Summer 2021 bookings, share your plans

[DisneyDaffodil]

As travel overseas seems less likely this year, I thought I’d share my plans for our UK breaks. We decided to use Airbnb as they were fantastic dealing and refunding our cancelled trip last year and they have an excellent no fuss cancellation policy on many of their properties this year. The trips I’ve booked are for myself, DH, DD (20) and our small dog.

Please join in and share your bookings here too

Firstly I've booked a cottage in Dorset in June. It’s in a small village called Dewlish and right next door to a pub with a beer garden that serves good food. The cottage itself has excellent reviews, 2 double bedrooms and one bathroom, a log burner and underfloor heating, large tv, leather sofas and fully equipped kitchen. It looks very comfortable. It doesn’t have any outdoor space but apparently the village is pleasant to walk around and there are walks nearby for the dog. It’s around 20 minutes from Corfe, 30 minutes from Weymouth and 45 from Lyme Regis. This can be cancelled with full refund up to 24 hours before travel, 50% thereafter

The second is a cottage in Ceredigion in a town called Tregaron for a week in July. This has double and twin bedded rooms, comfortable living room with smart tv and Netflix and a wood burner, a garden space with flowers and bird feeders and a lawn with badminton equipment. This also looks very comfortable and welcoming. The small town itself has cafes, pubs, takeaways and a few shops and is also good for dog walking. The beautiful Welsh coastline and resorts of Aberystwyth, Aberearon and New Quay are around 20-30 minutes away and there is a nature reserve at the edge of the town itself that we are keen to visit for walks with our dog. This can be cancelled with full refund 5 days before travelling, 50% thereafter

We do have a holiday booked in October to Majorca for just DH and myself using a deposit from a cancelled holiday with EasyJet from last year which may or may not be possible. I have to pay balance or rearrange by the beginning of September so hopefully things will be clearer by then

Any tips for places to visit in Dorset or Ceredigion that are dog friendly and not too crowded? We have visited both areas before but we’ve never stayed in Ceredigion, just visited Aberystwyth for uni viewings and have stayed in Dorset a few times before but not for at least 18 years so DD can’t remember it at all. It will be fun to explore these lovely areas of our own country. I do hope we get good weather this summer 😀

Anyone else booked anything yet? Let me know your plans 😀

[CrispyA]

Sounds lovely! There is a nice coastal path between Aberystwyth and Borth - you could get the train one way and walk the other. Not sure if Borth Animalarium still exists. The beach at Ynys Las is also lovely.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by CrispyA

Sounds lovely! There is a nice coastal path between Aberystwyth and Borth - you could get the train one way and walk the other. Not sure if Borth Animalarium still exists. The beach at Ynys Las is also lovely.

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We love walking the Pembrokeshire coastal path so will definitely check the walk out. I’ve not heard of the beach either so that’s one to put on the list.

Is Borth Animalirium the zoo? I think it’s still open (not currently due to Covid of course) We saw a 3 part documentary on BBC2 Wales just a few weeks ago about it. It’s the zoo that had an escaped lynx and another one who died in sad circumstances a few years ago, sadly the escaped one was shot too. The documentary followed the story mainly from the zoo owners point of view so was largely sympathetic towards them and showed their struggle and their efforts to get the zoo to a decent standard since then. They seemed to care about the animals but lacked the funds and knowledge to run the zoo to a high standard. It sadly looks very run down

[Lostbrain]

My ancestors are from Tregaron. Moved to London in the 1920s, still have a couple of cousins in Aberystwyth. We often do an Easter break at the Haven site in New Quay. It's a beautiful town, great ice cream parlour!

Hoping to head to Wales this Easter if we can, if not we will look to do a long weekend over the summer. We used to go with my dad and I've not been back since he died. We have his ashes I want to scatter at New Quay and my great uncles to bury at the chapel in Tregaron. Not the most fun trip ever, but will be lovely to get it done, we had planned to go last Easter but obviously couldn't travel then.

