We all enjoyed our stay in this beautiful old cottage which is full of character. We found it very warm even when it was snowing outside! We had quite a mix of weather in the week that we stayed here .... everything from snow and hail and pouring rain to sunshine! The cottage was very cosy and a lovely place to return to following a day's walk in the cold! It is in a lovely location - it didn't take us long to get to many beautiful parts of Snowdonia for walks, and we also did a lovely walk from the cottage itself.

We drove to Snowdon itself on one day (it only took just over an hour to reach the car park at the start of the Snowdon Ranger Path). We managed to get to the summit despite poor weather conditions (it was -13 degrees, with deep snow and ice at the summit and foggy conditions!) It was still worth the climb and we managed to get some views through clouds as it cleared on our descent. An ascent of Snowdon just had to be done while we were there as it was our son's 13th birthday and he wanted to climb Snowdon to celebrate!

We would recommend other walks such as the Precipice walk near Dolgellau where there are some fantastic views! The Cader Idris looked particularly spectacular from this walk as it was covered in snow. The walk up the Cader Idris on the Minffordd path is also worth the effort - but due to the snow coverage we didn't quite make it to the summit, as having experienced Snowdon in these conditions we decided against doing the other summits that were covered as more snow had fallen since our ascent of Snowdon.

Another recommendation while in the area is purchasing a Cambrian Coastal Ranger Ticket from Machynlleth station which allows all day travel up the coastal railway line all the way to Pwllheli in the North to Aberystwyth in the South. It only cost £21 for a family pass (really good value!) We enjoyed 2 hours in Barmouth where we climbed to the summit overlooking Barmouth and the estuary and surrounding mountains - probably the best view we had the whole holiday (and we had some amazing views!) We also got off at Porthmadog and again climbed to the summit overlooking Porthmadog and the coast and estuary - again fabulous views! The train ride itself was also beautiful with incredible views as it follows the coast all the way.

Also on our recommendation list is visiting RSPB Reserve on Ynis-Hir near Machynlleth. It the reserve where BBC Springwatch used to be filmed at prior to moving to Minsmere in Suffolk (£10 for a family to visit). It is a beautiful reserve with lots of hides and walks. Just along from that is the Dyfi Osprey Project (£3 entrance for adults - children free or £6 for a weekly pass). It is well worth visiting at the moment as an Osprey has already returned so we were able to view it from the amazing hide that has been built on the nest. It is actually the nest of Monty the star of BBC Springwatch, but currently Blue24 is there at the nest. Opposite these reserves is a lovely walk just above the hamlet of Furnace - beautiful views can be experienced of the Dovey estuary from that walk. We also came across some wild ponies who were remarkably friendly and came up to greet us.

There is so much to do in this area that we all want to come back! Really recommend to anyone who loves the outdoors.