Author Archives: Dee

Here Sheepy Sheep

When you think of Wales it’s hard not to think of sheep. They are a way of life in rural parts and pretty much everyone with a bit of land has some. With the goat having moved on to the Dyfi Dairy it seemed like a sensible thing to get some sheep, to keep the grass down if nothing else!

After some research it seemed like a self-shedding breed would be good for us. These are sheep which shed their own coat gradually in spring time and hence don’t need sheering. It’s a pretty onerous job having to sheer and given the value of wool vs sheering cost it’s a popular choice among many “proper farmers” too.

It all sort of fell into place really. A quick google of livestock for sale amazingly turned up 2 Wiltshire Horns just 15 miles away from us. After a quick trip up to say hello to them and see if they liked us the deal was done and within a few days of saying “let’s get some sheep”, we got some! Okay, so 2 doesn’t exactly make a flock but everyone’s got to start somewhere. They are tagged with Number 1 and Number 6 and they are so far settling in nicely. We’ve decided not to name them for now, feels like it might be a rookie error if the time comes when we need to sell / eat them! They came from another smallholder and are nicely “bucket trained”, that’s to say they come to you when you shake a bucket of food at them! Quite handy as it turns out because we don’t have a dog and sheep can actually run rather fast. It feels like our smallholding adventure has begun!

Farewell to Snowdrop

Goats and kids have always been an important part of Gwalia life with Livy and Harry having kept them for milk for nearly 40 years. They were an important part of self-sufficiency, yielding enough milk for the family. Having animals around always keeps you in tune with the seasons and form an important structure and routine to life here. There were only ever a couple of goats, lots of chickens and usually a few sheep.

When Amy and I moved here in 2013 however there was just Snowdrop the goat and the hens. Snowdrop’s daughter had died very young and so she had been by herself for quite a long time. This isn’t ideal for any animal but particularly herd animals. She was never the nicest of goats, always quite, eh, boisterous…but over time she was just getting downright impossible to be around! Trips through Snowdrop’s yard often involved dodging horns as she was always keen to “play”. There was little incentive for us to breed again from her as neither of us really likes goats milk. A lot of people can’t tell the difference from cow milk but a childhood of being brought up on it had put Amy off for life and I really prefer cows.

And so the time finally came, 5 years after her last kid, when Snowdrop had finally stopped producing any milk. We didn’t want to eat her but we didn’t want to keep her! Luckily along came the Dyfi Dairy. They are based 3 miles away in the heart of the Dyfi Valley and is an ethical, no-kill goat dairy. It seemed like the best place for Snowdrop to move to. She’d be surrounded by other goats and could once again breed and produce milk. It was sad, particularly for Livy and very much felt like the end of an era. We sometimes visit her and know that she’s having a much happier life now. It also means that we’ve started to think about getting animals ourselves and planning just how the future of Gwalia might look…

Highs and Lows

So as some of you may have noticed, blogging has tailed off somewhat…in that it’s completely stopped! Gwalia life has of course continued and Cabin on the Lake and Gwalia Camping are still going strong. We have however had a bit of an epic time of it since last posting. For starters, Amy gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Ivy, in July 2016 and life changed forever.

Rather thoughtfully Ivy arrived at the start of the Rio Olympics and so there was many an hour passed in the dead of night bouncing on a gym ball in front of the telly, Ivy in a sling, watching some of the more random Olympic events. On one such occasion at 2am I entered the kitchen to find a bat flying around in there and even now I wonder if I was just hallucinating from the tiredness!

Over the coming months we all settled into our new routines. We are very lucky to have the kind of lifestyle which means we are both around a lot and can flex to fit our new family and after the initial shock of having this tiny creature sending shockwaves through every seem of life she quickly won us over. Being a gay couple means that there are no “little accidents”. Her arrival was carefully thought about and planned. Amy’s childhood here at Gwalia was in many ways idyllic and we hope to provide that same start in life to our daughter. Ivy is a delight and quite simply the best thing ever.

The process of carrying, delivering and breast-feeding a baby came with hormonal changes for Amy however and this had allowed some other odd symptoms to come to the fore. It was only later in the year, following CAT/MRI scans and visits with various doctors, that she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Amy has now recovered from surgery and is doing well but there is as yet no cure for brain cancer. Amy is an amazingly positive, intelligent and resourceful person and has set about raising money and awareness to combat this disease.

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer. Less than 20% of brain tumour patients survive beyond five years of their diagnosis, whereas 86% of breast cancer and 51% of leukaemia patients survive beyond five years, with both breast cancer and leukaemia receiving nearly £500 million and £400 million respectively of research investment since 2002, compared with £57 million for brain tumours.

