Whenever we go abroad we love to master a few words to try out like “vino”, “Gracias” and “kalimera”. Usually accompanied by vigorous pointing and cheesy grins, it makes us feel great!
Visiting Wales is no different, have a go! Whilst everyone speaks English, as abroad, locals will appreciate the effort you make, will help and cheer you on!
Here are a few simple phrases to get you started!
Yes – Ie ( ee-yeah )
No – Na (Nah)
Good morning – Bore da (BOR-eh da )
Good night – Nos da ( NOHS da )
Hello – S’mae? shoo-my?
Fine, thank you – Iawn, diolch ( yown, dee-ol’ch )
Even if you’re not on a walking holiday, heading out with the family can be a great adventure and a fun way to build happy memories together.
Whether you are out for a stroll in a field, heading for the beach or exploring woods here are some great tips for your outing:
Relax! If you walk too far or make it too hard, you’ll put children off. Make sure the first walks are easy and close to home. At Tynrhyd Retreat there are 13 acres to explore so need to travel!
Exploring. Children love investigating new environments, let them wander and discover new things as you walk. Avoid pushing them to getting to the top of the hill or in a set amount of time. The more children can find and experience, the more likely they are to want to do it again.
Make it fun! Looking at the sky and fields can get boring. Explore nature – take a guide book of flowers and birds, make tree bark rubbings, play a game of I-spy as you walk, or pretend to be characters from their favourite book!
Collect Treasures! Encourage children to collect what catches their eye – pebbles, shells, leaves, make a walking treasure box for them to keep. It’s amazing what takes their fancy!
Tell them it’s An Adventure. What sounds better, “We’re going for a walk” or “We’re going on an adventure”?Select a wiggly route or one with an exciting destination e.g. beaches, ice cream outlets, tourist attractions.
Picture Perfect. Take lots of photos of the walk, ask the children to have a go too! You can make a picture scrap together when you get home of your happy memories.
Be prepared. Depending on the distance and location you are exploring, essentials include water, snacks, small first aid kit, waterproof jackets, map, compass and binoculars. Check the weather. Pack the essentials in a rucksack and if you have very small children or babies you could make use of a backpack carrier for them. Layer up for warmth and a must is comfortable walking shoes or boots.
Tell us all about it! We’d love to hear about your walking adventures, what you discovered and the pictures you took! Pop us an email on holidays@tynrhyd.com and we’ll share it in our social media and web site!
SOS has built a fantastic reputation on organizing fun and fitness based health retreats.
With 5 successful retreats to their name to date with multiple ones already held in Marbella and several in the UK, SOS know how to make a retreat run smoothly.
The SOS Aberystwyth Retreat / Weekend will take part on the 23rd-25th September and will include:
* 2 nights accommodation in our luxury Aberystwyth based villa at Tynrhyd Retreat, Devil’s Bridge
* Up to 8 hours of fitness sessions with our elite SOS Athletic Excellence trainers
* Focused training sessions which will all
pre-programmed to maximize results
* Body fat caliper testing and bespoke nutrition advice
* Fun and challenging workouts
* All meals, snacks and drinks prepared by our expert chef
* Access to private hot tub
* Satellite TV with UK channels and free Wi-Fi
* Stunning hikes through the breathtaking Welsh Cambrian Mountains
This is a perfect opportunity to come and have a fun weekend with like minded people.
You don’t have to be a member of SOS Athletic Excellence to come and enjoy a great weekend of fitness.
Mashing pomegranate and figs and separating the vital juices from fruits and vegetables for their healing benefits, were used for profound strength and subtle form. The first record of man’s attempt to juice fruits and vegetables appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls dating from before 150 B.C. Freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and more and the idea is to flush your body clean to restore your health balance and bring vibrancy and energy alive in your body. Rhiannon Taylor, Wales’ first practicing qualified Natural Juice Therapist has a real passion for educating first and foremost the people of Wales of the benefits of eating healthily. She has successfully completed a comprehensive course covering Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, Nutrition and Juicing as well as an intensive theory and practical academy which is now recognised as ‘The School of Natural Juice Therapy.’ She is an independent therapist who actively practices ‘Juice Therapy’ through her own business, Sudd Cymru (translates as Juice Wales.)
“Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar have spent many years watching the night skies, waiting for the stars to reveal a sign of great things to come. As time goes by they have grown impatient, as well as old and grey! However, one night a brand new star appears and they begin an eventful journey which ends with the realization that some things in life are definitely worth waiting for!”
