We all look forward to that Holiday away with the family, once a year (or twice if you’re lucky!). This is the second year that my family and I decided to say in the UK and have a family vaycay in South Wales. Last year we had a fantastic time in The Mumbles and the weather was good for us, we managed to visit four different beaches.
This year we decided to travel pass The Mumbles to a little village called Penclawdd. The choice of stay was based on the cottage I found which was bigger than the last and had all the same amenities we have come to expect.
Lydon Cottage was an absolute gem. We parked in the drive and immediately on approach to the gate we were met with magnificient views of the estuary. The entrance to the cottage led straight into the large cream coloured kitchen with open plan dining area and living room. Upstairs led to three, double bedrooms and a large bathroom. The master bedroom was light and airy and was tastefully decorated with a nautical theme. The piece de la resistance was the double sliding doors that led onto a balcony overlooking the estuary.
We had a great time watching the tide come in and out and the different types of birds that came into view. The owners of the cottage very kindly left a pair of heavy duty binoculars so we could observe the wildlife there. One of the highlights was coming back to the cottage after a busy day and sitting on the balcony watching the sunset go down…total bliss!
The weather was not a hot as last year, it didn’t rain but it wasn’t very hot so we only managed to do one beach day. We took the car and drove down the coast to Three Cliffs Bay, a beach that is hidden by some woodlands. It’s a step walk down but gosh, when you reach the bottom, the view is well worth it. It is an un-commercialised beach that has been left pretty much untouched. There are dunes, areas of grass and pretty thistles. It’s a vast, clean beach where it’s easy to find a secluded spot. We took a picnic and enjoyed relaxing on the beach. My son had such fun splashing in the waves as well as building sand castles as any child would!
The rest of our week was spent going to Swansea for something to eat, the Llanelli Wetland Centre where we had such fun canoeing and pond dipping, seeing a family of swans and spotting beautiful butterflies and blue dragonflies. We also attended The National Botanical Gardens of Wales where they had a butterfly farm, gorgeous tropical flowers from all over the world and delicious ice-cream!
We rounded off our week visiting a Chinese restaurant called the Sea Garden that we had be eyeing up. The ambience and food was lovely and all the staff were very child friendly which makes it all the more easier when eating out with children.
It was sad saying goodbye to our lovely cottage, we enjoyed our evenings in cosied up by the fire watching the beginning of the Olympics! Now it’s back to normality and my job of surfing the internet for our next holiday! Family time away is precious as we all know they will all too soon grow up and fly the nest!