Lights! Camera! Action!

Train Crossing Barmouth Bridge

Just spotted that they’re planning a remake of the 1941 film “The Ghost Train” starring Arthur Askey.

The basic plot behind this comedy was that a group are stranded at a remote railway station overnight, which is haunted by a phantom train.  The original film had scenes filmed on Barmouth bridge and at Fairbourne Station, both within 30 minutes of us at Cadair View Lodge.  The remake is being filmed on the  Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

Have you ever taken a look at our Film + TV Location page on the website?  You’ll be surprised at how many big films have been filmed, at least in part, in Snowdonia.  Carry On Up The Kyber was filmed on one of the paths on Snowdon.  Lara Croft has run up our mountains too.  Found it hilarious that due to the wonders of editing Richard Gere could jump into the lake at Trawsfynydd, get out and ride his horse along Black Rock Sands, then up an incline at Blaenau Ffestiniog only to enter a slate mine in Harlech (bet somebody will correct me on one of those) all apparently contiguously.  That’s films for you.

Tomb Raider 2, Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life was meant to cause a huge tourist boom in the area around Beddgelert but it never happened.

Anyhow, next time that you’re watching one of the films on the list try to spot Snowdonia and then maybe come to visit the actual location for yourself.  Cadair View Lodge makes an excellent base for exploring the area and many of the film locations mentioned are within the Cadair View Lodge 30 Minute Drive Ring 

 

Fancy A New Hobby in 2012?

This is the time of year when many of us resolve to “change our lives”.  It may be that we resolve to make a lifestyle change – lose weight, get fit or stop smoking or it may be to learn something new.

Whilst a visit to us in Snowdonia can be part of your lose weight, get fit and stop smoking resolutions we also have lots to offer in the learning a new skill side too.  We’ve put together a list of suggestions for courses local (within 30 minutes drive) to Cadair View Lodge accommodation.  Remember that our log cabin accommodation prices are per property and not per person.  So you could bring your family to enjoy a break in Snowdonia whilst you attend your course and the accommodation would cost the same.

Learn Photography - This is our sister company.  Based at Bronaber, Learn Photography.co.uk offer 1-2-1 or 1-2-2 hands-on, customisable digital photography tuition.  No previous knowledge is expected or required and attendees don’t even need their own camera – one can be provided.  Course content it flexible to suit each attendees requirements.  The group size is only one or two people (e.g. for a couple) so attendees get the full attention of the tutor and can ask as many “silly” questions as they want without embarrassment.  This also means that elements can be gone over and over until attendees “get the idea”.

Courses are usually run over 2 days and the price include accommodation in a 2 bed roomed, self catering log cabin for 2 nights.  Attendees are welcome to bring other members of their family to use the accommodation during the course.

Wild Welsh Wood - Wild Welsh Wood specialise in producing furniture made

Mini Story Telling Chairs Made By Wild Welsh Wood

from reclaimed materials.  Their one day course would see attendees learning the skills and completing a rustic chair or stool.  Longer courses to make more detailed pieces of furniture can be arranged.  Guests staying with Cadair View Lodge and taking  a Wild Welsh Wood one day course between January and end of March 2012 will receive 10% discount on their course.  We love Wild Welsh Wood’s story telling chairs.  These are the child sized versions of the originals.  The Company are  based at Dolgoch Falls, about 40 minutes drive from Cadair View Lodge.

Sylvanflair, at Corris Craft Centre, also offer wood furniture making courses.

Mountain Bike Skills Course – Steve, from Wheelism provides a wide range of mountain bike skills courses at Coed y Brenin trail centre which is 2 miles from Cadair View Lodge.  He also runs bike maintenance courses.  Campbell Coaching also provide courses in the area.

Snowdonia Safaris – If you’re thinking big game hunting across the hills you’d be wrong.  A Snowdonia Safari will help you to learn more about and to experience the food (and drink) that is produced in our area.  The selection of safaris is steadily growing and I believe that there will soon be an opportunity to attend a workshop with an artisan baker as part of a safari.  Guests staying with Cadair View Lodge will receive a discount on their safari.

Nature and the Environment – Teaching children through being outdoors is becoming ever more popular with Forest and Beach schools being talked about regularly.  When you come to Snowdonia check out what Ranger activities are being held at Coed y Brenin Visitor Centre just down the road from us.  For those who are a little older the Centre for Alternative Technology  hold a wide range of day and multi-day courses about 40 minutes away from us.