These guys were used to dark skies and would often sit to observe the starry sky while they watched their sheep by night. It’s unfortunate that our lives are so often filled with such busyness, running around from pillar to post without much thought or time for the inspiring celestial activities above. I’m sure you’ve heard of the underworld but what about looking upwards?
Yes, I’m one of the majority of those people who have never taken much notice of the sky line except for the occasional trip to the beach with friends following a celebratory meal at an end of a special era in our lives! We start to reminisce and look up to the stars and wonder where we will all be in 10 years time!
So, this cosmos, sky line, outer space, celestial; interstellar; meta galactic universe, call it what you may! Does it matter what goes on? Is it effecting us? Are we missing out on something?
In a word, Yes! I won’t get into the scientific explanation of it now but since Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water’s Elan Valley Estate in the Cambrian Mountains has achieved International Dark Sky Park status only this summer, my interest in the world of stars and planets has awaken! Elan Valley has become the world’s first privately owned, but publicly accessible park to receive this accolade. Yes, really, and it’s right on our doorstep!
This 45,000 acre estate is now protected against light pollution for the benefit of those who live there, as well as for visitors and the wildlife which exists there. It’s a fantastic playground for newbies as well as professional astronomers!
Night at Craig Goch, Elan Valley
Living in the beauty of the Cambrian Mountains, I never realised that we are the fortunate few (10% of the UK population) who truly experience dark skies at night. With the Christmas festivities fast approaching I shall definitely be looking upwards and to the Elan Valley for exciting planetary activities. In fact, you are all invited to join the Elan Valley Astronomy Group at the Elan Valley Visitor Centre to the Geminid meteor watch this Sunday, December 13th! I know my family can’t wait to get there! Why not make this a new, educational hobby for the family?
If any of the following sounds familiar, please join in….! “If you have a telescope or binoculars that don’t seem to work as you think they should, the “instructions” seem unfathomable or you simply need some advice on your scope, bring it along and we’ll see what we can do to assist you. From 9.30pm onwards if skies permit, we will hold a Geminid Meteor watch from the overflow carpark grounds. Please bring sun lounger/chair, red light torch, clipboard, pencil and wrap up warmly…it could get a tad chilly!!! (We’ll supply sky chart to plot your meteors on.) “
Please register your intent to join on either or both parts of the evening by calling the Visitor Centre on 01597 810880.
It’s Christmas time!
Don’t forget, Santa will be appearing on December 24th 10am-4pm, at the Visitor Centre and who knows we might see a few shepherds watching their flock…and the stars by night! Hope to see you there!
Grab your families and friends and start planning your next dream holiday together at our stunning country retreat. Experience an absolutely stunning time at Elan Valley and make it a special holiday to remember! We are taking bookings now for 2016 and 2017 already…!
Tynrhyd Retreat
Devil’s Bridge
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion
SY23 4QX wwww.tynrhyd.com
Enquiries/ Bookings – Call us on (01267) 667 604
E: holidays@tynrhyd.com
Follow us on:
I’ve just been reading today about the benefits of walking and how research shows its benefits of reducing the risk of disease, improved sleep, less stress and increased energy to name a few. Walkers live longer and maintain mental health and spiritual benefits. So why don’t we just get off the sofa and start walking?
Very often we miss what is right on our own doorstep. Many of us have ventured on trips and sporting tours abroad but have never attempted to reach the local massif.
In West and Mid Wales we are surrounded by a secret gem of a rugged and picturesque mountain range known as the shhhhhhhhh! I’m not really sure if I want to let the world know. Please don’t take it personally but life is just so peaceful, life is just so calm, life is just so relaxing in this little pocket of gold dust which I want to keep all to myself! It is truly a hidden gem and as you can see I am very reluctant to let it out! They are series of mountain ranges covering the Mid Wales uplands. In Welsh its original name was Elenydd which literally means wilderness and it reaches from Pumlumon to Mynydd Mallaen (to the northwest of Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire.) The Elenydd is the watershed of Wales. The highest point of the range is Plynlimon, at 2,467 feet. It is a sparsely populated area, so tranquility and peace is seriously plentiful! On a clear day from the Bronze Aged cairns on its peak, all of Wales is revealed. It is truly unlike anywhere else in the world! It isn’t a national park which means it’s even more precious and magical. Ahhhh, and breathe, I’m at the summit, standing on the backbone of the land of my fathers. But Beware! The giant dragon will awake at the mere sound of its name. Are you ready…? Are you sure…? Come near….and I’ll whisper it quietly in your ear…the Cambrian Mountains, it is the heart of Wales.
