One guest counted twenty seven different species of birds in the local area (not including the chickens!) Some are summer or winter visitors only, some just pass through and some are with us all the time. Buzzards and Peregrine Falcons are a common sight especially in spring and early summer, but we also have an occasional visit from a Red Kite. Later on in the summer, when the thistledown is plentiful, flocks of goldfinches can be seen feeding in the fields and hedges. The heron regularly visits the ponds and plays havoc with our fish and frogs, ducks also stop off to feed. We really feel summer is on the way when the redstarts and swallows return to raise their young and the cuckoo sings all day. Later in the year the Canada geese are often seen migrating in formation and then we know winter is just around the corner. Our chickens are a favourite with the children who love to collect the eggs.

The garden ponds teem with wild life. In early spring the frogs, newts and toads return to spawn and their croaking can be heard all over the gardens. The resulting tadpoles turn the ponds into a writhing soup and at this time our heron finds it difficult to eat fast enough! Later on in the summer we have the most fantastic dragon flies some as much as three inches long. There is an endless variety of tiny creatures and plant life in this area, so if you feel like a lazy day, there is still plenty to see and do on your doorstep. There are many beautiful walks in the local area to suit all people, and the scope for the photographer is unlimited with magnificent scenery in every direction. The smell of clover and heather on a hot summer day is intoxicating so don’t feel you will have to take your car every day to find places of interest.

Bala, our nearest shopping facility, is approximately 5 minutes drive away from Pen Cefn. It is an attractive and lively historic market town, straddling the A494 Dolgellau road, and within the boundaries of the Snowdonia National Park (designated an area of outstanding natural beauty). It is ideally situated for touring North and Mid Wales. One would have difficulty finding a location as well situated as the Bala area. It is within an hour's spectacular drive of most of the coastal resorts of Mid and North Wales, not to mention the innumerable beauty spots and magnificent views within the interior of this beautiful region. There are interesting shops, inns, restaurants and an intriguing historical Town Walk. Bala boasts it’s own lake - Bala Lake or Llyn Tegid, the largest natural lake in Wales, alongside which runs a charming narrow-gauge steam railway. Llyn Tegid is the home of a unique fish, the Gwyniad (that's for real, not a legend) which is said to date back to the Ice-Age.