Let's Celebrate - St David's Day

It's St David's Day and to celebrate here's a selection of things that the Welsh will remember from their childhood and the amazing voice of Kizzy Crawford singing Calon Lan as part of the BBC Wales' advert for the Six Nations Rugby.

And although you may not be able to get out and about today in Wales, I'm going to do my bit for the Welsh Tourist Board and urge you to think about visiting some day.

There are some amazing sights to see, things to do, places to relax in or get the adrenalin going and some very nice people to boot.

Happy St David's Day or, as they say in Wales, Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus!

And today's link isn't even tenuous.  We have the perfect gifts to help you celebrate.

Our cute Welsh dragon hat or T-shirt.  Click on the image to go through to our online shop. 

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Great Escapes - Wales

It doesn't surprise me to read that Wales has been voted the top country in the world to visit in 2014 by readers of one of the planet's leading guide books.  Rough Guides readers cited 'some great mountain ranges, lush valleys, a ragged coastline and ancient castles' as their reasons for putting Wales at the top of their list.  Here is a selection of images that will more than demonstrate what the readers had discovered.

Abereiddi

Snowdonia

Lllyn Fan Fach

 These are some of the places I'm lucky enough to walk each day with my dog, Tyler.

Laugharne

Amroth

And sitting right at the far west of Carmarthenshire, we're just a stone's throw from Pembrokeshire with its sweeping beaches and quaint villages to lily ponds and ancient stone churches.  These images could be mistaken for being any number of places around the British Isles, from Cornwall to Cumbria, but they were all taken in a single county.

Barafundle

Bosherston

Marloes

Pentre Ifan

Porthgain

To celebrate the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s 60th anniversary, they have published photographs they hope will inspire people to get out and visit one of these special views.  You can visit the authority's website to see more and to download some walks around these beautiful sights.

And hidden away far from the pages of Lonely Planet and often known only to the native or the inquisitive are some gems every bit as exciting as Caernarfon Castle or Broad Haven beach.  Here are a few that you can discover for yourself.

Ceibwr Bay

Pistyll Rhaeadr

Llanthony Priory

And because we're proud of our Welsh heritage and association we've got the perfect hat for your little 'un too!  Check out our Red Dragon.

We hope to see you soon.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Days Out - top beaches, Porthminster, Cornwall

You could be forgiven for being mistaken that you were in the Caribbean, but in fact this is Porthminster Beach in Cornwall.

They say the light in St Ives is quite unique and the reason that so many artists are drawn to the area and it's not difficult to see why.

Porthminster Beach features in our top ten of British Beaches.  It's more sheltered than St Ives' other main beach and with soft golden sand, it's perfect for families.

A highly rated cafe is nearby so there are ice-creams and other snacks easily to hand.

Getaways - Langford Court, nr Cullompton, Devon

To B&B or not to B&B .... need not be the question if you stay here.  All the luxury of a holiday let, but with the ingredients for a full English delivered every day, so you could enjoy a hearty breakfast at your leisure.

Langford Court South is an amazing wing of a medieval manor that's mentioned in the Domesday Book and is still a working dairy farm today.  

With room for up to six people, We were greedy and it was just the 2 of us so we could pick the bedroom we wanted.  In the end we went for the gallery bedroom you can see above.  The en-suite has a roll top bath!  Luxury!

We were disappointed to have been there in June as we couldn't take advantage of the woodburner, but we made good use of the snooker table and comfy sofas to watch DVDs and catch up on some reading.

However we could take advantage of the deck and garden, enjoying the view of the lake with its rowing boat.  You can fish here too if you like. 

But if you do prefer not to make your own breakfast, you can stay in the B&B in the North wing with it's lovely lounge.

Everywhere you look there are lovely artefacts and trinkets.  And it became a quest to find something in the wing they hadn't already put there.  Cotton buds, sewing kits, torches, games, DVDs, picnic blankets, ..... we lost.  We couldn't think of anything they hadn't already thought of!

Oh yes, there welcome basket is difficult to better too.  An amazing lemon drizzle cake and restocked basics like milk, bread, butter.  You will not be disappointed.