If you’d like to read more about Amy’s journey or donate to the fund with the Brain Tumour Charity then follow this link – http://amysbrain.co.uk/

The Otter Morning

(not THE otter!) photo Catherine Trigg

Gwalia is less than 3 miles from the famous River Dyfi. The eco-system of the Dyfi Valley is so significant that it has been granted UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve status. This has helped local people protect the landscape and to preserve and study the many species which live within it.

Otters are one of those rare and wonderful creatures which has set up home on the Dyfi. They are such a treat for those who manage to catch a glimpse but are famously elusive for those actually trying to find them. A local wildlife expert had told us that otters regularly patrol all the streams and tributaries to the Dyfi and one of these cuts through the heart of Gwalia so of course, there was always the chance that they were around.

It was early one morning in January when it all happened. 7:45am and all was quiet. Amy’s Mum was up and about earlier than normal and was outside doing her usual morning chores whilst Amy and I were where we usually are before 8 o’clock, in bed. We heard a shout come from outside and thought Livy had fallen but no, what she was shouting was “OTTERS!”.

Amy darted out first whilst I was still throwing some clothes on and grabbing my phone in case I could get a photo. Two otters were in the garden pond, not the stream or lake but the tiny little pond 3 meters away from the house! Amy’s arrival had startled them and they’d legged it, so by the time I got there they were both gone. Completely disappeared. I was gutted! All that remained was a half eaten frog.

There were no guests in the Cabin that morning so with very little optimism I headed over to the cabin lake just in case they were there. In my mind of course I thought I’d see them splashing around but when I got there all I could see were the rain drops splashing on the surface of the water. With heavy heart I headed back to the house.

But then…out of the corner of my eye…there it was. An otter. An actual otter. It was busy exploring the pools in the stream which runs immediately behind the cabin. We’ve been lucky enough to see otters several times in the Highlands but never this close. It was beautiful. Luckily I had my phone on me and called back to the house to get Amy and Livy over whilst I quietly shadowed it working it’s way up the stream.

The three of us stood in silent awe, watching this magnificent animal, no more than 5 metres away. It looked at us as it munched it’s way through breakfast. The otter just didn’t care that we were there. We kept a respectful distance and in return it let us into it’s world for just a couple of minutes, completely unperturbed by our presence.

The second otter was nowhere to be seen and after gracing us with it’s presence on dry land the otter ducked under water again and completely disappeared. The dull light of a winter’s dawn meant that I couldn’t get a photo but it didn’t matter. It was a magical moment which will stay with us all forever.

Guest Blog by Heather & Dan – The Winter Experience

Home fires burning

We stayed at the cabin on the lake for 4 nights over new year 2014 and wanted to share our experience of being in the cabin over winter as we had a wonderful time, and we think future guests will have equally amazing stay if they choose to visit in winter.

It was such a relaxing stay, being beside the lake and so close to nature. Being cut off from the TV, computer and, whilst inside the cabin, mobile phones, meant you could really relax, enjoy the beautiful surroundings and get stuck into a good book!

We had a wonderful stay due to going prepared and having read-up on Gwalia website about the facilities and what to expect. The website really does try and give you a flavour of what the cabin is like, with the photos and also the very clear information from Dee and Amy. We knew it would be cold, and that the weather might be bad, so we simply packed accordingly. Lots of thermal socks, vests, waterproofs, gloves, wellies etc.!

We had our main meal of the day at lunchtime whilst out and about, and then we bought provisions in the local supermarket for a simple dinner at the cabin in the evening. Eating a sausage sandwich or tucking into a warm bowl of soup with crusty bread, whilst sitting out on the decking lit by tea lights, was the perfect end to our busy days of walking and adventure!

Icey Lake

Chilly canoeing!