Richard Harrington, as DCI Tom Mathias in the TV series Y Gwyll/Hinterland
It’s so beautiful, so natural and so diverse. A fantastic playground for all ages but also a Nordic noir TV filming plateau, currently seen on the BBC Cymru Wales’ Y Gwyll / Hinterland drama series. This gripping detective drama, set in Aberystwyth against the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains, starring Richard Harrington as DCI Tom Mathias, has been immensely popular with TV audiences. In fact, it has been so popular that an innovative local walking guide, Dafydd Wyn Morgan aka Twm’s Treks, produced a series of bilingual guided walks based on this compelling TV series. With a choice of 8 walks, taking you from the stunning coastline of Ceredigion up to the rural Cambrian Mountains visiting various filming locations, you will certainly be wowed as well as entertained along the way! Richard Harrington, as DCI Tom Mathias in the TV series Y Gwyll/Hinterland
Richard Harrington, an award winning actor and the main character of the scandi-style drama says… “The Hinterland series’ main star is the Ceredigion countryside. The success of the series is the landscape. For us in Wales, landscape is a big part of our existence and Ceredigion is the perfect location for what we do. Aberystwyth is more than just a seaside town with a pretty promenade. The Hinterland of Aberystwyth is fantastic, you never get bored with it.”
”..the key to hinterland is the landscape: beautiful, forbidding and secretive, it becomes a character in its own right.” The Guardian
Promise to keep our secret? Or have you changed your mind….?
Why not stay in our cosy, luxury home while you explore these amazing walks and discover the undiscovered before everybody else does!
Stay with us at Tynrhyd Retreat Luxury Accommmodation Devil’s Bridge, AberystwythSY23 4QX(01267) 667 604
Book your well deserved dream holiday and bring your family and friends with you…www.tynrhyd.com Email: holidays@tynrhyd.com
Hell is a tourist village on Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean. Apparently years ago a Dignitary from another country visited the Island and noticed the strange-looking lava rock formations and said they looked like Hell and so the name stuck!
Place names are always an interesting topic! Many places around the world take on similar names for towns and cities such as Bangor in North Wales, Ireland and France. From the weird to the wonderful you do wonder sometimes how on earth they been named! From Puddle in Cornwall, UK to Prickly Bottom in Tasmania, Australia- Devil’s Bridge seems much more exciting and interesting!
Devil’s Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges. They represent massive technological achievement and each of the Devil’s Bridges has a corresponding Devil-related myth or folktale.
The Ceredigion Devil’s Bridge, Pontarfynach, in Welsh, literally means “The bridge on the Mynach” which refers to the river Mynach. On the edge of the village you’ll see the unusual road bridge from which the village gets its English name. The original bridge was constructed by the monks of Strata Florida, at what time is unknown, but legend says it was built by the devil. The bridge has been thrown across a chasm 114 feet above the first fall and 324 feet above the bottom of the cataract. So the what about the myth?
Well, it goes like this…. Old Megan Llandunach, of Pont-ar-Fynach
Had lost her only cow; Across the ravine the cow was seen, But to get it she could not tell how.
In this dilemma the Evil One appeared to her disguised as a monk. He offered to cast a bridge across the chasm if she would promise to give him the first living being that should pass over it when complete. To this she gladly consented. The bridge was thrown across the ravine and the Evil One stood beyond bowing and beckoning to the old woman to come over and try it but she was too clever for him. She noticed, instead of a foot, he had a hoof.
In her pocket she fumbled, a crust out tumbled, She called her little black cur; The crust over she threw, the dog after it flew, Says she, “The dog’s yours, crafty sir!”
All myths inspire imagination but if you are looking for a break with a difference this is the place for you!
Are YOU counting down the weeks until October half term?
Are you running from those constant dates in your diary?
Come and stay at Tynrhyd Retreat, luxury accommodation and forget about all your stress and myths! Book it now and line up a beautiful holiday with your besties for a real escape and give yourself and the beauties in your life a relaxing break from it all. A peaceful retreat where you can snuggle up in front of a real fire, go for a lovely Autumn walk, check out the local luxury chocolate factory or dip into the Swim Spa XStream Hot Tub for a while. Whatever you chose to do, this will be well spent quality and fun time at your home-away-from-home!
Email: holidays@tynrhyd.com to book now! Get in there fast for October half term! Check out your next dream holiday at www.tynrhyd.com Follow us on Facebook: Tynrhyd, Twitter: @tynrhyd Instagram: Tynrhyd-Luxury-Lets I wonder..do you know of any other devilish myths or interesting names of places you’d like to share?
