Our Welsh Getaway!

There are so many reasons we love living where we do. Birmingham has so much to offer but one of it's greatest attributes is its location within England....or in fact the UK. We are the furthest from any seaside but that's okay as we are so close to so many beautiful places to visit. That includes Wales!

Our best friend was over from Australia and before she headed home we wanted one last hurrah so a mini-break seemed the best idea.

At the start of November we headed so an unpronounceable Welsh village (Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant) just over 2 hours from our home and on the edge of Snowdonia. The majority of the journey was on A roads so we made quick progress, the last part was proper country road. Single track with low visibility and limited passing spaces so we had be ready to reverse at any point. Nothing makes it feel like an adventure like those roads.

Our welcome to the Airbnb

We arrived at our Airbnb late Saturday afternoon and checked in, started the fire and unpacked. The owner lived in the cottage next door and gave us a quick tour of the property that included a lovely garden overlooking a river. There was also a footpath we could take to cross the river to explore the hills on the other side.

As it was firework night we decided to head to Oswestry, our nearest main town 20 minutes away. Even though it was a 'town' it was a fairly small town and it wasn't hard to find the fireworks as everyone there seemed to be heading that way. We were fairly surprised at the £5 per person entry fee for a fairly basic display though.

Annabelle and Bisbee really enjoyed the event though. Bisbee loved the fact that one family shared their sausages and Annabelle was mesmerized by the bonfire and the flashing lights of the fireworks.

After the fireworks we picked up fish and chips for dinner and settled in at our home for the next few days. Breakfast the next morning included food provided by our host - fresh eggs and homemade bread. It set us up perfectly for us to head out and explore.

We knew things would be different traveling with Annabelle, things would take longer, we'd have to adjust our expectations but we didn't realise what she add. Her wonder at simple things, her smiles when she sees things she like, it's adorable and heartwarming.

Our first days activity was a walk around the local countryside, the guide had said it would take 40 minutes, it took us almost 3 hours. Our paced was slowed by adjusting the Ergobaby every time someone else carried her, two nappy changes, one feed and the photos - so many photos. The area was just too beautiful to not capture.

Our second day was more dramatic than planned. We were 4 minutes from our Airbnb when I hit a rock and punctured a tyre! Not great in an area with no phone signal. Thankfully a lovely couple stopped to help us and we were back up and running with half an hour and on our way to the UK's largest single drop waterfall. It was only 15 minutes from where we were staying and well worth the visit.

The third day we went to Lake Vyrnwy to check out the dam and its beautiful scenery. The weather had taken a turn so we had to be quick with our walk and we ended up in a cafe on the side of the lake. The drive back involved us stopping at the tallest tree in the UK and taking a dip in the river. A great experience to end our mini break.

The drive back was around 2 hours and Annabelle decided she was not a fan of the car seat at that point so our drive was accompanied by almost constant crying until we stopped at a lay by and fed her. We learnt that journey that it is worth always having a rattle to hand as that does seem to calm Annabelle down. We now have battery powered fairy lights surrounding her mirror so it's not so dark and we now have toys that can be attached so she can't lose them. So far it has made other journeys easier.

We also learnt that as long as we have the Ergobaby and nappy bag we can handle any situation. Thankfully there were no poo-plosions but even a simple nappy change on a thin wall is a challenge with a baby that can roll so it took teamwork and keeping calm.

We can't wait for our next adventure and will definitely take the lessons we learnt this trip!