Some news from the Countrypad
It is March and surely spring time. To quote a good friend, getting to March is like getting to Wednesday…
The first lambs are leaping about the valleys and the snow drops and crocuses are replacing winter’s frosting.
Countrypad PR
The Countrypad, Felin Newydd and Blaencwm – all is going swimmingly! We have had some amazing PR coverage lately; Conde Nast Brides Magazine has listed us under the “100 top wedding venues in the UK” and Marie Claire wrote about us under the title “Welsh wonder”. We were also listed in the Sunday Times Travel section at the end of January under their recommendation of “100 cool cottages” in the country. To view the articles please click www.countrypad.co.uk/press.php
Spring offers!
To celebrate winter’s departure we have put together some special spring offers for you at Felin Newydd House:
If you book within 7 days of your arrival date we will offer you a 50% discount! This means £1450 instead of £2990 for weekends (or £40 per person per night based upon 18 pax.) and only £2,875 for week bookings.
Bookings taken within 4 weeks of your arrival date will receive an extra night for free for weekend bookings and the week bookings will be discounted at 20%
*offers end 1.May and are subject to availability.
Local Events
Our wonderful location is a perfect setting for a weekend, week or even longer and you will never get bored. There are always activities and events for everyone’s taste. The Wye Valley, the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains offer the ideal playground to enjoy fishing, hiking, trekking, paragliding, picnicking, bird watching, cycling, kayaking etc. In addition there are a range of “events” during the next 3 months in our calendar worth attending:
26th February – 14th March Borderlines Film Festival, Hereford “Food for thought in the Welsh marches” www.borderlinesfilmfestival.co.uk
6th March Brecon and Talybont Point to Point, Llanfrynach, Great fun, exciting racing, wonderful location under the Brecon Beacons and a very warm welcome in the Beer Tent. Perfect opportunity to demonstrate one’s hamper filling skills and expose it to the great and the good…..
16th – 18th April RHS Spring Flower Show, Cardiff Castle www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Show-Cardiff/2010
8th April Monmouthshire Point to Point, Llanvapley, Monmouth as B&T but under the Sugar Loaf
1st - 2nd May International Antiques and Collectors Fair at the Royal Welsh Show ground, Builth Wells www.rwas.co.uk/en/facilities/2010-events-diary
12th May Cider and Perry Festival, Cider Museum, Hereford www.cidermuseum.co.uk/
15th - 16th May Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival www.rwas.co.uk/society
27th May – 6th June Hay Festival of Literature, Hay on Wye. www.hayfestival.com The headliners this year include Quentin Blake, Bill Bryson, Tom Stoppard, Tina Brown, Roddy Doyle, Pervase Musharraf, Orguestra Buena Vista Social Club, Zadie Smith, Henning Mankell, Christy Moore, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ruby Wax, Joss Ackland, to name just a few…
The Six Nations Rugby Union Tournament
Thinking Ahead: The Six Nations Rugby Union Tournament – Felin Newydd is only 50 miles from the Millenium Stadium, roughly an hour’s drive. Those who are not so keen on the game can remain at the house and be pampered by our friendly beautician and therapist. Call us for more information or ideas.
Weddings
Oh and Elizabeth and I are now Married! I think this is entitled to steal a little space in this Newsletter. A very winter wonderland wedding in Norway at -30C and a celebratory knees up at Felin Newydd 2 weeks later. Snow everywhere, cancelled flights, frozen airports, globally scattered wedding guests and still everything on both occasions, went off pretty much seamlessly – we even had sunshine in Wales! In truth the last six weeks have been so incredibly wonderful that I could probably lose control of this writing moment of mine. There, reined back in.
To all of you please have a wonderful March and we hope to see you at some stage soon in Wales.
The Countrypad Team
Easter in Wales, Hay-on-Wye, The Hay Literary Festival, The Brecon Beacons, The Black Mountains: come and enjoy our wonderful corner of Great Britain!
Easter brought unexpected but not unusual great weather - the familiar complaint that it rains as soon as you cross from Wales into England was all too often heard! We continue to try and improve Felin Newydd; this month we are introducing a new area to pitch a marquee for weddings and larger events. This will help to make the alternatives for weddings held at FN more flexible.
The first run of the Hay Festival programme has been released. Lots of great names to quench your thirst for knowledge:
Desmond Tutu, Tony Curtis, Alaa Al Aswany , Immodesty Blaize , Henning Mankell , Dylan Moran , Michael Morpungo, Jeremy Paxman , Amartya Sen , David Simon , Nicholas Stern , Sarah Waters
and many many more…
Springtime in Wales - Stay at Felin Newydd and go Fishing, Walking, Camping, Riding, Canoeing or watch the rugby in Cardiff!