A lovely log burner inside the cabin so we were never cold.
Plenty of wood to keep the log burner going through the evening.
Plenty of warm bedding and blankets provided to ensure you were never cold. Blankets meant you could sit outside in the evening with them wrapped around you.
Paraffin lamps meant plenty of light in the evenings outside on the decking. The torches and battery light bulbs meant we could read inside the cabin. Lots of tea light lanterns to light up the outdoor area beautifully in an evening.
The hot tub was brilliant! What a wonderful experience to be in a warm hot tub at night time, with the stars twinkling in the sky above you. Being wintertime, it took us a few hours to get the water up to temperature on our first evening, however, the following nights didn’t need so long as the water had retained some warmth. Anyway, it gives you something to look forward to!
Composting toilet was absolutely fine (to be honest, much nicer than any portaloos or public toilets!!) Nice to have a natural fragrance spray inside the toilet hut just to keep things smelling fresh whilst you were inside. I loved the heart-shaped window cut into the door so you could look out at the lake.
Having the canoe was great fun to explore the lake. We certainly enjoyed having a paddle!
Super range of resources in the kitchen to cater for your cooking needs (the website explains what is supplied so you have a good idea what to expect prior to arrival).
The outdoor sink for washing up the dishes and washing yourself was tucked around the side of the cabin. Yes, the water was cold coming out of it in winter as it came from the natural spring. However, all you had to do was boil the kettle.
We tried all the methods of showering! Dee and Amy kindly let us use their indoor shower at the farmhouse. We also used the pump up shower, although the low pressure (well we are all used to power showers nowadays!) meant in winter it was a rather chilly shower experience. Our final shower was using hot water from the hot tub in our bucket, which worked brilliantly and definitely worked better for us than the pump-up shower. This was a very invigorating wash outside on the decking and finished off perfectly but jumping into the hot tub afterwards!
The warmth from the log burner in the cabin meant clothes and towels dried very quickly!
Lots of thoughtful touches to the cabin, such as providing a compact mirror, mulled wine and mince pies on arrival, binoculars and nature books provided.
Being winter it was cold enough outside so we didn’t need to use the natural fridge!

Candlelit evenings

We would absolutely recommend visiting the cabin in winter. I have no doubt future guests will also have a beautiful and peaceful stay. Just use your common sense! Go prepared for a simpler way of life and pack plenty of thermals!

Our thanks to Heather and Dan for their blog entry and general loveliness xx

The Bed Dilemma

How many different ways can you make a bed? As it turns out, the answer to that is a lot more than I could ever have imagined! Now, I’m quite a neat and tidy person, like things to be done in a certain way however as long as the beds made I’m not that bothered. That’s not really the best approach when providing luxury accommodation though. Having carefully shopped for tasteful, soft and sumptuous bedding (not to mention the bedspread shopping trauma when we nearly had a total meltdown), I thought there was nothing more to do than swiftly make the bed, take some nice and photos for the website and boom…done. But no. I made up the bed, including said offending bedspread, plumped the pillows, flattened the duvet but it just looked so…normal. You know when you arrive in a hotel (or your sister in law’s house) and the bed is just immaculate and smooth and inviting? Well it was nothing like that.

Amy got involved, “that doesn’t look anything like Corinna’s (said sister in law’s) beds”. So we took everything off the bed, everything on, folded the bedspread, unfolded the bedspread, pillows on top of duvet, pillows underneath…you get the picture. It was rubbish. “Let’s ask Corinna” Amy said, “she’ll sort us out”. Sure enough, within the hour, we got an email with several attachments. Photos of Corinna’s spare bedroom made up with several bedding arrangements plus comments on the method and failsafe tips. Brilliant. We picked the fav and there you have it. Bedroom perfection. It’s the “classic” pillows on top of duvet / folded bedspread draped over the bottom / minimal cushion arrangement…thanks Cor.

Here’s the 5 different recommended ways to make a bed!

Heavenly Hot Tub

The wood fired hot tub is one of the main features of the new cabin which will hopefully add that bit extra when people are choosing where go on the their short break. We’ve also been looking forward to a dip in it as well but first we had to get it off the lorry, over the field, over the stream, over the style and onto the new decking. Not so easy when the whole thing weighs in a 190kg! We disassembled what we could, found several strips of old carpet, tipped it on its side and then rolled. It was quite a sight but luckily the chunky wooden tub is so substantial that we all survived in tact, despite early fears of an Indiana Jones, Temple of Doom scenario.

“Temple of Doom” removal technique

Once in place we quickly got it reassembled and it was all ready for filling. Harry had helped us out with getting a fresh water supply by tapping into the spring source 50m away and so we quickly got filling the tub with beautifully clean and clear water straight from the ground. The tub holds 1300 litres so after 2 hours we were all ready to light the flames. It’s quite a brilliant design whereby the metal stove sits inside the wooden hot tub but is surrounded by a wooden gate so that once you’re inside it you can’t burn yourself on the stove. The wood is fed in from the top and then once you surround the stove in water it all starts hotting up.

Lesson one is don’t leave the stove unattended. We nipped away for some dinner and when we got back 45 minutes later the fire was nearly out. Nonetheless, the floating thermometer was rising and once re-lit it soon got up to temperature. The moon was really bright, the stars were out and the beers and wine were loaded into the handy drinks holder. A quick strip off in the cold night air and we were in!

