A place we weren’t even supposed to go to. But when plans changed, we found ourselves booking a house in the middle of the Welsh countryside, loading the car, and driving off with Bessie for her first holiday. Min and Prune loved these so much, so it was only a matter of time before Bes got to experience one too…
Wales might be part of Britain, but it felt a world away from England and its crowds and chaos. We were staying deep in the countryside, in a beautiful stone cottage with a rose garden outside and fields of cows all around. It was all wooden beams and cream furniture inside, and Bes settled in straight away, enjoying running up and down the stairs!
The first day we decided to drive into the nearby Cambrian Mountains, looking for wild ponies. The scenery was stunning- browns and greens, rolling hills that gave way to steep twists and turns in the roads where the foothills of the mountains were. Waterfalls, forests, lakes, you could almost have been in Canada. No ponies but it didn’t matter since the scenery was so breathtaking. And then, on the way back, we managed to get a flat tyre, right in an area with no signal at all. Luckily, we were saved by a very kind Samaritan, Ryan, who helped us get back on our way. Never a dull moment, but it definitely restored our faith in humanity!
The next day we set off to the coast, to the beach town of New Quay. If we thought the beaches in Kent were nice they were blown out of the water by this place. The whole town was adorable, in pastel shades of pink, baby blue and violet. The water was perfectly clear and aquamarine. We found a quiet spot on the grass just above the beach and sea and sat there for ages with Bes. And suddenly, we spotted dolphins! We couldn’t believe it at first, but they stayed for ages, putting on quite a show for us! And what a way to experience that, right there, above the beach, just us, and Bessie getting to see dolphins will be one of my life’s highlights. We got ice coffees there too, and just had such a lovely day.
The next day we also went to the coast, but a very different kind of scene, at Mwnt Beach. No cutesy town here, just towering cliffs and rolling fields of green tumbling down to the sea and a beach the perfect shape of a square. We had fun clambering along the cliffs and hills with Bes, exploring the cute little white church, and then sitting on the grass enjoying the stunning view. And you won’t believe it, but the dolphins came back! And again, we had a show from them, just us, no crowds or chaos. So sublime. And lucky Bes, how many dogs can say they saw dolphins, twice? We had a nice coffee there too, and then made the long drive back, but it was most definitely worth it.
On our last day we went to the nearby Cors Canon Nature Reserve. It was a lovely, peaceful place, with dragonflies and birds flitting around, lakes and reeds and sunshine, a nice peaceful and relaxing outing, with plenty of time to come back to our place and relax in the cute garden in the sun. In general we loved chilling there, and enjoying the peace of being in the middle of the countryside.
We were all sad to leave, Bes too. We’d had a lovely holiday, and had been blown away by Wales and what it showed us. We hadn’t known what to expect, but now it’s a place we would love to come back to. Looks like Bes’s first holiday was a big success.
Practical Information
Getting there- we drove from where we are in England, and honestly that’s the only way really to access this part of Western Wales. It’s about 3 hours from London.
Where to stay- Airbnb has a lot of options like ours, cute farmhouses in the countryside.
Getting around- you most definitely need a car. And be careful on the roads as they are narrow and everyone drives fast, plus potholes cause a lot of punctures as we found out. 😂
What to do- the beauty of this area is that there are not a lot of must dos. But New Quay, Mwnt, and the Cambrian mountains would be my top picks.
When to visit- every season would bring its beauty. But we loved our summer visit for the beaches and long days out in the garden.
Thank you to Maya for the photos and company, and to Bessie for being the best girl ❤️