“Nous revenons d\'un séjour de deux semaines dans le nord du Pays de Galles, chez John et Christine. Ce fut un échange très réussi! John et Christine sont très accueillants et habitent dans un "petit coin de paradis". Leur maison se situe en pleine campagne et est entourée d\'un magnifique jardin! Elle est idéalement placée pour découvrir le nord du Pays de Galles. Une très belle région ponctuée de petites montagnes et d\'un patrimoine bâti très intéressant. Situé à l\'entrée du parc national de Snowdonia, de nombreuses randonnées dans des paysages magnifiques de landes et de tourbières sont accessibles à proximité immédiate de leur maison. Nous conseillons vivement un échange avec John et Christine. Vous ne serez pas déçus!”
Old stone cottage in the Berwyn Mountains: two Shetland ponies.
Old stone cottage in the Berwyn Mountains: two Shetland ponies.

John And Christine
Joined
Jan 2008
Last login
Over a month
Response rate
Top Responder
Ratings are based on the speed and percentage of swap requests replied to
Want to contact this member?
Start your two-week free trial to chat to other members
Learn more about How it works
Added to shortlist
This home is in your shortlist. To access your shortlist click the icon in the navigation
Add to shortlist
This home is not yet in your shortlist
- 4 Bedrooms
- Sleeps 5
- 1 Bathrooms
About our home
Tanymarian is around 150 years old, detached and built of local stone with a slate roof. It is beautifully situated on the side of the valley, away from the road. The garden surrounding it includes a small orchard, a lawn with flower and shrub borders, a pond and a shade garden. There is a sunny terrace in front of the house, facing south-west. Close by is a field and a small wood where we keep our two miniature Shetland ponies, Rosie and Poppy. Whilst Tanymarian is not isolated its position is quite private, with pasture land all around. There is vehicle access from the road to a parking area about 60m from the house. The house was extended twenty years ago, using stone taken from the hillside. There is a modern kitchen with the usual appliances (but no dishwasher) and a garden room or conservatory leading off it where we often have our meals. The dining room has a stable door to the terrace. There is a comfortable sitting room with digital satellite TV and CD player. Both rooms have traditional open fires, though the house has full central heating. There is a bathroom and four bedrooms: one room with a double bed, and three with single beds (an extra guest bed can be provided). Most of the furniture is antique, or at any rate old. The house is full of books. As the house is on several levels and the approach is rather steep it is not very suitable for people with impaired mobility.
Features
- Main home
- Garden
- Wifi
- Cable TV
- Car optional
- No smoking
- Central heating
- