A Cottage Christmas

Our first ever Christmas at home at The Cottage has been just as memorable as some of our 'traditional' travels, thanks to the gift of a window in the weather. A few hours of tranquility and calm across Snowdonia brought us some of the most idyllic conditions.

Christmas Day on the Water

It did require an alarm to ensure that we were in the right place at the right time when the conditions would be perfect for paddleboarding. We got straight up and into a pre-packed van, after a brief breakfast of coffee and crumpets. A fifteen-minute drive and two-minute walk later and we were pumping up the boards and marveling at the views.

The lake was like a mirror. 

We were soon afloat and Clare set off ahead of me breaking the tension of the water and putting gin the first ripples of the day.

Up ahead the snow capped summit of Snowdon was just hidden by the clouds, but we could see the top of Llewedd and the Snowdon Horseshoe route.

It felt like we were the only people in the entire National Park.

As we continued through the narrows (aka the Beatrice Gap) and into the far end of the lake, the sun came over the mountain and lit up the hillside.

We sat on the boards and had a drink at the far end of the lake, explored up the mouth of the river to the rapids and then began floating back the way we had come while singing Christmas Carols.

Just before we reached the end of our 3km journey, as forecast, the lightest of winds picked up. Nothing serious, but just enough to chill my fingers and put a ripple on the previously flawless surface of the water.

Delighted with our morning, we packed up the boards and headed back to The Cottage for a Christmas Brunch.

Warm croissants with fresh coffee were served as soon as we got back through the door, then after a hot shower, we tucked into egg butties, before making it out to our other Christmas tradition of being by the sea. 

Freshly showered and warm, there was a unanimous decision to not go for a swim this year!

But it was beautiful to walk along the water's edge and watch the light from the low sun on the horizon.

We were back home at dark, just in time to get the fire lit and join the first of several online family gatherings. Pre-dinner drinks had been saved from our summer cycling expedition to France and fine foods were grazed on into the night, in between unwrapping the stack of presents that had been gradually stacking up under the tree over the last few weeks. A Happy Christmas!