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What’s nearby to Coed y Berclas

swan on the lake down the lane

Access to the whole of Anglesey and Snowdonia is easy, with outdoor pursuits such as cycling, walking, kyaking, diving and sailing around the Anglesey coast. Llanddwyn beach, with it’s miles of south west facing sand and sea, Pilots Cove, two lighthouses and forest walks, is only 30minutes away.
Pubs and Restaurants for eating out are plentiful in the area, one shore side pub just 300 yards from the cottage has lovely views across the water.

Sitting in the orchard you can gaze at the stunning view endlessly: sailing boats on the sea, distant Lowryesque figures on Bangor Pier, mussel boats over the sandbanks, starlit skies on warm summer evenings… Owls, Jays, Pheasant and Raven live in the woodland beside the cottage… and Red Squirrels have been seen.

Walking from the cottage along the lane, where traffic is infrequent, there is a positively ‘old’ atmosphere. This is part of the Anglesey Coastal Path. There is a footpath into fields and woodland, for walkers who wish to leave the road, through an exquisite area of land where modern farming is impractical and small fields intersperse with woodland and gorse.

Further along the lane is Baron Hill Golf Club. The energetic could walk it from the cottage in 15 to 20mins. It is available for public use.

Baron Hill Golf Club down the lane from Coed y Berclas

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5 Star Grading for the New Apartment at Coed y Berclas

The new Apartment at Coed y Berclas is now ready to receive guests.

Both the Cottage and the Apartment have been graded this week by one of the inspectors from ‘Visit Wales’, the Welsh Assembly Government’s Tourism Department. The cottage has had 4 stars since we began letting it, some years ago, and we are very pleased to say that the Apartment has been awarded 5 stars (and a lot of compliments on the work we have done). It has been really enjoyable selecting all the furniture and textiles to decorate the Apartment, and watching its personality develop: now what we need is some guests to come and enjoy it.

 
Misty view of Bangor Pier
 

The views are wonderful – I know a lot of holiday websites boast this for their property, but look at the images to see the view from Coed y Berclas and decide for yourself – the sitting/dining room, and one of the two ensuite double bedrooms, look out directly across the Menai Strait, and Bangor Pier, to the Snowdonia Mountain range beyond, and you can lie in bed and watch the sun rise over the mountains.

Each of the rooms also has its own terraced area just outside the French windows.

The view from the cottage is partly occluded by the main house, which is just down hill from it, but opens to its full glory from the orchard, which is used only by cottage guests. We lived in the cottage as our children grew up and I well remember us all standing on the muddy patch (which became the orchard!) at millenium midnight, watching all the bonfires, fireworks and flares across the water. The reflections were wonderful too.

Speaking of fireworks, it’s getting very close to Bonfire Night in Beaumaris (Saturday 2nd November): the cottage is booked, but the Apartment is still available. The fireworks are always spectacular (a very good adjective for fireworks, n’est pas!)

 
Dining/Living room of our new apartment
 

Give me a call.
07941 102185 and 01248 716316

Dorothy

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Olympic Torch Beaumaris Menai Bridge 29th May 2012

Flotilla of RAF rescue helicopter and boats accompany the Olympic torch down the Menai Strait
 

Early this morning, we walked down our lane to the shore of the Menai Strait and waited on the jetty by The Gazelle to see the Olympic Flame carried, on the Beaumaris RNLI Lifeboat, from the town of Beaumaris to Menai Bridge.

Its journey began at Beaumaris Castle; it was escorted through the town to the lifeboat station, by the root of Beaumaris Pier, where it was handed to the Lifeboat boat crew and taken aboard the station’s Atlantic 85 RIB, the Annette Mary Liddington.

The Inshore Lifeboat carrying the Olympic Torch then left bound for Menai Bridge, escorted by a flotilla of small boats, mainly RIBs, with the magnificent Sea King Air Sea Rescue helicopter from RAF Valley flying overhead like a guardian angel.

 
the armada powered toward us
 

It was very moving as this mini armada powered toward us, coming from the east as the sun rose higher into a bright sky, and most exciting as it passed between where we stood on the Anglesey shore and the end of Bangor Pier, where more well-wishers stood to wave it on its way.