Mountain Skills – Many people come to Snowdonia for the Great Outdoors.  Some time spent learning the basics from an experienced instructor can help you to start enjoying your chosen discipline far quicker and also help to keep you safer.  Our friends at Seren Ventures (based in Betws y Coed but operating across the National Park) offer a wide range of courses and guiding.  If they can’t help you they will be glad to give you the details of somebody who can.

Kayaking  – The Tryweryn and Mawddach are just two of the local rivers that prove very popular with kayakers  To be safe and to enjoy the sport take a course with an experienced local coach.  The team at Canolfan Tryweryn can provide a full range of coaching at the National White Water Centre at Frongoch, about 15 minutes drive from Cadair View Lodge.  Also check out FlowFree Coaching who can provide coaching at all levels.

Drive A Steam Train – Snowdonia is well-known for its steam railways.  Come to stay and have a go at driving a train yourself.  The Fairbourne Railway offers “exclusive use” of their railway on non-passenger days.  The Talyllyn Railway offer a “full day” driving experience.

Quilting + Patchworking – Bumble Bee Quilting in Corris run workshops, courses and demonstrations for all skill levels of quilters and patchworkers.  They also have a well stocked shop (and an online shop) to provide all of your quilting, patchworking and other crafting needs.

Fishing Courses – With access to rivers, lakes, estuaries and the sea, Snowdonia is an ideal location for those who love to fish.  The North Wales Fly Fishing School based near to Bala offers courses in all aspects of fresh water and sea fishing.  See their website for full details of their courses.

Bill Swann Glass Courses - Bill’s courses run at his extensively equipped workshops in Porthmadog (about 20 minutes drive from Cadair View Lodge).  The courses are mixed ability which gives beginners a chance to see what can be achieved by more experienced students.  The courses run over 3 days to allow for the preparation of materials and the overnight firing of pieces.  I attended one of Bill’s courses last February and came away with some small pieces to use in jewelry, a couple of slump glass pieces that have been transformed for use with candles and a couple of fused pieces that stand on a window ledge.

Bushcraft Skills – Are you a budding Ray Mears?  You can really experience the wild and decide whether or not foraging and building your own shelters and fires is for you under the supervision of Firefox Bushcraft who run a variety of courses   close to us in Snowdonia.

Cookery Coaching – Wild in the Pantry offer occasional cookery coaching sessions.  There are usually a number of different topics to choose from each lasting for half a day.  Groups are kept small – usually no more than 4 people, and are as “hands on” as is practical given the space.

Our accommodation is very flexible.  Guests can stay with us for any number of days (except Christmas and New Year) and we can often arrange early arrivals and late stays with advance notice.  All of our guests receive our famous Welcome Basket (bread, milk, tea, coffee, biscuits, dairy spread, etc.) no matter how long they stay.  Contact us to book

If you would like to run a course, training session or team building event in Snowdonia then contact us to discuss your requirements.  Our guests have access to a free training room locally.  This room can be fully catered.  It will seat up to 40 people “restaurant style” (i.e. in tables of 4) but can configured to meet individual requirements.  It can also be blacked out for slide shows.

There is so much happening within the Cadair View Lodge 30 Minute Ring that I am bound to have missed something out.  If you run a course or training that would be of interest to visitors to southern Snowdonia then please contact us and I’ll add you in an update.  If you’d like to work with Cadair View Lodge in 2012 then let me know too.

Meal Out At Cross Foxes Bar Grill + Rooms

I’ve only been to the Cross Foxes (at junction of A470 + A494 south of Dolgellau) in the day time and on a grey and miserable day, so arriving in the dark gave a totally different impression.  The outside is subtly lit with the slate steps leading to the front door in-laid with blue LED lights.  Once through the front doors we were met by the homely smell of wax from candle lanterns and the smell of an open fire.

It was a mid-week night so the bar / dining room wasn’t very full but due to the layout it felt quite cosy and not as though we were in an empty space.  Whilst I’m talking about it feeling quite cosy, it was also nice and warm due to the underfloor heating.  I only know about this as the last time I was at The Cross Foxes I was attending an energy efficiency workshop and we were given a guided tour of the building to see all of the renovations and to hear about the energy efficiency measures that had been put in place.  Anyway back to the meal…

The menu isn’t huge but with the addition of the specials list there is plenty to choose from.  For starters two of us chose breaded brie with sweet chilli sauce, one chose a goats cheese and beetroot tartlet and the other chose carrot and coriander soup.  Dewi, the owner, who was looking after the bar and serving meals too, did warn that the soup had a kick to it and I’m told that he wasn’t wrong!

