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Holidays in North Wales
Now we had five dogs: Tess, Holly, Connor, Kerry and Cara. Because we will not leave any of the dogs in kennels, our next few holidays were back in the places that we knew would take all of us! Northumbria was nice, but becoming a little too familiar. And, because of the length of the journey, we decided to see if we could find somewhere new. Sandra got on the telephone to the cottage rental agenies and posed a new question “...will they take five dogs? We were fortunate to find somewhere that did, and this led to finding one of the most pleasant holoday locations we have ever found!
On a Hillside above Pentrefelin.
Just three hours from our home in Leicestershire and we are driving through Porthmadog and making our way to Pentrefelin. Turning off the main road we are on single track for the last two miles as we climb up and in to the hills. We arrived to find heaven on earth, or at least our idea of it. To our left the mountains of Snowdonia, beneath us the bay at Criccieth, and in the distance we could follow the coastline to Harlech. Time stood still as we looked out on an amazing view.
We had a wonderful week exploring the Lynn Peninsula and Snowdonia and along the way we found dog friendly beaches, dog friendly pubs and a pace of life that was very agreeable!
So, Let’s Go Back Again!
Within days of getting home from Wales we knew we had to go back. It was decided - we would see if we could book two weeks and go back to the cottage that had stood on the hillside for over 500 years in May (2013). The booking was accepted and we were delighted!
Over the next 8 months Cara continued to be shown (and bring home rosettes). She qualified for Crufts and followed in mum’s footsteps and became a registered Pets-as-Therapy dog, visiting local hospitals in Loughborough and Coalville.
Cara’s litter sister (Bella) came to stay whilst her owners went on a trip to the USA for ten days. And for a while we had six collies in the house!
Christmas came around and we had a visit from Dexter - Cara’s litter brother who lives in Worthing.
Eventually, it was May and we were packing bags, dogs and sundry items to return to a special cottage on the hillside above Pentrefelin again. When we arrived, the dogs recognised where they were! A fanfare of joyful collie barks announced our arrival. Tess headed straight for her favourite grassy bank and started rolling. She was happy!
The next two weeks were at a much more relaxing pace thanks to having fourteen days to call this hillside home. we went back to all our favourite spots in Harlech and Snowdonia. And we also found some new favourites in Anglesey.
A Third Time?
Yet again we left North Wales wishing we could spend longer there! Within days of getting home we had decided we would go back and booked the week on which our wedding anniversary fell (in April).
As the time drew closer for the next holiday we noticed Tess was not her usual self. Spending more and more time quietly by herself, she seemed to sleep a lot more and didn’t really want the hustle and bustle. She had her moments - chasing pidgeons and watching for cats. But she was slowing down. We decided that another trip to Wales would not be good for her, and so we arranged for her to spend the week with ‘grandma and grand-dad’ in Nuneaton.
So it was that we set off to Wales with just four dogs in the car.The holiday was pleasant enough, but it was strange not having Tess there as we went to our favourite beaches and walks.
Little did we know that before long we would be saying a sad farewell to Tess.
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