Bryn Derw

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All the essential stuff…

It’s a whole heap of information, but please do read on. Bryn Derw is a wonderful place, but it’s not for everyone. You don’t need to be a hardy outdoor yomper to enjoy this rustic cottage, but it’s important to make sure you know what to expect. Oh, and on your first visit, arriving in daylight makes life easier.

Before anything (this might make your mind up, either way!)

  • There is no Wi-Fi or internet – I know, really
  • There is a little bit of 4G signal in a few spots in the cottage
  • We take bookings in six-night chunks and longer (in multiples of six nights)
  • It can rain – a lot – and it does
  • Walking boots and waterproofs are thus essential
  • You need to arrive in daylight
  • It’s tricky, but not impossible, to drive all the way to the cottage door
  • Most visitors park on the forestry track and do the last fifteen minutes on foot
  • Being able to light a wood burner in winter is pretty essential
  • Rucksacks to carry your stuff make life easier
  • Packing light and smart is an advantage
  • In winter, you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the occasional field mouse finding a warm, cosy nook by the stove
  • A couple of really important housekeeping chores that all add to the adventure: as the saying goes, “On departure, we kindly ask guests to…” strip beds (along with towels, tea towels and bath mats), gather up in the laundry bags provided and take down to the laundry bin by the forestry parking spot

The same goes for rubbish and recycling, please. All the rubbish and recycling bins are on the “triangle island” just up from the forestry parking spot (we tend to take rubbish and recycling down whenever we are heading out; it kind of takes the sting out of doing it in one big motherlode on the last day!)

At this point you’re probably either excited or horrified. It would be boring if everyone was the same.

How much?!

Bryn Derw is not a run-of-the-mill rental cottage, and it’s definitely not a profit-making venture; much more a family home – a place where we spent virtually all of our family holidays. Our dad’s ethos was that the cottage should be enjoyed by lots of people – not just those that can afford inflated “school-holiday” rates. For 2026 it’s £560–£680 for six nights (Monday to Sunday – 4 pm arrival, depart by 10 am); this covers all the necessary overheads, with a small amount of rent that can be ploughed back into the cottage, to keep things a bit more “up-together” than it has been in recent years. We hope that Bryn Derw remains an affordable (and beautiful!) place to stay.

There are a couple of ways to reduce costs. You can save £120 if you bring your own linen and towels, making it £560 for six nights. If you don’t want to bring your own linen but are OK with making your own beds up with the linen provided, you can save £20.

Will Bryn Derw be my bag?

Bryn Derw has been in our family since the 1950s. From when my brother and I were tiny, Mum and Dad would drive our Ford Cortina estate up the forestry road and Sarn Helen and park a few hundred yards away from the cottage. We’d carry our stuff from there. We found it all very exciting.

Over the years, many visitors have been to Bryn Derw regularly and (as my dad would say) “fallen in love with Rhiwddolion”. Occasionally, we’ve had visitors say on booking the cottage, “Getting there will be fine: we have a big 4×4 that can go anywhere.” On their arrival, we have received mildly anxious calls: “But we didn’t think it would actually be an old Roman road!”

The cottage really is pretty remote. It’s also more towards the cosy, bothyplus end of the chicness scale, and priced to match. So, if a display of curated and well-manicured traditional paraphernalia, combined with Apple TV and high-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, is what you are looking for, Bryn Derw might not tick the boxes.

Wi-Fi, or not to Wi-Fi

There is no Wi-Fi or internet, and 4G is quite patchy, but flickers of reception can be found in a couple of spots in the cottage.

Getting there

In some respects, getting to the cottage is easy. Use these What3Words bombshell.diamond.reading and it will take you to the parking spot on the forestry track, from where you can don your walking boots and walk this route, which can be muddy, or this route, which takes a few minutes longer but is an easier way to the cottage.

