share our routes and tips to anyone wanting to venture there.

Finally, I had a lovely message from across the pond from a previous cottage guest, Breila, with very touching memories of her time here, and saying how much she enjoyed these posts to remind her of her stay, so a special thank you to her. Breila means rose so, for her, here is a photo of a splendid one that bloomed here a few months ago.

October 22, 2024February 18, 2026

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.

February 6, 2024February 18, 2026

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.

February 6, 2024February 18, 2026

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.

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

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!

November 7, 2022February 18, 2026

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.

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!

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!

January 7, 2022February 18, 2026

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 !

May 20, 2016November 2, 2017

Squirrels on Anglesey

A squirrel on Anglesey by Duncan Rose

Duncan took these superb photographs of red squirrels while staying at Coed y Berclas. Reds squirrels are native to the British Isles, Grey squirrels are not. As Anglesey is an island it made it easier to remove the greys squirrels and allow the red squirrel community to thrive.

We have seen red squirrels in the grounds at Coed y Berclas, as have our neighbours. Reds are much more attractive than the greys which threatened their existence and are now increasing in number on the Island. We love to see them.

A squirrel on Anglesey by Duncan Rose

At Coed y Berclas, even when they haven’t been seen them for a while, we have evidence they’re around. There are little oak and hazel trees growing around the garden. As they are well away from any parent trees, the only explanation is that they were red squirrel stores which were forgotten. We will plant the trees in suitable spots where they can grow and supply food for later generations.

RAF T2 Hawks flying over Anglesey from Valley

Duncan also sent us an amazing image of two T2 Hawks at RAF Valley, which is towards the north-west of the island.

RAF Valley is a fighter pilot training base. It was placed on Anglesey because of the consistently clear weather. Sometimes we see jets flying high above the Menai Strait. We have even enjoyed the sight of the Red Arrows Display Team flying up the Nant Francon Valley towards us, weaving sky patterns and leaving coloured trails behind them.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, was based at RAF Valley as a helicopter pilot on Air Sea Rescue duty.

What a special photographer! Thank you, Duncan.

Dorothy
20th May 2016

May 11, 2014November 17, 2017

Christmas Day on Llanddwyn Beach, Anglesey

Christmas day on Llanddwyn beach

Following the wild weather across the UK before Christmas, it was a relief to awake on Christmas Day to the lovely morning which had been promised by the Met Office.

It was an easy decision to go to Newborough Warren and Llanddwyn which is only a short drive away from us, at the south western tip of Anglesey. When we arrived, the car park contained quite a few vehicles already. We put on coats and boots to keep us warm and set off to walk through the woods towards Ynys Llanddwyn, but we stopped by the entrance to the car park, enchanted by the wooden ‘totems’ standing like sentinels: they had been designed by local school children but there was nothing to say who had carved them. They depicted the creatures of the woodland around them.

totems at Llanddwyn beach

I always find walking through the woodland at Newborough Warren relaxing and quite wonderful – although I’m still waiting to see my first red squirrel there! The trees are a mix of deciduous and conifer, growing in sand-dunes which always remind me of camel humps. The sun was streaming through as we wandered along, greeting walkers we met along the way. We dropped down onto the beach and walked past the amazing pillar lava rock formations, across the causway and onto Ynys Llanddwyn – Dwynwen’s Isle.

greenrock

Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers and her story is on a board beside the ruins of the little church dedicated to her, to which many pilgrims trecked before Henry VIII intervened. Also on the island, which is a nature reserve, there are two lighthouses and a row of pilots’ cottages, which date back to the time when pilots were required to guide large ships across Caernarfon Bar and into the Menai Strait.

Pilots Cove at Llanddwyn island

There is a beautiful sheltered bay, Pilots’ Cove, with a sandy beach – now a delightful play area: in summer, yachts and power boats moor just outside its mouth. Even in the depths of winter people take pleasure in the tranquility and sense of history the island gives.

gate at llanddwyn island

Leaving the island just before high tide, we walked back along the long stretch of sandy beach, with wonderful views towards the mainland and down the Lleyn Peninsula. There were a lot more people walking towards us and because it was near high tide we were all restricted to a narrower section of the beach, so, for once, it felt a little crowded. We even met our neighbours and their house guests! Normally, even if the car park is full to bursting, everyone spreads out through the woodland and over the long stretches of sandy beach and there is never a sense of crowding. It is a wonderful place, in all weathers and at all times of year, and we islanders are very fond of this special area.

Dorothy Russell

26th December 2013

May 11, 2014November 2, 2017

Wholecloth Quilting at Coed y Berclas

I had fun working with two sisters, Tracey and Shelly, who stayed at the cottage for a few days with their husbands, John and Patrick. For Shelley’s birthday, her family treated her to a day of Wholecloth with me, so she and Tracey designed a 16” block, transferred it to fabric, layered it and started quilting. By the end of the day you could see how good they were going to be – and each totally different from the other.

They had stunning weather and managed to do a lot of walking.

While we quilted, John and Partick went to Elin’s Tower at South Stack, at the north-west corner of Anglesey, where they could watch the nesting sea-birds on the cliffs below, via cctv.

Elin's Tower. RSPB observation post by South Stack

The lighthouse at South-stack is a beautiful sight in all weathers, sitting on its twisting rock. We love sailing round it, but only in settled conditions! The sea can become quite dangerous there in rough weather, but it’s lovely to stand safely on shore and gaze down on it.

South Stack Lighthouse

Dorothy

May 11, 2014November 2, 2017

Happy Valentine’s day 2013!

Happy St Valentine’s Day, although in Wales we celebrate St Dwynwen’s Day on 25th January.

Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers. She was one of the many handsome children of Brychan Brycheiniog. Maelon Dyfodrull fell in love with her but her father would not permit them to marry. (that’s fathers for you!)

Maelon was angry and threatened to rape her (it doesn’t look as though there was much love involved in his side of the relationship!!) Dwynwen anxiously prayed to be saved from his advances and Maelon was turned to ice (that probably slowed him up a little!)

Given three wishes by an angel, Dwynwen wished to be free of Maelon, that she would never marry and that she would be able to help others to find love.

With a sister and a brother, Dwynwen travelled, preaching and establishing Christian churches, finally settling on a little island just off Anglesey, now known as Llanddwyn, Dwynwen’s church/parish.

Dwynwen's church/parish on llanddwyn Island

Llanddwyn is a beautiful place, with miles of sandy beaches, walks through mixed woodland and is lapped by the Irish Sea in all its moods The island is accessible by a short causeway at most states of the tide and is well worth visiting, whether or not you are encountering difficulties in love. Currently, work is being done to maintain the remains of the little church dedicated to Santes Dwynwen on Llanddwyn.

Dorothy
Valentine’s Day 2013