Birdsong, snowdrops, lush green grass, newborn lambs, and burbling brooks: spring is unmissable in this wonderful county. I have to kick myself so I do not forget how lucky I am to be able to enjoy the incredible scenery of the Black Mountains and The Brecon Beacons National Park. River walks along the Wye and Usk or when I am able, a spot of fly flicking on these two beautiful rivers. The darkness of winter seems like an impossibility as nature is springing to life all about us. I ramble on…I hope the Welsh XV have what it takes to retain the Six nations Championship Title! You see, I can focus on the important things in life when I have to. Incidentally Felin Newydd is only 55 mins from Cardiff Central and the Millenium Stadium making it an ideal get-away base for the Cardiff scene.
Hay-on-Wye, The Black Mountains and Snow
Although Will & Jane, our neighbours, may not agree the snow brings an awesome crystal beauty to an already stunning part of the United Kingdom. Will has however started lambing and 10 days of frozen ground, snow drifts and ice filled water troughs is inconvenient to say the least. It has all gone now though only white scars on Pen-y-fan and Lord Hereford’s Knob are left. Welsh Lambs are skipping and frolicking about this countryside which was surely provided for us to rear the finest quality livestock for our Sunday Roast. Happy Valentine’s Day!
The New Year - “Cool Country Hideaways” Grazia
Felin Newydd reaches the dizzy heights of being chosen by Grazia Magazine as their principle property in their article about Cool Country House Hideaways.
Hay-on-Wye is not only about The Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival but is a fantastic part of the world to spend trawling through boutiques, thumbing antique books of every subject and sitting by log fires with a pint and a bowl of home-made cawl. The magic of winter can be truly enjoyed in the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons of Mid Wales.
A beautiful Country home for a Breconshire Christmas
Shopping in Hay-on-Wye obviously a good selection of books new and old and also lovely boutiques: Bowie & Holbert, The Great English Outdoors, Chattels, F J Williams, the Thursday Market providing a great selection of local produce from foie gras and brioche to faggots and Swedes! Frosty walks in The Brecon Beacons or along the Gospel Pass, a spot of Pheasant Shooting or a good day out with The Golden valley Hunt – their Boxing Day Meet under the Clock Tower in the centre of Hay-on-Wye is a perfect example of this age old tradition. Our guests this year, however, confess to spending a lot of time sampling wine and smoked salmon in front of Felin Newydd’s open fires and not very much time exerting too much energy outside!
Accommodation for the Globe Hay-on-Wye “Art Beats Recession” Festival
As the Hay Literary Festival throws its Winter Event a new and excitingly different cafe/artistic event venue decided to run a parallel complimentary occasion of their own. A series of characters related to the world of art were invited by The Globe to venture into the Black Mountains, stay at Felin Newydd House and discuss, debate and unwrangle various topics to do with art in today’s world at the Globe. Anthony Haydn Guest, Ben Lewis, Joe La Placa, Fiona Macdonald, Wolfe Lenkiewicz, Alison Jackson, Bruce Millar, Gavin Turk and Cynthia Corbett made up this highly knowing throng.
Accommodation for the Abergavenny Food Festival
“Abergavenny is to food what Cannes is to film, an annual festival for spotting rising stars in Britain’s artisan-food firmament”. So said Joanna Blythman in the March edition of Observer Food Monthly. The tenth Abergavenny Food Festival, which took place over the weekend 20 and 21 September, continued the trend by celebrating a decade of gastronomic delights and culinary innovation, informing, educating and entertaining thousands in its unique market town setting. The event always brings together people who care passionately about food to share their expertise, explore new enthusiasms, debate long into the night – and have enormous fun. Abergavenny is our nearest train station and is situated approx. 40 minutes by car from Felin Newydd House.
Accommodation for the Brecon Jazz Festival
The 25th Anniversary of the Brecon Intrernational Jazz Festival – this was our jazz baptism, having been born and bred in Breconshire but have never really dipped my toe into the wonderful world of jazz, there was no escape this time and thank the Lord! The Festival Organisers decided to put together a very special band to celebrate their 25th Anniversary and asked us to provide the board and lodging – Joe Temperley and his lovely wife Laurie, Scott Hamilton, John Pearce, Dave Green, Steve Brown, Martin Taylor, John Bunch, James Taylor and their highly organized organizer Brian Peerless. It was an absolute pleasure looking after them all and hope that we may do so again in the future.
Accommodation for the Royal Welsh Show
This has to be seen to fully appreciate the extraordinary atmosphere at the stockman’s show as it is often known as opposed to The Royal Show being the Showman’s show. Four days of all aspects of rural and agricultural life attended by 100s of 1000s of adults and children from all over the world – yet again set against the most incredible back drop of the Wye Valley in the heart of some of Wales’ most beautiful countryside - and only 25 minutes from Felin Newydd!