Snowdonia Hideaway

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

Read our comprehensive review of this listing printed in our bi-monthly magazine.

Name: Snowdonia Hideaway
Reviewer:   Hannah Isted  

We recently travelled up from Barry in South Wales to Snowdonia in North Wales with our two chocolate Labradors, Bernie and Lacey. Having got married back in October, we were looking forward to a welcome break in the countryside with the dogs after what had been a busy few months. Snowdonia Hideaway is a converted barn with plenty of character and beautiful wooden beams. From the moment we walked in it was clear that everything had been thought of for us and our dogs. The main area is a living room with a cosy log burner and a well-equipped kitchen with a dining table. It’s off the beaten track and you could easily have everything you need to relax in peace for a few days. There were throws to put on the sofas (we also brought some of our own just to make sure we were well covered), bowls to use, and a bottle of fizz and a card waiting for us too. As well as a comfy super king-size bedroom, there were soaps and toiletries to use during our stay and there were lots of thoughtful touches like the cosy Welsh throws. It  is requested that dogs stay in the kitchen and living room with a separate door that leads to the bedroom and bathroom. The garden was well fenced, even for two large dogs that like to jump up and it also has the main feature we were looking forward to, a wood-fired hot tub.

 On our first day we decided to go and explore the local area, starting with a walk at Aberdyfi beach, a 15-minute drive away. There was easyto- find free parking available and a path to follow to the sand dunes, which led to a huge open beach that went on for miles. Note that dogs are not allowed on the area of beach in front of the car park between 1 April and 30 September. The rest of the beach, from the dunes on, is dog friendly all year, with some restrictions. We have two rescue dogs and one can be reactive, so it was great that they were able to have a good run around in the sand. The weather was windy, to say the least, so we only saw a couple of people on our whole walk. After a couple of hours’ walking, we decided to drive into the town of Aberdyfi. You can follow the beach round to get there which we would have done if the weather was nicer. As it was the offseason not everything was open, but we did find a spot to sit outside in the winter sunshine for some chips and some ice cream for dessert. We would love to come back in the summer to visit some more of the shops and restaurants too. 

The following day we decided to head over to Machynlleth, home to the Machynlleth Comedy Festival. There were plenty of charity shops in the town including one aptly named ‘The Dog Shop’ and lots of lovely independents. We were lucky that the market also takes place on Wednesdays so we could take a look around the stalls too.

We decided to go for food at Cafe Chakra which was delicious. Dogs are allowed but only from one household at a time, so it is worth ringing ahead. We came home that afternoon with two tired dogs ready to relax in front of the log burner with a film. For our final day we decided to wander around the local area where there are plenty of walks to try. Snowdonia Hideaway sits on three acres of land so we started there and then got in the car to go to Dolgoch Falls. But there are plenty of walking guides supplied, including for the Wales Coast Path. At Dolgoch Falls there are three waterfalls to see which form part of the Nant Dol-Góch stream with a large car park just a short walk away. The dogs loved watching the waterfalls and we only saw a couple of other people while we were there. There are different options for the length of walk you can try or you can turn it into a trip on the Talyllyn Steam Railway. This dog friendly railway stops in the village near the lodge and has rides to the beach, waterfalls and forest. The railway passes through Dolgoch Falls and from April has daily steam trains running through which are also dog friendly. Even though it wasn’t open we loved the signage and getting the chance to explore. 

We came back for our final evening and Katy, the owner of Snowdonia Hideaway, helped us to get the hot tub started which takes a couple of hours to heat up. When it was ready it was really special to sit in a warm hot tub under the stars surrounded by fields and mountains during a freezing November. On the way home we stopped off at the Hills in Brecon, which serves our favourite burgers and is completely dog friendly too. It was the perfect way to finish off a great couple of days exploring Wales and we can’t wait to come back in the summer.

Snowdonia Hideaway Reviewed by Hannah Isted and appears in DogFriendly magazine issue 83.  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine