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 10, 2014November 2, 2017

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

May 5, 2014January 18, 2017

Royal Wedding on Anglesey

Images from the televised Royal Wedding at Mona showground, Anglesey

Like many other people, Daf and I watched as Prince William and Kate Middleton were married and became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We saw the ceremony relayed to huge monitors at the Anglesey Showground, as the Island celebrated with festivities entitled ‘One Big Day’. I was there demonstrating Patchwork and Quilting with members of my quilt classes.

Here on Anglesey, where they live and work, I’m sure the Duke and Duchess will continue to be referred to, with affection, as William and Kate.

Kate has appeared once more, in the newspapers, coming out of Waitrose in Menai Bridge (our local supermarket). It must be very difficult trying to maintain a ‘normal existence’ while being followed everywhere by cameras: perfect hair, make-up and dress, just to pop out for a spot of shopping – sounds like hard work to me! Nice security man to help with the bags though!

Images from the televised Royal Wedding at Mona showground, Anglesey

At the time of the wedding we had a lovely family staying in the cottage. We always have a welcome pack: tea, coffee, milk, butter and homemade Welsh cakes waiting for guests when they arrive. This time the tables were turned: our guests left us a special present – beautifully made chocolate crispies.

Images from the televised Royal Wedding at Mona showground, Anglesey

Thank you very much to Chris, Emma, Tom and Katie – they were lovely and they vanished like a magic trick, one minute they were there and the next they were gone!

Dorothy

May 5, 2014November 16, 2017

Waitrose at Menai Bridge

New Waitrose at Menai Bridge

If you’re coming to Coed y Berclas for a holiday, you can do your shopping here and save the suspension and the fuel consumption on your car – we now have a wide choice of supermarkets, a farmers market (once a month), Llangefni market (twice a week ) and a selection of independent shops in Menai Bridge and Beaumaris.

There has been a little excitement hereabouts; the Co-op in Menai Bridge has closed and after fairly extensive alterations the building will soon be home to the new Waitrose in Menai Bridge. Hopefully this will reverse the shopping flow across the bridges and the mainlanders will be heading to Anglesey to divest themselves of their hard earned cash. The new store will open on Thursday 25th March 2010.

Today Daf and I went to a Waitrose promotion day which was, of course, well attended. There was lots of information and a few tasty morsels of Welsh produce to try. The new manager was there to meet and greet and we were shown a scan-it-yourself system.

It seems the new staff are being steadily absorbed into the Waitrose way of doing things and I’m assured that to be a front-line, meet the public worker there are stringent rules of engagement.

I must say, I’m looking forward to a leisurely wander through the new store and a relaxed cuppa in the new Waitrose cafe but I think I might just wait until the queues reduce a little.

Dorothy

May 4, 2014January 18, 2017

Cauldron wins first prize ‘Group Quilt’ at Malvern.

'Birthdays' A Quilt by Cauldron

Great excitement at Coed y Berclas – ‘Birthdays’ wall hanging by Cauldron.

Members Jenny Roberts, Gill Marshall and Doris Alcock won First Prize in the Group Quilts category at the Malvern Quilt Show – Quilts UK. Now all we have to do is produce more prize winners – so no pressure there then!

The next place to see my quilts – group and individual – is at the NEC, Birmingham, at Festival of Quilts in August; so if you’re in the area drop in to see if you can find them in probably the biggest quilt show in Europe. Later in the year I will have a quilt in The Great Northern Quilt Show which takes place in September at Harrogate Showground.

In the meantime the larger group to which we all belong, Llandygai Patchers, will be holding our own Patchwork and Quilting Show in the English Presbyterian Church in Menai Bridge, Anglesey in the first week of August – this will include some quilts made by members of my workshop series.

The next issue of the Anglesey Informer will have a two page spread about my own Patchwork and Quilting and my Workshops. It will be out in June; it’s free, and as the title suggests, it gives a lot of information about Anglesey. There is a little pile of past copies building up in our holiday Cottage.

Dorothy