Homely Stone Cottage 'Narnia' Natural and idyllic

Located in the stunning and remote 'Artists Valley' (with Beavers) this charming Self Contained Space is in a 75 acre conservation and permaculture site. With unparalleled views, an ideal base for walking, enjoying nature and rural family retreats. The space Hi folks :0) We hope this finds you all well and happy x This cosy Cottage is centrally heated with radiators which are on constantly (please let us know if you are too warm!), is well insulated and gets lovely and homely. There is also a heater in the bathroom :) Upstairs, there is a very large bedroom than can sleep up to 5 (very good!) friends or a young family but is better suited to couples. In the bedroom there is a hand basin with hot running water, a wardrobe and chest of drawers for you to use. The double bed has an electric blanket and there is a screen with a DVD player and some DVDs supplied - please ask us if you would like a selection of films to watch :) Wifi is available in the beautiful Breakfast Room next door - and there is an (moody!) ethernet connection upstairs in the Cottage itself (please bring a laptop with an Ethernet port) but there is a good Wifi signal in both the Gazebo and the Breakfast room. Our connection here at the end of the Valley can on occasion, be temperamental - so just in case, best not to rely on it for life and death situations... but it is normally more than adequate to check emails, download films and make internet video calls. We hope that you will be so busy enjoying the stunning natural landscape that you may forget the internet - just for a moment xxx ;) There is no washing machine in the Cottage, but for those on longer stays (5 days or more), please ask at the main house, and we would be happy to help - £10 for a service wash and dry x The double bed is made up with fresh linens for each stay and extra blankets are supplied in abundance. Linens and towels will be changed once a week for folk on longer stays. If you require additional bedding, sheets and pillowcases etc (for larger groups using the extra sofa bed etc.), we are happy to do so (although they will most likely not match at all!) for a laundry fee of £6 per person. Although there is no open fire in Narnia itself, directly opposite the South facing door is a stunning octagonal glass Gazebo, with a comfy sofa and wood- burning stove - you would have sole use of the Gazebo when you book Narnia! 10 metres from your door, it is a gorgeous space to sit and read, do your emails, share bottle of wine, muse over a jigsaw, knit something or chat indoors.... but outdoors at the same time ;) ...................and it really does get toasty in there in winter with the fire going! - we can provide you with some nice dry wood - please ask for details. It is an amazing place to be in crazy weather! - right in the middle of it, yet warm and dry all at once :) Please note that although the Gazebo is lovely, it is an outdoor structure and the floor can get damp after heavy rain (but the sofa stays dry!) and although we do suck up spider webs regularly, there will always be a few :) The Gazebo is supplied with some dry firewood but we charge £10 per barrow load if you need more. In addition to exploring the whole Permaculture and Conservation site, you would also be able to make the most of our 'Breakfast Room' - a 10 metre Conservatory with glass on 3 sides, tables and chairs to sit at and comfy sofas at the other end. This gorgeous space is for use by everyone at Blaeneinion and is perfect to relax in or check emails on wetter days - please see the photos :) There are lots of plants, a stereo system, some childrens toys (wooden train set has been a big hit!) jigsaws, a piano and a growing and eclectic mixture of books to enjoy. It is a great spot to enjoy looking out at the stars in the evening or enjoying a glass of wine after a long days walking and exploring :) The breakfast room is super-hot on Summer days and comfortably warmed by even the merest sunshine even in Winter.... the stone wall internally retains heat like a big storage heater well into the evenings. Please ask if you would like eggs or fresh produce produced on site (chickens lay much less in Winter though x) For young families -please let us know if need to borrow our travel cot :) Please note that the £10 per night surcharge for extra guests also applies however small the people are, so BABIES AND TODDLERS ARE COUNTED AS AN EXTRA GUEST. Over the past few years we have found that families with young children tend to use more heating and hot water, need travel cots and often more cleaning x We love hosting children so have remarkable facilities for young families - toys, instruments and games, super gentle and friendly animals, a fire pit for toasting marshmallows, kayaks and food that can be foraged on site! ... to make all this possible and enable inspiring and memorable family holidays, all we ask is a small surcharge of £10 per night per person to cover costs. PLEASE ENTER 'INFANTS' as 'CHILDREN OVER 2' in the booking process to make sure it all goes through correctly (I am in an ongoing discussion with Airbnb about all this) It is uncomfortable for us and for you if I to have to ask guests for a surcharge for their little one after a booking request is made :0( Lets all continue making this place special for folk of all ages! Guest access The drive up to Blaeneinion is 10 minutes along a stunning woodland valley single lane track, following the river in places, it is breathtaking, if not a little scary perhaps!? The road is tarmac and fine for all cars - just take it slowly and enjoy :~) We encourage folk to minimise car use - and are very happy to provide a taxi service to and from the station at Machynlleth within reasonable hours for £14 each way if you need it. Please get in touch PRIOR TO BOOKING if this is of interest. As a taxi would normally cost twice as much, and offerring this service takes at least an hour of my time (without compensation), please ensure that your train journey arrival time is mutually agreed and that if you need to do a shopping trip, that time is factored in too so that we are all home by 7pm at the latest. 