 
Flotilla forges on to Menai Bridge
 

On arrival at Menai Bridge, the flame was carried through the town and across the beautiful Telford Suspension Bridge back to the Welsh mainland, continuing its journey to the mountains of Snowdonia where it was carried to the summit of Snowdon by the climber, Sir Chris Bonington, who travelled, for the first time, on the Snowdon Mountain Railway.

Sunshine, blue skies and birdsong all day long – wonderful!

Dorothy Russell

12th May 2012

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The view from Coed y Berclas

The weather here at Coed Y Berclas has been stunning and varied over the past few weeks. We have had clear blue skies and sunshine; some rain: and the most amazing mist which rolled in from Llandudno and envelloped the whole coast, bit by bit, as it travelled west. We watched, astonished, its smothering, blanketing progress. Even the tips of the mountains vanished from sight, but when the moon rose, it climbed into a near cloudless sky. Fascinating!

Snow covered Carneddau from Coed y Berclas

For some weeks the mountains were covered in snow and glimmered to stunning effect in the sunlight, but, as much of Britain took on a mantle of white, the rain, coming off the Atlantic, washed the snow from Snowdonia, apart from the highest peaks.

On Anglesey we have had a few hailstones from time to time but no ‘proper’ snow – I have to admit this is the way I like it – looking out at beautiful snow covered mountains but free to move about easily on snow-free Anglesey is just perfect.

Now we are looking out at the sun twinkling on the waters of the Menai Strait; the misty morning mountains beyond, outlined against a whispy sky.

The pier has Lowry people strolling along it in the sunshine. All the masts of overwintering yachts stand upright, like so many matchsticks, waiting for the new sailing season to arrive: the harbour is quiet except for the mussel boats and the occassional visit of the sand boat.

And, set in its beautiful parkland, Penrhyn Castle slumbers through the winter months, preparing for all the National Trust visitors who will arrive in spring. This is what I see as I type – how lucky we are.

Dorothy Russell

8th January 2012

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Graham Mills Landscape Artist

Watercolour by Graham Mills 'Bangor Pier'

Artist Graham Mills and his wife Rosie, from Milton Keynes, stayed at Coed y Berclas during the second week of the Easter holidays. They had beautiful weather for the whole week, which gave Graham the opportunity to produce a series of watercolour paintings of the view from the Cottage Orchard, looking over the Menai Straits and Bangor Pier towards the mountains of Snowdonia. We thought you might like to see some of the resulting images. We chose two of our favourites. Graham says next time he stays here he’s going to bring acrylic paints and really let rip. We look forward to putting photos of some of those paintings on the blog too.

This is what Graham and Rosy wrote in the Visitors’ Book:-

‘We had the most fantastic time, we pre-ordered the weather so that we could sit and enjoy the amazing views. We were able to sit out every morning and night (6 days of sun). Everything about the stay was great, fantastic warm genuine welcome, the website which is excellent does not convey the reality, it would be impossible to.

We both enjoyed painting the views from the terrace, I ran out of paper, will not make that mistake next time. There is much to do and explore on the Island, we enjoyed the artists open studios, if these are not open then look around the cottage at Dorothy’s work. We will be back with more paint and brushes, enjoy your stay, tell all your friends but not for the week that I would like it next year.

Just relax and float into the landscape.’

watercol02

Dorothy

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August day for a Pilot Cutter.

A Tall Ship passes Bangor Pier

As we looked out from our terrace at yet another flotilla of Beaumaris racing yachts disappearing like a gaggle of goslings, bidding for the best position, back towards their starting point near the Royal Anglesey Yacht Club; this magnificent reminder of a bygone era floated gracefully and silently into view and gently drifted past Bangor Pier shining with the light of late morning, ushering the unruly flock before her as she made her elegant way across the wavelets winking in the August sunlight. Her progress looked effortless and we watched contented until she glided serenely out of sight leaving a sense of tranquility in her wake.

…now Daf wants one.

Dorothy. 25th August 2009.