Author: Adrian

Natural Resources of Wales have spent many hours carrying the Google Street View Trekker backpack around the paths of Bwlch Nant yr Arian. The result is a high-quality 360 degree Streetview of the paths around the site, so you can see the fantastic views of the Cambrian Mountains and plan your visit!

There is a gallery of all of the Natural Resources of Wales Street Views or you can go straight to the map for Bwlch Nant yr Arian and drag the yellow man from the bottom right corner to one of the trails on the map.
Bwlch Nant yr Arian features walking, mountain biking and running trails, and new this year is an MTB skills track – opens 4th March 2017.
It is also worth planning your visit around the 2pm (3pm during British Summer Time) Red Kite Feeding – down by the lake you can typically see 80 or more Red Kites diving down to pick up food. The feeding only lasts around 15 minutes though, so make sure you are on time!

We have been busy making some changes to the cottages to help maintain our high feedback scores and improve our guests’ experience. Here’s what we have been up to.

Last year we renewed the slate roof over Wye and Severn Cottages. This was to install insulation and repair broken slates, and where possible level out the bumps & dips in the roof. Most of the slate was reused, but we did have to purchase reclaimed Welsh slates for around 15% of the roof to match. The result is much cosier and more energy efficient cottages.

We have also begun pointing the walls – in some cases they are in their original 150-year old state, so this is well overdue!

Throughout all four cottages we have replaced the carpeting with a more neutral, tweed beige carpet. We think it looks great and hope that you agree!

We have updated the WiFi network with new equipment to improve link stability.

In Elan, Severn and Wye Cottages we have repainted the skirting boards, architrave and banisters, which we think lightens the rooms. We have also redecorated the walls and ceilings upstairs in Hafren, Severn and Wye – and we will be doing the rest in Spring / Summer 2017. While we were decorating, we spotted “1847” carved into a roof truss in Severn Cottage – this is almost certainly the year that the barn was built.

Part of our 4 star Visit Wales grading is based on an assessment of the look and feel of the cottages; we hope that you agree that the changes we have made are positive and will help us maintain our standard.

In September 2014 the Top Gear crew visited the Elan Valley to film an item about the Landrover Defender. Richard Hammond uses the Landrover with a winch to a make a heart-stopping ascent of the Claerwen dam in the Elan valley, recreating an advert from the 1980s for the Landrover 90.

Six dams were built as part of the Elan Valley project which started in 1893, although Dol-y-Mynach, also on the River Claerwen, was never completed. Today the dams provide 360 million litres of water a day to Birmingham. The Elan Valley offers spectacular views and can be reached in around 15 minutes from Wye View – well worth a day out!

You can see the Top Gear programme at 8pm on Sunday the 15th of February.

Picture from the Elan Valley website.

Visitors to Wye View may have the opportunity to see the Geminids meteor shower, on Saturday 13 December from around 9pm – subject to weather. With some of the darkest skies in the UK, this remote part of mid Wales is the perfect location for amateur astronomers to observe this shower. Wrap up warm and watch the skies!

The Llanidloes Christmas Arts & Craft Fair is running from Monday to Saturday until the 24th of December. More details on their Facebook page.