You never quite know what the weather's going to bring with a break away in the UK do you?
Chances are, in February half term especially, there's going to be some rain. But what better way to spend it that in a cosy cottage in North Wales.
Cottage might be the wrong word, as it conjures up images of tiny rooms you couldn't swing a cat in, let alone take an energetic Labrador. Whereas Bwthyn Carregwen is in fact a pretty big three-bedroom house in Dwygyfylchi, just a few minutes from the ever popular Conwy and its thirteenth century castle.
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Set in the secluded countryside with just a few other houses dotted about for company, it's the perfect place for exploring not only the attractions of North Wales, but the rambling hills on your doorstep.
The reverse level accommodation has clearly been done with the views of the surrounding hills in mind, so while it felt a little strange to be heading upstairs to the living area, it certainly made sense once we were up there.
It's got everything any family would need too - a modern kitchen with all the essentials and its own dining room tucked away, offering a little privacy away from the main living area.
Of course when you go away with a teen and tween, their life would obviously be unbearable without wifi, and, despite being somewhat in the sticks, thankfully ours was superpowered, plus we had Netflix too. Winner.
It wasn't long before we settled in, helped by the home-from-home vibe this place exudes.
Having walks and trails so readily available on the doorstep was a godsend and our dog, Milo, thought all his Christmases had come at once to have the hills and the beach so close by for a change. He thought he'd found a friend in the hills but, unbeknown to him, it was just his echo. Amusing at first but it wore a bit thin after a while.
The nearest beach was Conwy Morfa Beach, just a few minutes' drive from the house, and while we didn't let Milo off because of the strong current, he enjoyed a good swim on his long line and there was loads of space for him to run around on the pebbles and sand.
The kids, being 12 and 14, weren't too impressed with a blustery seafront walk, but it did us all good to blow away the cobwebs.
They enjoyed the fish and chips of Conwy more and it's a lovely town to wander around, snapping that obligatory photo in front of The Smallest House in Great Britain of course.
Their best day however was at Zip World Fforest, where we sampled the delights of the alpine roller coaster and the not so delightful Plummet 2, where you fall 100ft through a trapdoor.
The attraction is just half an hour from the house and close to the beautiful village of Betws-y-Coed, otherwise known as 'the gateway to Snowdonia', where many people head to enjoy further walking and bike trails.
We enjoyed an hour or two visiting the row of independent shops there and landed on a gem of a place to eat with Hangin' Pizzeria, which was so good in fact we went back the following day.
It wasn't much of a wet week in Wales after all, except for Milo that is. There was the odd bit of rain to contend with, but with such a lovely house to call home for a week and glorious surroundings shouting out to be explored, it would take more than a bit of drizzle to put a damper on our stay.
Bwthyn Carregwen can be booked with Sykes Holiday Cottages, costing from £495 for seven nights. Visit the Sykes Holiday Cottages website to see the full range of properties available. To find out more about Zip World and to book tickets, visit the website.
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