Hafod, Bryn Hall

Stunning two bedroom cottage situated at 1000ft above sea level within Snowdonia National Park. Fantastic sea views, incredibly quiet mountain location in one wing of a historic quarry owner's house & former youth hostel. Perfectly situated for exploring the mountains & coastline of N. Wales, you will be genuinely amazed at our location nestled high in the mountains but so close to the sea. 10 mins drive from Zip World Penrhyn Quarry. Clean, modern & well appointed. Ample parking. The space Hafod is a two bedroomed stone built cottage forming part of Bryn Hall. Its location gives it spectacular views whilst snuggling just under Moel Wnion (a 1900 foot mountain in the Carneddau Range). The cottage has many original features including a stunning inglenook fireplace and exposed stonework. We bought Bryn Hall in December 2015 and are restoring it to its former glory; it was once the summer house and hunting lodge of Lord Penrhyn and family (of Penrhyn Castle - just down the road and visible from the house) and is a fairly grand old house of unusual proportions for this area. Our location makes us really quite special; we are just a few minutes drive from the A55, the A5 and Bangor (including the train station) yet we are totally secluded, 1000 feet above sea level and within Snowdonia National Park. To top it off we are also only a couple of miles away from the Menai Straits with lovely sea views down to Penmon Point and much further away to the English Coast and even the Isle of Man. Bryn Hall was once the Quarry Owner's house for the adjacent slate quarry - Bryn Hafod y Wern. Our access road brings you up steeply through the quarry waste tips and past the deep quarry pool. This rather stark industrial landscape opens out to a plateau at the foot of Moel Wnion where Bryn Hall is contained within a high stone and slate wall. The last mile of road up to Bryn Hall is single track with passing places. It is rare to encounter a car coming the other way but sometimes you may need to reverse. The last 400m of this mile is unadopted so not tarmac and is steep in places. It is fine in all normal cars but can take a little bit of getting used to. The views from the house are worth it! We have super fast internet throughout the cottage and outside in the yard too. The word hafod is Welsh for 'summer dwelling' or 'farm', and refers to the seasonal movement of livestock and people from a lowland winter pasture at the main residence (Welsh - hendre) to a higher summer pasture from roughly May through October. But don't think that Hafod, Bryn Hall is not suitable for year round use - it has central heating as well as an efficient, modern wood burner - it is warm and cosy. Guest access Hafod is entirely separate from Bryn Hall (the house in which we live) - semi-detached, with its own front door. You will have a dining table and chairs outside Hafod in our walled courtyard (and a small lawn by the pond on the central island / roundabout), but at the moment will not be able to access our garden as it still needs a lot of work to re-tame it. Other things to note There are bits of our house and land that we have not yet started to renovate, or are in the process of doing so. This will not impact on you in any way but there may be evidence of building work or unfinished bits in other areas. Hafod is fully renovated, redecorated and finished.