cottage

In modern usage, a cottage is a modest dwelling, typically in a rural, or semi-rural location (although there are cottage-style dwellings in cities). In the United Kingdom, the term cottage tends to denote a rurally- (sometimes village-) located property, of traditional build. Some examples of cottages are Victorian Cottages, Stone Cottages, Timber framed cottages and mock cottages. Mock cottages are post war homes designed to look like cottages. Older, pre victorian cottages tend to have restricted height, and exposed timbers.

This sometimes means that the eave timbers intrude into the actual living space, and quite often, especially in recent renovations, the relevant timbers (purlins, rafters, posts, etc) can be exposed enhancing the cottage experience. However, in most other settings, the term "cottage" denotes a small, often cosy dwelling, and small size is integral to the description, but in other places such as Canada, the term exists with no connotation of size at all (cf. vicarage or hermitage).
wales luxury cottages

River Conwy

The River Conwy (Welsh: Afon Conwy) is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over 27 miles (43 km) long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."

Betws-y-Coed

Betws-y-Coed is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It has a population of 534. The name Betws or Bettws is generally thought to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon Old English 'bed-hus' - ie. a bead-house - a house of prayer, or oratory. The earliest record of the name is 'Betus', in 1254.

Betws-y-Coed lies in the Snowdonia National Park, in a valley near the point where the River Conwy is joined by the River Llugwy and the River Lledr, and was founded around a monastery in the late sixth century. The village grew very slowly with the development of the local lead mining industry. In 1815, the Waterloo Bridge built by Thomas Telford to carry the A5 road across the River Conwy and through the village, brought considerable transport-related development. The village became a major coaching centre between Corwen (to the east) and Capel Curig (to the west) on the Irish Mail route from London to Holyhead, which led to the improvement of the roads south to Blaenau Ffestiniog and north to Llanrwst and Conwy. It is a primary destination for the purpose of road signs.

Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth (English: Mouth of the River Ystwyth) is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. It is often colloquially known as Aber, and is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol.

Cardigan Bay

Cardigan Bay (Welsh: Bae Ceredigion) is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales, between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire

Cardigan Bay has numerous beaches and unique marine life (such as dolphins). From the Ceredigion Coast Path it is possible to observe Bottlenose Dolphins and Atlantic Grey Seals.

Much of the coast surrounding the bay is fertile farmland, dotted with towns and seaside resorts such as Fishguard, New Quay, Aberaeron, Aberystwyth, Borth, Aberdyfi, Tywyn, Barmouth, Porthmadog and Pwllheli on the Cambrian Coast.

Major rivers flowing into the bay include the Afon Glaslyn, Teifi, Rheidol, Dyfi, Aeron, Dysynni and Mawddach.

Mute Swans in flight

Tremadog

Tremadog provides a notable example of town planning. Its siting, layout, buildings and resulting spaces were all designed to create the impression of a borough. Lacking the wealth to build the town single-handedly, Madocks wished to attract people into Tremadog to build within his overall plan. The most important part of the town was the Market Square, with the backdrop of a sheer cliff giving a theatrical effect to this area. The High Street and Dublin Street form the crossed streets at the top of this square, and are lined by the most significant buildings: the Town Hall and Dancing Room (built in 1805), and the Coaching inn.