The little cottage has now got her AA Covid Confident accreditation through, hurrah! The Covid Confident badge is valid for a year and means that the cottage has completed an assessment and is now accredited for the measures in place to help keep everyone as...
I am pleased that the Welsh Government is hopefully about to announce that self-catering accommodation in Wales will re-open on the 13th July 2020. (Keep your fingers crossed!) However, the holiday landscape has changed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and even holidays in...
Eagle eyed guests might have recently spotted the beautiful Crickhowell bridge on the news in the last few days, as Storm Callum brought high waters to the town, briefly cutting Crick off from everywhere and turning it into an island, separated from Llangynidr and also...
I can't believe I've missed the chance to write about the Hay Festival, which took place between the 24th May and the 4th June this year. Thankfully, I know the guests who were at the cottage for the week during the festival planned to go,...
Little Welsh cottage is a new website address that I bought last year, when I decided I'd like to use my car to advertise the cottage. So, www.littlewelshcottage.co.uk was born and takes you straight to this website. I chose 'little welsh cottage' because Pontganol is...
I'm still pinching myself as I write this - last night was the inaugural Brecon Beacons Tourism Awards, and if you had seen in an earlier blog post, the cottage was nominated in the 'best small self-catering category' against some incredible opponents - Beacons Park...
Now in its second year, The Crickhowell Literary Festival is gaining a great reputation. Stretching across 9 days, from the 1st to the 9th October, the festival promises to keep Crick on the map for all who visit. A celebration of Welsh identity and culture, this year's...
I'm absolutely delighted to say that the little cottage has made it through to the shortlist for a Brecon Beacons Tourism award. I (rather nervously) met with some lovely shortlisters at the cottage earlier this month and can't believe that she's made the final four of...
It's been quite a while since I posted anything about the history of the cottage, but finding a photo at my Dad's house this week made me think about trying a little harder on the whole family history research front. This little black and white image...
If you're a food lover, then you're in for a treat. Contributing to the undeniable foodie feeling in the Beacons area, the annual Abergavenny Food Festival returns this year on the 17th and 18th September. With culinary heavyweights Monica Galetti, Jose Pizarro and Cyrus Todiwala headlining...
The Eisteddfod festival of Welsh music, literature and performance is a moveable event usually held in the first week of August, and this year it is setting up in Abergavenny at Castle Meadow. Running from the 29th July to the 6th August this year, Abergavenny...
Brecon Jazz Festival is celebrating its 33rd birthday this year and the line up is looking more varied than ever, with more local and community involvement too. The town of Brecon is really close to the cottage, so a trip to the Jazz festival is an...
The world-renowned Hay Festival takes place at the end of this month, in the town of books, Hay on Wye. It's around half an hour from the cottage, so ideally placed if you're planning a quick hop to take in some events. Bringing together writers from...
The Crickhowell Walking Festival takes place between the 27th Feb and the 6th March this year. It encompasses guided walks of various grades, all led by local experienced guides and a range of supporting events. Walking wise - there is something for walkers of all levels, whether you're...
If you're thinking of heading to the Abergavenny Food Festival this year, then the cottage, just 9 miles away from Abergavenny could make the perfect base. Happening over the weekend of the 18th, 19th and 20th September, the area's rich culinary tradition (The Walnut Tree, The...
The cottage will make a great base for any festival goers attending the gorgeous Green Man festival this year, which is held at the beautiful Glanusk Park, about two miles down the road from the cottage on the way to Crickhowell. Occupying a beautiful spot in...
The cottage is well-placed for anyone thinking of heading to Brecon Jazz this year, and the line up is looking better than ever. Starting on Friday 7th August, and drawing in names like Ray Davies, Courtney Pine and Julia Biel, it should be one not-to-miss. Find out...
Well, maybe not quite roses yet. However, the beautiful sunshine-filled weather of late has really seen the things in the garden put a growth spurt on, and the new rockery area and wildflower beds next to the vegetable garden are really blooming. There's a huge mint,...
Thanks to the web development skills of Alex, my talented other half, the cottage has a new (and rather nice looking) responsive website. It's much sharper than the old site and is mobile-optimised too, so hopefully it should look lovely whatever you're viewing it on. If...
As it was winter when the holiday cottage opened to guests, all of my energies went on making sure she was beautiful inside, and the garden took a bit of a back seat. But with a bit of sun in the sky (at last!) I...
Yesterday, the holiday cottage welcomed her first dog guest - a young spaniel called Harri. Hopefully Harri and his owners are having a lovely break, exploring the local area or perhaps settling into a nearby dog-friendly pub for lunch. Harri may be the first canine guest,...
So, as a now-official holiday cottage, Pontganol needed to be graded by Visit Wales, who look after grading of holiday properties in Wales (they don't just grade holiday cottages, but hotels and allsorts). The assessment was yesterday and I'm just waiting to hear final confirmation...
Whilst renovating the cottage this time last year, I was reminded by my Dad that my Mum kept a photographic record of the last lot of alterations made to the cottage, back when I was in school (or college, I can't quite remember). After my...
Now that Christmas is over, the decorations down and the mince pies eaten, my thoughts are turning to the cottage garden, probably the last thing left on my list of things to do there. It being January, there's not a lot I can actually grow right...
Now that the little holiday cottage has welcomed her second set of guests, my thoughts are turning towards Christmas, and more specifically, decorating. With bookings over Christmas and new year, I want my guests to feel at home and enjoy the festive period, whilst being...
The cottage's first guests were warmly welcomed on their weekend break with a roaring fire in the woodburner, thanks to a delivery of logs earlier yesterday afternoon (just in time) from a local woodland. The woodburner in the living room gives the room a really...
There are just two weekends to go until the holiday cottage welcomes her first guests. I'm spectacularly excited, but also aware of how important this first booking is. I want everything to be just right - from the towels and the bedding to the fire,...
The holiday cottage renovation is now approaching a year since it first began. It has been a very long year, which has seen me both incredibly excited and sobbing on my kitchen floor. And, finally, thankfully, she is very close to being finished. Today, I've ordered...
Stargazing at the cottage The little holiday cottage is lucky enough to sit within the Brecon Beacons National Park, which is not only stunningly beautiful by day, but an international dark sky reserve by night. The cottage is stargazer friendly, with lots of cosy throws, plenty...
The front and back porches are probably the first thing that holiday makers will see, and they've been getting some attention this weekend; window frames have been sanded and filled, caulked and sanded again, ready for painting. The walls have also been given a fresh...
She previously looked a little unloved, slightly off-putting brown/grey on the outside, but now she's been scrubbed up with a lick (spray if I was being accurate) of paint all over her flinty render. Now she's a lovely clean white, with sea-green accents for the...
Dave the builder has managed to knock down the garage (thankfully not made of scary asbestos) and the top shed, which seemed to be made of corrugated metal. I don't think I'll miss it too much! He's also made me a little shed that the...
The stairs were previously boxed in from the main living room and accessed via a tiny Middle-Earth style door, which was all too easy to bump your head on if you are anywhere near my height. So, the boxing in has been removed and in...
The new wooden, shaker style kitchen is now in downstairs in the rear extension. The really old flagstones were uncovered when the not-quite-so-old vinyl, carpet and bitumen layers were taken up off the floor, so they've been left where they are, and treated so that they'll...
The new bathroom is currently taking shape - the cottage has never had a shower before, so we've been working out where there's enough head room to fit one in. Finally, we've (well, that's the royal we, and actually means the lovely builder Dave, has)...