I second a trip to Ynys Las, beautiful beach, great for a morning stroll to blow the cobwebs away.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by Lostbrain

My ancestors are from Tregaron. Moved to London in the 1920s, still have a couple of cousins in Aberystwyth. We often do an Easter break at the Haven site in New Quay. It's a beautiful town, great ice cream parlour!

Hoping to head to Wales this Easter if we can, if not we will look to do a long weekend over the summer. We used to go with my dad and I've not been back since he died. We have his ashes I want to scatter at New Quay and my great uncles to bury at the chapel in Tregaron. Not the most fun trip ever, but will be lovely to get it done, we had planned to go last Easter but obviously couldn't travel then.

I second a trip to Ynys Las, beautiful beach, great for a morning stroll to blow the cobwebs away.

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Although it will be a sad trip for you this year, hopefully it will bring you some peace and you can also take time to relax in the beautiful area too.

I love ice cream, I actually challenged myself to eat 50 ice creams in a year for my 50th birthday and succeeded 😂 so the ice cream parlour in New Quay is now on the list too. I checked Ynys Las beach and it’s beautiful and dog friendly so that’s also on the list

[Lostbrain]

I actually don't think it will be that sad, I've done the sadness already, I think it'll be a weight off my mind when I've laid them to rest.

It is a really really beautiful part of the world, dad said he always felt he was going home when he drove there, even though he was born in London and never lived in Wales, he felt it was his spiritual home!

I'm really looking forward to going back, there's nowhere in the world better than a beach in mid-Wales on a sunny day. Such a shame the sun is so unpredictable, if we could rely upon it I'd save a fortune on flights to FL!

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by Lostbrain

I actually don't think it will be that sad, I've done the sadness already, I think it'll be a weight off my mind when I've laid them to rest.

It is a really really beautiful part of the world, dad said he always felt he was going home when he drove there, even though he was born in London and never lived in Wales, he felt it was his spiritual home!

I'm really looking forward to going back, there's nowhere in the world better than a beach in mid-Wales on a sunny day. Such a shame the sun is so unpredictable, if we could rely upon it I'd save a fortune on flights to FL!

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We often go to Pembrokeshire which is close to Ceredigion as you know, and I feel the stress lifting as we leave the motorway and head towards the coast. It really is a lovely unspoilt area with fantastic scenery. You are right when you say about the weather though, we’ve been there some Julys and battled gales and heavy rain for the entire week. I hope both our trips fare better this year with sunny weather

[CrispyA]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

We love walking the Pembrokeshire coastal path so will definitely check the walk out. I’ve not heard of the beach either so that’s one to put on the list.

Is Borth Animalirium the zoo? I think it’s still open (not currently due to Covid of course) We saw a 3 part documentary on BBC2 Wales just a few weeks ago about it. It’s the zoo that had an escaped lynx and another one who died in sad circumstances a few years ago, sadly the escaped one was shot too. The documentary followed the story mainly from the zoo owners point of view so was largely sympathetic towards them and showed their struggle and their efforts to get the zoo to a decent standard since then. They seemed to care about the animals but lacked the funds and knowledge to run the zoo to a high standard. It sadly looks very run down

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It looked pretty run down when we were at Uni in the 90s!

[CrispyA]

We have booked to go to Dartmoor in September. I don’t know the area at all but am looking forward to walking and visiting the seaside as well. And cream teas!

Any Dartmoor recs would be happily received.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by CrispyA

We have booked to go to Dartmoor in September. I don’t know the area at all but am looking forward to walking and visiting the seaside as well. And cream teas!

Any Dartmoor recs would be happily received.

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Dartmoor is lovely, lots of great walks and some lovely beaches. It’s handy for both South and North Devon.

Dartmouth, Brixham and Exmouth are nice to visit in the south, North Devon has Woolacombe Bay and Croyde or the North Cornish resort of Bude. Okehampton is a nice town to wander around on Dartmoor. I also remember a butterfly farm somewhere on Dartmoor that was pleasant to visit, which I believe had otters too (unless that was 2 separate attractions and I’ve mixed them up 😂 )