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
 

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Dorothy

Hello 2013!

Daf and I celebrated the change-over from 2012 to 2013 watching the Beaumaris fireworks from the mainland. It may seem strange to drive along the coast road when we live only two miles from Beaumaris, but Daf wanted to take photos of the fireworks reflected in the waters of the Menai Strait.

 
New Year fireworks at Beaumaris taken from the Llandygai shore
 

The weather was calm, the sky was clear and, most importantly, the tide was high, giving good reflections.

We had a walk along the lane on the morning of the 1st January and were delighted to see our first lambs of the year. I hope they have lovely thick wooly coats in case the weather turns cold – so far it’s damp but mild. Why is it always so lovely to see young lambs? Is it all about new life, or the promise of spring and the return of warm sunny days.

 
Sheep with new lambs along our lane
 

It’s hard to believe it’s already 2013 – let’s hope this year brings a better financial situation around the globe – I’d love to wish for an end to the greed which brought the econimic downturn, but I’ll try to stay realistic!!

Now Christmas is ‘done and dusted’ it’s time to book a ‘recovery break’ at Coed y Berclas – well, I had to get a plug in somewhere!

Happy New Year

Dorothy

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

Beautiful August night.

Moonlight over Snowdonia

After a beautiful August day, came one of those magical moments when the moon rose through whispy clouds over Carnedd Llewelyn, Snowdonia.

The sun’s last pink glow, promising good weather for the morrow, had just left the mountains, handing them over to night’s caressing darkness, when the creamy moon slipped silently up from misty, cloud shrouded mountain tops and rose high in the sky to glow with a mysterious and ethereal light. The Menai Strait lay becalmed and silent below, the lights of Bangor foreshore reflecting languidly in her still waters.

Dorothy.

5th August 2009… a few minutes ago