Three-storey. Five bedrooms: 1 x king-size, 2 x double, 2 x second-floor twin. Bathroom with freestanding bath, walk-in shower, basin, and WC. Shower room with walk-in shower. Second-floor bathroom with bath and basin. Cloakroom with basin and WC. Kitchen/diner. Second-floor utility with walk-in shower. Dining room with woodburning stove. Sitting room with open-fire
Gwynfryn House consists of a kitchen/diner with electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, fridge, dishwasher, washer/dryer, kettle, toaster, and dining space, alongside a separate dining room with a woodburning stove and a sitting room with an open fire and TV. The bedrooms are arranged over three floors and include one king-size, two doubles, and two second-floor twins. There is a bathroom with freestanding bath, walk-in shower, basin, and WC, a second-floor bathroom with bath and basin, a shower room with walk-in shower, a cloakroom with basin and WC, and a second-floor utility with an additional walk-in shower. Oil-fired central heating, WiFi, fuel, power, bed linen, and towels are included in the rent. A highchair and travel cot are available. Outside, there is off-road parking for three cars and a rear patio with furniture and barbecue. One well-behaved dog welcome at an additional charge of 20GBP. Sorry, no smoking. You’ll find a shop in 0.9 miles, a pub in 0.8 miles, and Afon Artro 1.1 in miles. Gwynfryn House offers a wonderful base for exploring North Wales and Eryri National Park. Note: The garden is not enclosed. Note: There are steps to the exterior. Note: Good housekeeping bond of 500GBP.
Gwynedd is a mountainous county with much of the east covered by Snowdonia National Park. To the west is the Llyn Peninsula which is flatter and has some of North Wales’s most beautiful coastlines.
The lagoons, wetlands, grasslands and reedbeds of Spinnies Aberogwen nature reserve near Bangor attract a wonderful variety of birds all year round but in particular during spring and autumn migrations. In the summer look out for kingfishers, little egrets, and grey herons in the reeds as they hunt for small fish, while in winter, water rails, great-crested grebes, and snipe, are joined by dunlins, lapwings, and redshanks looking for shelter. The reserve has a hide as well as bird feeders giving you the opportunity to see the wildlife up close.
Just south of Porthmadog is Traeth Glaslyn nature reserve made up of salt marsh, willow woodland, and grassland and a haven for wildlife and birds including teals, wigeons, curlews, black-tailed godwits. There is a hide here too, but please note at high tide the reserve can become submerged so check tide times before you go.
Another wetland reserve is the RSPB’s Arthog Bog in the Mawddach Valley. It may be small but it’s crammed with wildlife. Visit in spring for the opportunity to see summer migrants such as sedge warblers, whitethroats, and cuckoos. In autumn, flocks of redwings and fieldfares arrive for the winter. There’s a good chance to see goldfinches, linnets, and siskins feeding on seeds all year round.
For woodland birds head to Nantporth nature reserve, overlooking the Menai Strait and home to blackcaps, treecreepers, nuthatches, and jays. It’s also a good place to spot carrion crows, ravens, and jackdaws which often flock to the foreshore.
Also in the Menai Straits, is Traeth Lafan or Lavan Sands, an intertidal sandbank that is important for waterfowl in particular oystercatchers, as well as ringed plovers, knots, greenshanks, and turnstones.
Although ospreys can be spotted all over Gwynedd, for fans of these magnificent birds of prey a trip to Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife is a must. A pair of ospreys has been breeding at the site since 2004 and in spring, visitors can watch on camera as the parents deliver fish to feed their chicks at the nest. There are also viewing platforms, hides, and scopes, and volunteers on hand to answer any questions you might have.