Driving the last few hundred yards (not totally recommended on first-day arrival)

If you’re the mildly adventurous sort who fancies driving closer, or all the way to the cottage, then use these What3Words commended.boating.sorters and you’ll be right outside the cottage. It’s worth a chat if you’re thinking about this…

What are the sleeping, linen and towel arrangements (and are the beds comfy)?

Bryn Derw sleeps up to six.

There are three bedrooms: one double, one twin and one single (with an additional pull-out bed). The twin room is partly open to the landing. The single room has a small door – a very small door, affectionately known as the duck door.

Bed linen and towels can be provided, and beds can be made up before you get to the cottage.

The beds are comfy, with nice toppers and cosy duvets and pillows.

Can I have a decent shower?

Absolutely. There’s plenty of hot water, and the pressure is good. The bathroom is on the ground floor. But remember there is one bathroom, which means one loo and one shower – so if there are six of you, logistics need to be considered.

Just a heads-up (or not in this case…) – the showerhead height is such that the taller guest might need to stoop a touch to fit under the spray.

Are dogs better than humans ?

Yup. So we actively encourage canine guests. A couple of things: could you ask them not to get on the beds, and to stay on-lead outside, please, when sheep are in the surrounding fields?

Dogs stay free. As they should everywhere.

Is downstairs a good place to relax?

The living / dining room is spacious, with a brilliant and easy-to-use wood burner.

The living-room chairs are comfortable and the TV gets the basics thanks to a good old-fashioned aerial. There is a DVD player and an eclectic (covering most tastes) DVD collection for those who wish to reacquaint themselves with tech from yesteryear.

Logs and kindling are obtainable at the SPAR in Betws-y-Coed, but if you want the best fuel, go here, to get proper wood that burns like a dream. There will be a couple of nights’ worth of logs supplied.

There is a sunroom, which gets all the afternoon and evening sunshine. Whether it’s raining buckets or glorious sunshine it’s a blissful space to sit and just do nothing with a cup of tea and a traffic light from the bakers in Llanrwst.

The dining table at the front also has spectacular views down the valley. Breakfast is good in here.

Are the knives sharp and are the pans any good?

The kitchen is basic but very well equipped, with excellent pots, pans, roasting dishes, decent knives, scales and all the accoutrements you could ever need to cook a full-size roast. There is a microwave, fridge (no freezer), electric cooker, toaster and kettle. There is no air fryer, rice steamer, bread maker or any other landfill-bound appliance.

Coffee anyone?

And most importantly there are decent cooker-top coffee makers.

Will I be warm?

There are plenty of electric heaters. Please turn them off at night – except for the small downstairs hall heater; this can stay on all the time in winter to keep warm air flowing around the cottage. Please turn all the heaters off when you leave, though.

Is there anything to do in the area?

Walking, climbing and mountain biking in the immediate area are world-class. The coast is a forty-minute drive. Llyn Elsi, a beautiful lake, is half an hour away on foot. There really is a huge amount to do in North Wales.

But I want to stay in?

Besides the TV, there’s a radio (whoopee!), and plenty of books and actual physical board games to suit all tastes and levels of competitiveness.

Is there stuff I should bring to make life easier?

  • Slippers
  • Coffee
  • Milk
  • Bread
  • First night’s food and drink
  • First morning’s breakfast
  • Spare loo roll
  • Bag of logs (winter)
  • Matches / lighter
  • A book (although the cottage is well stocked)
  • Walking boots
  • Waterproofs
  • Warm clothes (winter)

Final recap…

Bryn Derw has been in the family for over fifty years. It was bought by my late father, Brian, in 1959 and worked on during school holidays by family and any friends willing to help. We rent it out mainly because we like other people to be able to enjoy it.

Bryn Derw is a rustic cottage that isn’t for everyone; it’s remote, very quiet and incredibly beautiful.

We love the cottage, Rhiwddolion and Gogledd Cymru. It’s a special part of the world. If you do decide to stay, we hope that you feel the same.

Diolch,

The Wilsons