Aderyn Mawr Cottage

20/05/2023

20/05/2023

On this day 2009 William Windsor (Billy), the goat of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Welsh, retired due to old age. Soldiers from the battalion lined the route from his pen to the trailer as he left the camp for the last time.

* Billy was not regarded as a mascot but a serving lance corporal. His duty was to march at the head of the battalion on ceremonial occasions.

* The tradition of the goat originated in 1775 when a wild goat walked onto the battlefield during the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War.

* Billy was demoted to fusilier for a three-month period in 2006 after inappropriate behaviour during the Queen's Official Birthday Celebrations, when he failed to keep in step and tried to headbutt a drummer.

* The royal goat herd was presented to the Queen by the Shah of Persia, and they are kept on Llandudno's Great Orme.

* His replacement, also called William Windsor, began as a fusilier whilst being trained for military life, receiving a ration of two ci******es per day, which he eats. However, he is not permitted Guinness until he is older.

20/05/2023

Aww lol 🐱🧶🐈🐈‍⬛

20/05/2023

🥰

19/05/2023

Don't have them in the bedroom

19/05/2023

The Picture of the Century. Nature Defeats Technology.

18/05/2023

Blackwood is becoming a Smart Town!

Your VZTA Smart Town app brings consumers and businesses closer together to create thriving places to shop, work and live. See what’s happening where you are with your town in your hand. Whether you’re looking for business or product information, the perfect gift, somewhere to eat, things to see or places to go; VZTA brings your town together to make it quick and easy for you to find and explore.

Download Now - https://bit.ly/3WfRG0J

Mae’r Coed Duon yn dod yn Dref Smart!

Mae eich ap Tref Glyfar VZTA yn dod â defnyddwyr a busnesau yn agosach at ei gilydd i greu lleoedd ffyniannus i siopa, gweithio a byw ynddynt. Gweld beth sy'n digwydd lle rydych chi gyda'ch tref yn eich llaw. P’un a ydych chi’n chwilio am wybodaeth am fusnes neu gynnyrch, yr anrheg berffaith, rhywle i fwyta, pethau i’w gweld neu lefydd i fynd; Mae VZTA yn dod â'ch tref ynghyd i'w gwneud hi’n gyflym ac yn hawdd i chi ddarganfod ac archwilio.

Lawrlythwch Nawr - https://bit.ly/3WfRG0J

21/06/2022

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🌼🍹🏞 TREAT YOURSELF TO A BREAK IN THE WELSH VALLEYS 🏞🍹🌼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Aderyn Mawr Cottage is a spacious, two-bedroomed holiday cottage located in the village of Blaina, South Wales, just two miles south of the Brecon Beacons and with stunning views across the valley.

We still have plenty of availability for 2022 - please visit our Airbnb listing here:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/32632857

The cottage is decorated in a bright, modern style, with a fully-fitted kitchen and a spacious lounge/diner downstairs with access via French doors to a tiered yard. Also downstairs is a toilet with hand basin.

Upstairs there are two spacious bedrooms - a double and a family room - as well as a large bathroom with a bath, shower and a second toilet.

About the area:
Blaina is situated close to the famous Brecon Beacons National Park, popular with walkers and cyclists for its dramatic scenery and challenging terrain.

Bliana and its surrounding areas are at the heart of the Alexander Cordell’s trilogy about the Mortymer family. He was a prolific Welsh writer. Through his vivid and historically accurate writings he brings alive the turbulent early industrial Wales.

Venture further afield and you can visit the market town of Abergavenny to the east, or Caerphilly to the south - famous for its cheese and its impressive medieval castle. Or you can also explore Welsh history through a visit to Big Pit National Coal Museum, part of the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape which is a World Heritage Site. The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway and Brecon Mountain Railway are nearby.

27/04/2022

We're delighted to recommend High Street Launderette Blaina - we have been customers for over three years, and would like to thank them for helping us to maintain our status on Airbnb with their excellent service. x

15/03/2022

Wales is believed to have more castles per square mile than any other country in the world.

Caerphilly Castle is the largest castle in Wales and the second largest in Europe.

Chepstow Castle is Britain's oldest surviving medieval stone castle made of stone. Its construction began in 1067.

Beaumaris Castle on Anglesey is generally considered the finest example of a concentric castle in Europe. It has been a World Heritage site since 1986.

The ruined Flint Castle is the only British castle with two donjons. It is famous for having the thickest walls (7 m / 23 ft) of any castle anywhere.

Powis Castle possesses Britain's oldest, and one of the last, true formal baroque gardens and is the most visited National Trust property in Wales.

Conwy Castle is considered to be one of the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe,

08/02/2022

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🌼🍹🏞 TREAT YOURSELF TO A BREAK IN THE WELSH VALLEYS 🏞🍹🌼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Aderyn Mawr Cottage is a spacious, two-bedroomed holiday cottage located in the village of Blaina, South Wales, just two miles south of the Brecon Beacons and with stunning views across the valley.

We still have plenty of availability for 2022 - please visit our Airbnb listing here:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/32632857

The cottage is decorated in a bright, modern style, with a fully-fitted kitchen and a spacious lounge/diner downstairs with access via French doors to a tiered yard. Also downstairs is a toilet with hand basin.

Upstairs there are two spacious bedrooms - a double and a family room - as well as a large bathroom with a bath, shower and a second toilet.

About the area:
Blaina is situated close to the famous Brecon Beacons National Park, popular with walkers and cyclists for its dramatic scenery and challenging terrain.

