Furrfluencer Cher takes Snowdonia
Cher takes Snowdonia!
It’s hard to believe that Snowdonia National Park and the beautiful historic town of Machynlleth are just a mere one and a half drive from home (a very urban Manchester). But this is what we discovered recently when we bundled our Miniature Schnauzer (Cher) and ‘sidekick’ Toy Poodle (Sonny) into the car and set off to our holiday cottage, Ty Wennol.
With the urban sprawl of Greater Manchester behind us we were greeted by rolling green hillside, lots of sheep and, surprisingly for Wales…sunshine.
The stunning Ty Wennol
The cottage itself was idyllic. A recently (or so it seemed) renovated two-storey stone cottage with a private driveway, garden and seating area. The owners of the cottage greeted us warmly on arrival but then gave us the space to explore our own. The dogs especially enjoyed sniffing out their new surroundings and were grateful for the bowl of water at the door.
The cottage had been immaculately cleaned. It has two bedrooms and a bathroom on the ground floor and a wooden staircase leading up to an open plan kitchen, dining and living area. The Skylight windows provided some stunning views and deep window sills for both dogs and humans to sit at and take them in.
There were personal little touches for both humans and dogs throughout, including a tray laid out for tea (featuring delicious Welsh Cakes), and bowls, mats, throws and towels for the dogs.
Rambling through Snowdonia
I have to admit that prior to arrival we hadn’t had time to do much research, so we took some advice from the welcome-pack put together by the owners at the cottage and set out to take the dogs into Snowdonia and take on the ‘Precipice Walk.’ The welcome-pack assured us that the trail would be suitable for the dogs and also provide us with some impressive views. The starting point was a short 25-minute drive from the cottage. Handily it has its own car park and toilet facilities. The dogs were in their element and the 360-degree views, which stretched as far as the coastline, were truly epic. I would highly recommend this walk if travelling with smaller dogs. It won’t disappoint!
Lunch at Brigands Inn
There’s no shortage of dog-friendly eateries in the area either. After the walk we settled on the Brigands Inn - a 15th century Coaching Inn with fireplaces, exposed beams and beautiful solid oak furniture. Dogs were welcome inside but we chose to make the most of the dry weather and scenery so sat outside. We ordered the fish and chips and although there wasn’t a ‘dog menu’ on offer they were more than happy to share a few bits from our plates. All four of us agreed that the food was delicious!
Exploring the beautiful Welsh coastline
We couldn’t visit Wales without a trip to the beautiful coastline. So after we had all recovered at the cottage overnight, we set off the next morning to explore the coastal village of Aberdovey. The picturesque little village had us instantly charmed. After wandering the winding old streets that rise to some amazing viewpoints (be prepared for slopes), we set off over the dunes to let the dogs explore the beach. Only a very small stretch of the beach was restricted for dogs, a wooden post set into the sand let us know when it was safe to let them loose. The beach was perfect - sandy dunes, vast/wide beaches and calm sea for Sonny to splash in (Cher prefers drier ground). We enjoyed nearly 2 hours of walking, and made it back to the car just before the heavens opened – we knew we wouldn’t get away without some rain! It really was a perfect dog-friendly getaway. Our only regret was that we didn’t get to explore more of Machynlleth. But this just gives us a reason to come back again. And we now know a perfect place to stay – ‘Ty Wennol.’