For main course we eventually chose battered sea bass and chips, faggots with mashed potato and two chose local pork sausages with mash.  Rachel had a good laugh at me choosing faggots… not for the reason that you might suspect.  She’s a bassoonist and the word “fagot” appears at the top of many of her musical scores (being the German word for bassoon) and the thought of a bassoon with mashed potato “tickled her”.  My faggots were lovely.  Lots of flavour and not at all dry (some that I’ve had elsewhere have been).  Everybody who had the mashed potato said that they could’ve eaten more (although we did receive a sizable portion) as it was so nice… especially mixed with the really tasty gravy.

For dessert Olli decided that he could fit in a portion of sticky toffee pudding with ice cream… but then he could eat for Britain I’m sure.  The rest of us decided that we could only fit in ice cream.  We had poor Dewi scurrying backwards and forward to the kitchen asking about flavours.  Being one to try the more unusual I had to try the Welsh Rarebit Ice-cream, and yes, it does have little chunks of Snowdonia Cheese in it and I can recommend that you try a scoop or two if you get the chance.

All in all we had a lovely evening.  The service was very relaxed, at no point did we feel rushed.  The atmosphere was cosy and warm – we certainly didn’t feel like jumping up and dashing away.  There was some Spanish music playing in the background and then The Best of the Eagles CD.  Loud enough to hear but not loud enough to be obtrusive.

If this is the usual standard of The Cross Foxes then I am not at all surprised that they have a mention in the 2012 Good Food Guide and a string of other awards.  I have no hesitation in recommending that you pay Dewi and Nichol a visit.

If you are driving to Cadair View Lodge from South Wales or from Shrewsbury direction then you will pass The Cross Foxes.  They serve dinner until 9.30pm and serve lunch from 12pm – 2.30pm (12pm – 9.30pm on a Sunday).  They also serve tea, coffee, sandwiches and cake in their cafe throughout the day.

 

A Note From Santa’s Elves To Mummies + Daddies

Christmas at Cadair View Lodge 2010

It has come to our attention that some Mummies and Daddies are concerned about bringing their children to stay at Cadair View Lodge over Christmas.  The main source of concern seems to be the lack of chimneys in the log cabins but some children are also concerned that if they’re not at home on Christmas Eve then they won’t be found.

Well I can assure you that we’ve never missed at child staying at Cadair View Lodge over the last 9 Christmas’.  At the North Pole we have a special child tracking system and provided that each child is clean (forest type smells confuse the System) and wearing recognisable pyjamas then we’ll have no problems matching the right sack to the right child.

As for the chimney thing, the very helpful management team at Cadair View Lodge can provide a magic key for Santa to use to get into the cabins.  Parents bringing small children who may have concerns over the lack of  chimney are asked to reserve a key when booking

One other small point… when he’s travelling through Wales, Santa prefers to be known as Siôn Corn (pronounced Shaun Corn).

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda a chi!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You!

If you’d like to stay at Cadair View Lodge over Christmas we have a minimum stay policy of 3 nights.  Shorter stays are allowed between Christmas and New Year.  See our website or call us on 01978 759603.

Cadair View Lodge 30 Minute Ring

View of Criccieth

So what is The Cadair View Lodge 30 Minute Ring?  

It’s all of the attractions, activities and tourist focused businesses that can be driven to, from Cadair View Lodge’s accommodation, in roughly 30 minutes.  You can see how much of Snowdonia this takes in by looking on The Map  We’re in the middle and the blue flags are placed in places that Google Maps says are 30 minutes away.  To make it easier we’ve tried to place them in towns and villages so some are a few minutes over the 30 minutes.

Why 30 minutes?

When we started staying at Trawsfynydd, a long time ago before we started the business we thought that if we drove for more than 30 minutes (certainly back through Bala) we were well on our way home (living in Wrexham).  When you look at how far you can drive in 30 minutes and what is inside of The Ring you’ll see that there is plenty to see and do without driving any further.  We have mountains, forests, waterfalls, coast as well as castles, steam railways, mines plus picturesque towns and villages.  There is also a huge diversity of activities – extreme and not so extreme to be found in the area.

Now that we have Cadair View Lodge we see the importance of supporting our local economy and tourism business community.  Many visitors are attracted to Caernarfon, Snowdon, Llanberis, Conwy, etc. and don’t venture any further south in the Snowdonia National Park.  We are aiming to highlight how much there is to do in our area and encouraging our guests to spend their money HERE.

Dawn at Borth y Gest

Advantages of staying within The Ring

• Guests have often come on holiday to relax – why have the stress of hours of driving?
• Children can get fed up on long car journeys – they’ve probably had a long journey to reach us – keep the journeys short when you’re here
• Driving less reduces the price of your holiday
• Using less fuel is better for the environment
• Generally the places within The Ring are less commercialised and quieter than those further North
• Staying within The Ring will support businesses and areas that are often overshadowed by the more popular areas within The Snowdonia National Park

We’re not saying that our guests mustn’t drive any further – for many the highlight of their trip is walking up Snowdon.  We’re just saying that there is no need to.