Bliana and its surrounding areas are at the heart of the Alexander Cordell’s trilogy about the Mortymer family. He was a prolific Welsh writer. Through his vivid and historically accurate writings he brings alive the turbulent early industrial Wales.

Venture further afield and you can visit the market town of Abergavenny to the east, or Caerphilly to the south - famous for its cheese and its impressive medieval castle. Or you can also explore Welsh history through a visit to Big Pit National Coal Museum, part of the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape which is a World Heritage Site. The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway and Brecon Mountain Railway are nearby.

14/01/2022

Happy Old New Year (Hen Galan)!!

Yr Hen Galan is a custom that dates back to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752, as opposed to the previously used Julian calendar, which over the years, had lost 13 days, resulting in January 1st in the Julian calendar equating to January 14th in the Gregorian.

In some areas of Wales, the tradition of observing the new year according to the Julian calendar is continued, with the communities of the Gwaun Valley near Fishguard and Llandysul celebrating the ‘Hen Galan’ hen meaning old in Welsh and calan, meaning the first day of the month.

01/01/2022

New Year Customs in Wales.

Calennig.

The ancient custom of calennig can trace it roots back to the middle ages and is still active in some areas of Wales today. Children would go from house to house, singing rhymes and wishing the occupants a healthy and prosperous new year. In exchange for this goodwill, they would receive money, food or the calennig apple, which is an apple standing on a tripod of twigs and decorated with holly.

31/12/2021

Ras Nos Galan.

This is a race held in memory of Griffith Morgan (1700–1737) “the fastest man of his time”, known better as Guto Nyth Brân, from Llwyncelyn, near Porth. It is run every year on New Year’s Eve at Mountain Ash, over the course of Guto's first ever race. It has become a tradition of this race for a mystery runner to compete and over the years this has included Iwan Thomas, Linford Christie and Alun Wyn Jones. At the conclusion of the race, a wreath is then placed on Guto's grave in Llanwynno graveyard. There is also a commemorative statue of Guto in Mountain Ash.

It was said that Guto's speed was first noticed, when he managed to catch a wild hare. Another legend has it that he could run the 7 miles to the local town of Pontypridd and back home again, before his mother's kettle had boiled. Seeing his potential the local shopkeeper, Siân o'r Siop (Siân from the Shop), became his trainer and manager and organised a race on Hirwaun Common against an unbeaten English Captain, for a £400 prize. Guto won the race won easily and kept on winning, remaining unbeaten until he was 30. Over the years, Guto and Sian had fallen in love and Guto decided to retire to enjoy a quiet life with Sian.

However, in 1737, a new champion runner had emerged, called the ‘Prince of Bedwas’ and Sian persuaded Guto to have one last race against Prince, for a prize of 1000 guineas. The race was run over the 12 miles from Newport to Bedwas and was a very even contest. Nearing the finish, Prince held a slender lead, however one last lung bursting effort from Guto, saw him cross the line first. However, in the celebrations after, Guto collapsed and died in Sian's arms.

28/12/2021

There are two railways carrying steam trains within a short drive of Aderyn Mawr! Blaenavon's Heritage Railway and Brecon Mountain Railway Co. Ltd - to book tickets, visit:

Blaenavon - https://www.bhrailway.co.uk/

Brecon - https://www.bmr.wales/

Ivor the Engine was first released on television on 28 December 1959.

Ivor the Engine is a children's television series that tells of the story of a little green locomotive living in the "top left-hand corner of Wales". His friends include Jones the Steam, Evans the Song and Dai Station. The series was later revived in 1975 when new episodes in colour were produced for the BBC.

The series was written and narrated by Oliver Postgate, with his friend Peter Firmin providing the artwork, which originally consisted of cardboard cut-outs painted with watercolours. It was produced in a disused cow shed at Firmin's home near Canterbury. The sound effects were endearingly low-tech, for example, the sound of Ivor's puffing was made vocally by Postgate himself.

Postgate drew inspiration for the series from a World War II encounter with Welshman Denzyl Ellis, a former railway fireman, who described how steam engines came to life when steaming them up in the morning. Postgate decided to locate the story in the mountainous area of North Wales, as he considered it a more inspirational place than the flat terrain of the English Midlands.

26/12/2021

Well, we've come to the end of an era: we sold our other cottage (Aderyn Bach) just before Christmas to raise funds for exciting new developments in the future. Aderyn Mawr Cottage is still going strong, but we need to close off one of the rooms for storage for a little while, so will be reconfiguring this into a two bedroomed cottage. However this means you now get the same great facilities and views at Aderyn Mawr for a much reduced price! Both remaining bedrooms are absolutely huge: we'll be turning the front one into a proper, grown-up double, while the back bedroom will now have a triple sleeper plus a full-sized single, which gives the accommodation great flexibility (and also demonstrates how big that room is - there's a wardrobe and chest of drawers in there too!) Photos to follow...

16/10/2021

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4157492367704747&id=254090978044925

08/10/2021

08/10/2021

Wales is a multicultural nation, with migration into Wa...

08/10/2021

If you notice that the flags at Castell Caerffili / Caerphilly Castle have been lowered tomorrow morning, don’t worry, it’s only for short time while filming takes place onsite!

25/08/2021

20/08/2021

07/08/2021

Thank you for everything you’ve done to help us get to alert level zero. 💙

Some protections are still in place to .