Oh, it was sooo heavenly! The water was so warm and soothing, it was like having a romantic bath but we both actually had room to move around! We’ve spent so much time out by the lake getting the cabin ready but it was such a different experience at night. There was a full moon and the sky was a bit cloudy so it made the moonlight seem all the brighter as it bounced off the clouds. Unlike having a bath the water stays nice and hot as the heat from the stove keeps releasing slowly. We ended up being in for at least an hour and a half. I was nervous about being cold when we got out but the hot tub was so warm that we were actually still super warm whilst towelling down on the decking. I kind of always thought that hot tubs were one of those things that other people raved about but were probably over-rated but I have to say I absolutely loved it. Peaceful night air, moon and stars, glass of wine…romantic perfection!

We’ve Gone Batty

Bat boxes going up

I’m a town girl. Like a bit of bird spotting but never really seen bats before apart from a couple of times when staying in the far north of Scotland but we have them here at Gwalia. On warm evenings just as dusk falls you are sure to see them. They are really quite mesmerising. The first you see of them is a quick shadowy flash and you wonder if that was just a fast flying blackbird but by the second glance you know you’ve seen a bat. They have a very distinct flight and they move so quickly as they dart around finding insects.

I’ve become a bit obsessed by bats lately. For Christmas I got a bat identification chart, a bat book and best of all a bat detector. It’s a listening device which tunes in to the bat’s frequency and helps you to identify the type of bat. Unfortunately it’s really quite difficult as there are several common types on similar frequencies but even just hearing the is quite a thrill.

Amy’s put up some bat boxes over by the pond as they like to nest near water so we’re hoping for some more glimpses once the summer comes.

Mouldy Messages from the Play Room Past

Stripping back the mouldy wall

The living room and kitchen are one big open plan room since about March 2013 when builders came to knock through the old stone wall. The room was known as the play room to the Chandlers and was previously a really dark little room . Now that it’s all opened up however the light from the kitchen comes streaming through and has completely transformed that side of the house. The plan is for this to be the day room and there will be a separate little snug / study / TV room for cosy evenings in. The main issue with this room however is damp. It’s an ongoing battle here at Gwalia but this room has suffered the most from not being heated, not getting much sunshine and the walls not being able to breath and dry out. Harry did quite a bit of work on the exterior facing wall in 1990 but little did he know it was actually to do more harm than good. He insulated it, fitted a thin membrane and erected a new stud wall so as to block off the stone wall. Unfortunately that wall is so wet that the water was seeping into the room under the floor. Removing this stud wall and stripping back the window sill / framing revealed the extent of the water damage, the walls were literally dripping with water.

The wooden lintel above the window was also extremely damp, so much so there was soil and roots forming on the underside. This wall will be left to dry out for a few months and then will be lime rendered to allow a more natural breathing process. A new wood-burning stove should also help this. The age and construction of the 18th century house means that the floor sits directly on top of the bare earth with only some insulation and chipboard underfoot. We had to rip up half the floor and replace the waterproof membrane so that we could run it further up the wall and hopefully prevent the same problems re-occurring.

Panel fitted by Harry, Livy, Corinna and Amy February 1990. Good luck to you all!

Corinna May Chandler born 17/10/79, aged 10 years old

The only nice part of this was the discovery of some messages from the past. When Harry covered over an old window sill the Chandlers each wrote a little message for future inhabitants to find. Long forgotten about, it was rather fitting that it should be the those same Chandlers to rediscover it a quarter of a century later!

Plumbing and Electrics

It’s not just all the building work we’re doing ourselves. The redesign has also involved a great deal of plumbing and re-wiring to fit in with the new layout but also to bring this part of the house up to current building standards. Harry is fortunately a bit of a dab hand at plumbing and turns his hand to most things so has been really helpful with advice and guidance. On the Electrics side of things we’ve had the help of a local electrician who has discussed the planned work with Amy and then come back to check everything over before going live. It’s been really useful for Amy to have had the benefit of his knowledge, skills and of course he’s been invaluable at reassuring everything is safe before he’s “plugged us in”. Whilst the input has been fantastic, Amy has done all of the actual work herself, not to mention figuring out the numerous plumbing and electric parts we’ve needed to get up and running. The entire original half of the house has been completely rewired, a new consumer unit installed and on the plumbing side she’s dismantled the old bathroom / pantry arrangements and fitted the plumbing for a new kitchen and bathroom. I keep being in awe at how these things just get done. Lots of hard work and research of course goes into it but it’s great to remember that hiring someone to rewire your house and plumb in a new kitchen and bathroom would cost a small fortune. Amy rocks!