Tr avel report NORTH WALES
WANT to wake up to nothing but the sound of sheep,” my partner said as we drove into North Wales.
We were seeking peace and relaxation from our visit to Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog and we got it – in spades.
Surrounded by fields, nestled deep into the Ceiriog Valley, the West Arms hotel was to be our home for the weekend.
As the leaves on the trees showed off their autumn colours - scarlet, mauve and golden - in the unexpected October sunshine, we pulled up outside the white-washed building which has been standing since the 1500s, first as a farm and then a drovers’ inn.
It’s been a hotel since 1607 and is now under new management, as husband and wife Mark and Nicky Williamson took over the premises in February, transforming it completely.
The beams have been stripped of black paint, walls swathed in whites and creams and original slate floors exposed.
There is no mobile signal or noise from passing cars, just the warmth of log fires, the clink of glasses in the bar, and the gentle pad of paws.
Mark and Nicky have reincarnated the West Arms as a dog-friendly hotel, with dog beds available in the rooms, treats in a jar at the reception desk, and an endless supply of walks to entertain – and exhaust – four-legged guests.
The couple themselves have two dogs, Jasper and Sam, who accompany them to work and provide those of us who visit the hotel without our own pooch in tow the chance to make a couple of new furry friends.
Soon we were settled into our accommodation, a spacious “valley room” with stunning views into the garden and the valley beyond.
We watched pheasants parade past the window, the colours of the Berwyn Mountains change with the light, and sheep pick their way down the valley-side.
Inside, the walls are exposed brick and stone, with beams washed white and artwork by local painter Rosie Davies on display, while the bed is a vast and dangerously comfortable king.
Pulling ourselves away from the view and the lure of a nap, we headed down narrow, leafy lanes to the stunning National Trust-owned Chirk Castle, which dates back to 1310.
Having served as a border fortress until 1595, the property was bought by Thomas Myddelton who turned it into a family home.
We explored its grand, oakpanelled rooms, with huge, oil portraits and ceilings decorated with elaborate paintings and edged in gold.
In the expansive gardens we wandered among carefully honed topiary, elegant sculptures and beds filled with colour, even in early autumn.
We browsed Chirk Castle’s second hand bookstore, sipped coffee in the sun-licked courtyard, and discovered rhubarb, raspberries and – of course – leeks growing in the kitchen garden.
Before returning to the hotel we took a drive to Pistyll Rhaeadr, Wales’ highest waterfall, where we walked close enough to feel the spray on our faces.
The 240ft-tall cascade – the tallest single drop waterfall in the UK - sits just inside Wales, and is completely captivating, streaming down from the rocks into a pool as smooth and clear as blown glass.
It is not hard to see why it has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and named one of the Seven Wonders of Wales.
We returned to the West Arms in time for dinner – and what a dinner, which was eaten in the West Arms’ restaurant. Eager to taste as many dishes as possible from the menu, which changes with the seasons, my partner and I opted to share a selection of starters – all but one of those on offer in fact, plus the special.
Over Ceirog-reared rainbow trout served two ways, locally foraged cep and homemade ravioli in hazelnut butter, home cured duck breast with Lady Kenyon’s rhubarb and clusters of pancetta chocolate, and courgette cake with whipped goats cheese, pine nuts and pickled courgette, we marvelled at the way flavours were combined and quarrelled over which was our favourite dish.
The menu features a host of locally sourced ingredients, as head chef Grant Williams explained to us.
“We have organic lamb, trout from the smokery in the village, mushrooms I foraged, apples and quinces that people bring to us,” he said.
“Everybody’s bringing me things, saying ‘can you use this?’. I’ve had organic vegetables, huge, ornamental cabbages, so many apples.
“I spotted some elderberries