Ten things you never knew about Wales…

It’s Saint David’s Day, or Dydd Gwyl Dewi if you prefer. The day when across the country, we get all patriotic and don our leeks and daffodils with pride. Children dress up as miners, sheep, rugby players or any other stereotype you can think of and we all eat bara brith, cawl and welsh cakes all day.

Ok, maybe I’ve gone a little too far, but we do love our St David’s celebrations so on our special day, here are ten fascinating facts about Wales that you never knew…

Wales is widely believed to have more castles per square mile than any country in the world. Come and see for yourself!

There are four times as many sheep as people living in Wales. That is anĀ  awful lot of sheep!

Marconi’s first radio transmission in 1897 was between two points in Wales

Major Walter Clopton Wingfield is generally credited with inventing lawn tennis when in 1873 he designed and patented a similar game for his guests to play on his estate of Nantclwyd in Llanelidan Wales.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch , meaning St Maryā€™s church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the red cave is the second longest place name in the world!

Robert Recorde of Pembrokeshire invented the ā€œequal toā€ sign.

The world’s largest Welsh cake was cooked up for St Davidā€™s Day 2014Ā in Bala, north Wales. It was an incredible 5ft wide and was cut into 200 pieces to share.

Cardiffā€™s Coal Exchange (completed in 1886) was once where the price of the worldā€™s coal was determined. In 1907 the globeā€™s first Ā£1m deal was struck there.

The Mumbles, near Swansea, gets its name from the French word ā€˜mamellesā€™, meaning breasts, referring to two little islands located offshore.

The Principality Stadium in Cardiff has the largest retractable roof of any sports arena in the World!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love is in the air…

With Valentine’s day just a few days off, our thoughts here at Under the Oak turn to romance. So what better to do than get our order in for our fabulous ‘Luv tub’?

This top of the range tub is heated by a log burner so there are no noisy motors whirring. Imagine sitting submerged in warm spring water, glass of wine in hand, enjoying the breath taking views below you. Or fire her up at night for a spot of romantic star gazing. It’s sure to be a magical experience and one we can’t wait for our guests to tell us about!

We will soon be taking bookings for Spring so be sure to get in early to book that special getaway!

Banish those winter blues…

It’s that time of year – Christmas is a dim and distant memory yet spring still seems so far away.Ā  Yes it may be cold, it may be wet, it may be muddy but why not embrace the season and get out in the great outdoors?Ā  Here are our top five ideas to help you get out there and blow those cobwebs away!

 

1Ā  Discover geocachingĀ Ā Once you start geocaching you will find it seriously addictive. Download the app onto your phone, find a cache near you and get hunting. It’s like a modern day treasure hunt which the whole family can get involved with. You may even tempt grumpy teens to join you! But beware – some are easy to find and some are fiendishly tricky.

2Ā  Plan your next adventureĀ Everyone needs something to look forward to and with Easter just around the corner, why not plan a getaway? Whether it’s discovering a new place or visiting your favourite place, book up and beat the rush.

3Ā  Go for a walkĀ  It’s free, and fresh air will put a spring in everyone’s step. Wrap up warm, get those wellies on and go exploring. We have amazing places to discover on our doorsteps. Whether it’s a castle, a country house, a mountain or a deep dark wood. And if it’s wet then just incorporate some puddle jumping!

4Ā  Get in touch with natureĀ Ā Dust down that I spy book of birds and get out investigating. Kids will love identifying sounds and spotting new ones to tick off and adults may even learn something new. If birds are not your thing then how about trees or mushrooms. There are plenty of discoveries to be made in the wild outdoors.

5 Hit the beachĀ Ā  It may not be the first place you think of for a day out in January but the beach in winter is an awesome place. Kids and dogs can run free. Sandcastles can be built and pebbles can be thrown or collected. For the most adventurous amongst you, how about a beach barbecue?

I hope we’ve inspired you to get out there and make some memories while we wait for the spring.

 

New Beginnings…

It’s a beautiful, sparkly day here at Under the Oak and we are busy getting everything ready for our first guests to arrive in the spring.

So with spring in mind, I took a little stroll up to the pond to see if the bulbs which we planted during a blizzard back in December have made an appearance yet.

They have made rather more of an appearance than we had hoped – in fact they were strewn all over the floor, turfed up by some mystery creature! Rabbit? Fox? Badger? Suggestions welcome.

Elsewhere on the farm, the poor battery hens who we re-homed a few weeks ago are looking perky, although still rather bald.

No eggs yet but we are hopeful that by the time our first guests arrive they will be settled in and laying well. We have re-homed hens before and it’s amazing how healthy and happy they are with a little tlc!