LONG WEEKEND IN WALES

I’m not sure about you, but Richard and I are the kind of people who can’t do anything very well. When we happen to have a rare weekend off together, we end up doing jobs around the house and grocery shopping… even though we told ourselves that we would just relax. Even as I write this, we are finishing up painting the trim in our kitchen.

We both feel guilty doing nothing at home. So when we had a special day to celebrate, we knew we had to get out of town… to Wales!

10 years ago, on October 8, I met Richard for the first time! We were both volunteering in Nepal on gap years, for the same local organization and met in the volunteer’s meeting. I had already been there a month, and it was the first time we were meeting the new intake of volunteers. You can bet I did a second take when Richard sat down beside me! 😉

It may have taken 8 more years until we finally got together, but we still felt that we should celebrate the 10-year mark. So we went back to the same cottage in Wales that we spent our first Christmas together in, which we loved! It’s located a little outside of Brecon, on a farm with a few cottages. Our first time there, we were staying in Duck Cottage, but it was booked already, so we stayed in Damsen Cottage instead. Both places have cosy log burners and all the amenities you could need. However, knowing how cold the stone floors get, we brought our slippers, and some tea, and spent a few days curled up in front of a cosy fire…

The farm has a few resident ducks, chickens, guinea fowl, roosters, dogs, sheep, and horses. All of which add to such a lovely experience! We would give our crumbs to the chickens in the morning, and hear the sheep baaa-ing all day long. We both kept saying to ourselves that we wished we lived on the farm all the time.

Nothing better than a weekend spent relaxing, drinking tea, watching movies, and making some great food! We meal planned ahead, and brought any spices or ingredients we may need – anything fresh we could just grab down in Brecon!

On the Sunday we were there, which was also the exact day we met 10 years ago, we decided to hike up Pen y Fan! We had tried to hike it the last time we were there, but it got so cold and foggy halfway up, that we abandoned our ascent. We got to this one point, couldn’t see anything, and realized that even if we got to the top (which we didn’t know how far away it was), we wouldn’t be able to see the view. Honestly, you don’t know how cold and windy it was that day! I was freezing!

Hiking Pen y Fan in Brecon, Wales | Hello Victoria

So we both decided that if the weather cooperated, we would finally get to the top this time! So we wrapped up warm, and made our way up to that same point as last time… which it turns out was sooo close to the top! All we needed was another 5 minutes of climbing and we would have made it. Ha!

So we got to the top, and the fog began to clear! All of a sudden this beautiful sunny day unfolded around us, so we decided to walk along the top of the ridge and see what other sorts of views there were. And the further we got away from “the top” we realized that it might not even be the highest point. Once we were a little ways away we looked back and saw that the second hill, which looked lower up close, might actually be higher? Perhaps next time we’ll hike to that point, just to make sure we’ve been to the highest part of Pen y Fan.

But, even though we may not have reached the top, it was such a fantastic day! We even had to ditch our jackets! In October! In Wales!!

As we were making our way back to the main trail, along the ridge, I kept walking ahead to take photos. It is such a beautiful sight up at the top of Pen y Fan! Then, when I turned around to find out where Richard had got to, I found him down on one knee in the muddy pathway!!! 🙂 He said some beautiful words, and asked me if I would marry him! Of course, I said yes!

And the antique halo diamond ring he gave me, was the best thing I could have expected to find at the top of a mountain! Don’t you think?

So we made our way back down the mountain, the most stupidly giddy pair, and back to our cottage. From there, we got dressed up and went out for a lovely dinner at the Felin Fach Griffin pub and restaurant. They have such cosy leather sofas near a big open fire and delicious seasonal food which changes daily. I even tried some beef tongue which was surprisingly delightful! They had made it into a sort of roulade with fresh peas – it just melted in the mouth.

photo by coolspaces.co.uk

I’m always saying that we should be adventurous with food, as you never know what you might discover! Luckily for me, I found a guy who feels the same way 🙂

On Monday, we had a relaxing morning full of the best breakfast we could muster, before heading back to England. We spent most of the weekend relaxing, but it was just the thing for two people who never seemed to relax properly at home. I can’t recommend that farm in Wales more, as any of their little cottages are just lovely! The perfect place to spend a long weekend, or even get engaged! 😉

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