Subscribe to Cadair View Lodge Local a daily e-paper which highlights stories from people on Twitter that are within The Ring.  Or LIKE the 30 Minute Ring Facebook page (link below).  Both will help to inform you about what’s happening within The Ring.

If you are a business, attraction or activity within The Ring and have a Twitter or Facebook presence and would like to included then get in touch with me sue.hall@cadairviewlodge.co.uk  - it’s FREE.  We would be very grateful if you’d promote us in return.

We will be creating a further map showing what’s inside of The Ring.  At the moment businesses within The Ring are included on our website www.cadairviewlodge

Cadair View Lodge 30 Minute Drive Tourism Ring

Promote your Page too

A few of the major attractions within The Ring:

Llechwedd Slate Caverns

Fairbourne Railway

Ffestiniog & West Highland Railway

Portmeirion

Criccieth Castle

Harlech Castle

The Old Bridge at Llanelltyd

The village of Llanelltyd lies on the junction of A470 and A496 (Barmouth road) just north of Dolgellau and about 9 miles south of Cadair View Lodge.

Reflections of The Old Bridge Llanelltyd

The old bridge in the photo can be reached by leaving the A470 between the A496 roundabout and Dolgellau.  Heading south it’s a left hand turn signposted for Cymer Abbey.  There is parking off the road and a short walk will lead you onto the traffic free bridge.  If the water levels are right it is possible to get down to the river itself.

A little further along this side road is Cymer Abbey, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1198 as a daughter abbey to Cwm Hir Abbey near Newtown.  Although originally supported by Welsh nobility, the Abbey changed its alliance and became a base for Edward I’s assaults on North Wales.  It appears that Edward paid for some war damage at the abbey, so it may’ve come under some sort of attack.  The Abbey closed in 1537 and fell into disrepair.  The stone was taken for use in local buildings.  Some repairs were done in the 1960s and some more recently.  There isn’t a huge amount of it left but enough to get an impression of it.

The church alongside the A470 at Llanelltyd is also worth a visit.  Inside the church you will find Kenric’s Stone.  The coffin-shaped stone, probably dating to 7th – 11th Century,  has a footprint carved into it and has a Latin inscription.  It is said to be in memory of Kenric the Pilgrim and is said to have been carved to guarantee him a safe journey “overseas”.  The church stands within a circular graveyard which also contains a spring which may be St Illtyd’s well.  St Illtyd founded several churches in South Wales.

I hope that this gives you an insight into some of the places that you might just drive past on your journey to and from Cadair View Lodge.  Maybe take a few minutes to stop and explore.

To see our log cabins at Cadair View Lodge visit our website www.cadairviewlodge.co.uk

Where Can I Book A Short Break In Snowdonia?

Cadair View Lodge Log Cabins

 

If you are looking for a short break in Snowdonia (or anywhere else for that matter) you may struggle to find self catering accommodation.  Most self catering accommodation providers prefer you to stay either for a full week (and it MUST be Saturday to Saturday) or, out of season, they may allow you to stay Monday to Friday. 

At Cadair View Lodge we are different.  We will allow you to stay for a short break right through the year.  Guests can book to stay for as little as one night right through the year.  The only exception is over Christmas and over New Year when we ask that guests stay for a minimum of 3 nights.  So we can give you a price to stay just for a Saturday night, if that’s what you want.  It is also possible to start longer breaks on any day that you want too.

Although we allow you to stay for a short break, the longer you stay the lower the nightly rate gets. 

So if you’d like to book a short break in one of our log cabins in the Snowdonia National Park either call us on 01978 759603 or email us on info@cadairviewlodge.co.uk to check short break availability.

You can see details of our cabins and any special offers that we have on short breaks in Snowdonia on our website www.cadairviewlodge.co.uk

This blog was written as part of the #30dayblog challenge.

Plan Before You Come

Don’t know about you but when I go on holiday I like to have a good idea of places to go and things to do before I get there.  I think that this is even more important on a short break as you don’t want to waste a precious moment of that break wondering what you should do.

With this in mind you might want to take a look at our Facebook page,  our Twitter stream and our daily online newspaper The Cadair View Lodge Times.  All of these have been set-up to bring together news, gossip and information about things going on in our area.  There are photos, videos and blogs to whet your appetite for some of the local attractions and scenery plus details of things that are happening locally too.

