Come with me . .
on a brief tour of the area around Blaenfforest holiday cottage.
We turn off the public road into the narrow lane that leads to Blaenfforest. You will have noticed our postbox and sign beneath a mature laburnum tree. Before beginning the gradual descent into the valley look up and admire the far reaching views over open countryside. The River Arad which flows through the valley rises just across the fields to your left. To your right are the farm buildings of our nearest neighbours who milk cows there twice a day.
Continue down the lane with it’s wealth of wildflowers, ferns and mosses - pausing now and then to let a rabbit cross. Yes, there’s time to wait - this is the beginning of your holiday! Around the bend in the lane with its hedge on top of ancient stone walls, it is more sheltered. Foxgloves, honeysuckle, and wild roses ramble amongst the ferns. Look carefully, and you will see the bilberry too.
On the right, before the final bend, is the gateway to the stable field where you may see some of our Welsh Black cattle grazing. At the corner, on the left, there is a narrow entrance to an old fold sheltered by Ash trees, which we leave undisturbed for the benefit of the wild birds. In the spring it is a picture, with tiny Welsh daffodils and snowdrops. Later on, there are bluebells and orchids on the banks here. To the right, above the lane, you may notice the beehives under a beech tree.
As the wall on your left curves around the fold, orchids grow under the ash tree at the top of a grassy slope which allows a first glimpse of the woodland falling away to the stream. Pass the Dutch barn where the winter feed for the cattle is stored. This is a haven for our cats on cold nights and for hens to make secret nests where they can hatch illicit chicks undisturbed by anyone. Unfortunately, this leaves them at risk from the foxes and we try to discourage them if we can. Next is the woodstore and our supplies of fuel, always in need of tidying but the birds love it.
The Granary and old cowshed with its lovely double doors, flank the entrance to our farmyard, standing on a small plateau with the house and cottage directly in front of you. These face south so benefit from getting lots of light, which is lovely as so often old buildings with their three foot thick walls and small windows are quite dark inside. Walk around the cowshed to the right under an ash and sycamore tree and as the ground rises, you find you are nearly level with the roof. Alongside this, there is a tiny sheltered area of grass surrounded by spring bulbs and old fashioned roses which smell delicious on a still day.
To the right is the gate we use to the stable field whose other gateway you passed on the lane. Next to this is where the chickens live and was once a cattleshed. Open the small wooden gate and walk up into the old orchard. This is almost completely carpeted in snowdrops and daffodils early in the year and is only roughly mown two or three times a year. There are two conifers which the owls seem to like, and an apple tree which along with a damson were the only fruit trees left when we came. Unfortunately, the damson blew down in a gale, but we have replaced it and added another damson and a plum tree. This is not really an ideal site; however it has been an orchard for over 60 years so we thought we’d plant a few new trees and see what happened. Perhaps this is just an excuse for preserving the peace and tranquility in this small corner of Blaenfforest, where no one needs to go to get anywhere else, and you can sit undisturbed for hours.
Back in the yard, walk towards the old pigsties, where the ducks live, with tiny ferns growing in the old walls and swallows nesting in the rafters. Turn right and you will see the beginning of the path we are making along the top of the woods and right again into the garden. Here you can sit in the shade of the willow tree and watch the wild birds or look over the fields into the distance and dream. There are likely to be buzzards or even a kite overhead or in the huge old beech tree in the field.
A green wicket gate in the garden fence takes you to the new pond garden. We have made a pond for wildlife, crossed by a walkway, to replace an old rainwater pond in the field. Already there are newts and frogs and beautiful dragonflies which are fascinating to watch. A place to dawdle and have a glass of wine.
Back past the pigsties and this time carry straight on, to the right of the ruined stable. In front of you is the grass walk which runs parallel to the lane. To your right is the start of the ancient forest, from which Bleanfforest gets its name. There is a path on the right, under the beech trees, which leads down to the stream.
Our next project is to clear a path, meandering alongside the stream, through the woods to our boundary, a quarter of a mile away, climbing to meet the top path which will end by the cottage. This is a huge undertaking, as this whole area has been undisturbed for many years. One can sense that this is a kind of sanctuary and we need to proceed slowly to avoid damaging the habitats that exist here. For the adventurous please bring walking boots and stout trousers to combat the brambles, and scramble carefully along the hillside to admire the bluebells, wood anemones, marsh marigolds and massive ancient oak trees. Take care not to trip in rabbit holes and badger setts; look out for signs of the otter and admire the fungi and litchens. One day there will be a path!
This has been just a brief trip around Blaenfforest, a glimpse of the beautiful countryside in which the house and buildings have stood for hundreds of years, which we would like to share with you when you come to stay with us at Blaenfforest Holiday Cottage. 