7pm is when our check-in finishes (to preserve my sanity!) Otherwise, there are some reliable taxi firms in Machynlleth who would be happy to help for a much larger fee. Also an apology that we cannot accept pets on site - we love animals and have lost both poultry and wild birds and animals from dog attacks. Even the most well-behaved dogs leave a strong scent which deters the wild animals from coming near the house... and although we know it's not their fault, we just have to be strict on this issue. We hope you can understand. ~Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have :) Blaeneinion is an idyllic setting - 75 acres at the head of Artists Valley in Mid West Wales. We have planted over 34,000 native saplings in the past 16 years. There are the beginnings of a 2.5 acre Forest Garden with around 100 fruit and nut trees and 600 soft fruit bushes - it is now rabbit-proofed and we are beginning to add perennial edibles like globe artichokes and rhubarb. There are productive vegetable gardens with access to winter greens and some root crops all year round. The poly tunnel and geodesic dome supply us with most herbs, winter salads and oriental greens even in January!. If you would like to buy some of our fresh produce, please ask for help to harvest, and we would be happy to help get what you want :) We have (grumpy!) geese, ducks and chickens, a stream for paddling and a fire pit for al-fresco cooking in the front garden, which we heartily encourage folk to use. There is (usually a little damp) wood scrap available for the fire free of charge, but just ask if you would like to buy a barrow of dry wood (£10) It is a lovely place to hang out with children (rope swing is awesome!) and just exploring the local area, mushroom foraging or looking for lichens, insects or bilberries, preparing meals together or fashioning ornate staffs from local wood can fill your day in a rewarding and simple way. There are 2 waterfalls on site and a gorgeous stream running through the garden. From Blaeneinion, there are breathtaking walks into the Cambrian Mountains and through Plynlimon, and we are within 45 minutes drive of Cadair Idris and on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park for those who enjoy climbing or a scramble. Close to Ynyslas RSPB reserve and the Dyfi Osprey project, there is wildlife everywhere - there are Buzzards, Kites and Owls on site! In the summer, we have several pairs of nesting swallows and redstarts. Mammals here include polecats, stoats, foxes, badgers (a naughty mink) and even naughtier rabbits everywhere (who eat our saplings), and of course there are opportunities to watch our pair of Eurasian Beavers at dusk and dawn in their 2.5 acre enclosure every day. If you prefer the sea, we are 15 minutes drive from Borth and Ynylas beaches (great surfing!) or you can enjoy nestling into the sheltered sand dunes for picnics and BBQs. In the warmer months, there are opportunities to collect Samphire from the esturine mud. There are boat trips out of Aberystwyth and Barmouth from which you can see dolphins in Cardigan Bay. The historic market town of Machynlleth is 20 minutes drive from the house, and has some fantastic old buildings, bookshops, antique places and a lively street market every Wednesday. For those who get withdrawals and need a 'civilisation' fix, the University town of Aberystwyth is 30 mins drive away, with cinemas, restaurants, the National Library of Wales and the famous Arts Centre. Aberystwyth is a charming seaside town with donkeys and a cafe on the beach in summer, and all the banks/supermarkets etc... that anyone may need access to. There are a few delightful steam railways still operating locally - well worth a trip to Devils Bridge, beautiful Dolgellau, 'Blue Lake' and to watch the sunset from Cae Du campsite! So whether you are after a quiet retreat walking, reading or cycling - or if you would just like an affordable 'base' from which to explore the local area, there is a wealth of options! We live and work on site developing the project, and the main house is next to but separate from Narnia. We encourage folk to minimise car use - and are very happy to provide a taxi service to and from the station at Machynlleth within reasonable hours for a suggested donation of £20 each way if you need it. Please get in touch PRIOR TO BOOKING if this is of interest. As a taxi would normally cost much more (local firms charge between £26 and £35 for the same journey) and offering this service takes at least an hour of my time, please ensure that your train journey arrival time is mutually agreed and that if you need to do a shopping trip, that time is factored in too so that we are all home by 7pm at the latest. 7pm is when our check-in finishes (to preserve my sanity!) Otherwise, there are some reliable taxi firms in Machynlleth who would be happy to help at usual rates. Other things to note We have other listings and can accommodate groups of up to 25 people (with some camping) if needed - depending upon availability.