So please LIKE, Follow or Subscribe to the links below!

Cadair View Lodge Log Cabins | Promote your Page too

Read The Cadair View Lodge Times

See our website www.CadairViewLodge.co.uk for late deals and information about our accommodation.

This blog has been written as part of a 30 day blogging challenge

Doggy To Doggy Tips For A Stay In Snowdonia

Hi there Furiends (and your Mummies and Daddies),

Aunty Sue at Cadair View Lodge has asked me to pass on some tips to doggies coming to stay in Snowdonia.  For those of you who don’t know me I live with my Daddy at Cadair View Lodge and my job (other than keeping Daddy in line) is to welcome doggies who come to stay in the log cabins.

This is me, Whiskey. I live at Cadair View Lodge.

These Are My Top Tips

Remember to pack a ball

Remember to pack a spare ball

Remember to pack a spare, spare ball!

Pack a towel or two.  There are some great beaches to run around on in Snowdonia and you want to be able to enjoy them and have a swim.  There’s also some great puddles (and streams) in the forests.  Lots of opportunities to get wet paws

Bring your lead.  I know that it’s not nice being on a lead all of the time but we need to be kept close to our Mummies and Daddies especially around the sheep.

Find out which pubs, restaurants and cafes you will be able to take your Mummy and Daddy to.  Some very kind places will even give you a sausage under the table if you are good.

Check out the area to see which other places are friendly to visiting doggies.  I know some shops that I can go into and some visitor attractions.  It’s not fair (or safe) if you’re left in the car all of the time.

Get your Mummy and Daddy to find out where the local vet is in case of an emergency.  When it was hot at Easter I heard of a couple of dogs in North Wales being bitten by snakes… ugh!  And they had to see a vet very quickly (they all got better)

Bring your favourite dinner with you.  You might not be able to find it here.

Don’t be frightened by the aeroplanes.  Sometimes they fly very low and make lots of noise.  The steam trains make lots of noise too.  It’s OK they’re all very safe really.

If you’re a town doggies you’ll love Snowdonia!  Lots of new things to sniff and lots of great places to run around… you can go on the beach all year round too.  There’s lots to keep your Mummy and Daddy (and other family members) occupied so you’ll all have a happy holiday.

If you want to see where I live (and where you can stay) and find links to doggy friendly places near to me have a look on my webpage  You’ll also find me on Facebook (and lots of photos) and Twitter.

Would love to see you in Snowdonia soon

* Big Licks *

Whiskey Hall   aka SnowdoniaDog

See the Cadair View Lodge website for details of log cabin breaks in Snowdonia National Park.  Late availability offers posted on a regular basis.

“Britain’s not so Great for tourists”!

At least this is what a headline in today’s Sun newspaper reads (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3574588/Britains-not-so-Great-for-tourists.html).  The article claims that the latest version of The Lonely Planet’s Great Britain guide paints tourist attractions and accommodation across the UK are “overpriced and lacking in quality”!  With more and more people opting for stay-cations surely this can’t be true.

As an accommodation provider myself I know that our guests are demanding higher and higher standards and our accommodation is always being upgraded to try to meet their demands.  I know from speaking to other accommodation providers on Twitter and Facebook that many of them are always upgrading and reinvesting too.  Just look at the number of 5* B&Bs there are about now AND 5* self catering properties.

OK I admit that when holidaying in the UK guests often have to find something to “amuse” themselves.  They can’t always spend their days lying on the beach and just buying the odd drink (I’d like to point out at this point that the temperatures in Snowdonia over Easter were higher than those in Greece) and so may have to spend some money getting about.  But there are lots of things that can be done to pass the time without spending a fortune.

If you’re visiting Southern Snowdonia check out our website for things that can be done completely FREE and this list doesn’t include just enjoying the great outdoors, walking on the hills or the beaches or the often forgotten art of just doing nothing for an hour or two.

There is also an ever-increasing selection of great places to eat… at a reasonable cost.  And for those who would like to keep costs down further by cooking for themselves there are now a selection of the popular supermarkets in the local towns plus some great delicatessen selling local (and more exotic) products.

Come to Snowdonia!  Avoid the airport scrum, the parking hassles, the security checks.  Bring as much luggage as you want.  Explore what Britain has to offer – I’m sure that you’ll be surprised and I doubt that you’ll be “ripped off”!

Cadair View Lodge’s accommodation in Southern Snowdonia can be found on www.cadairviewlodge.co.uk along with a wide range of things to do and places to eat.

This blog was written as part of Nikki Pilkington’s 30 Day Blogging Challenge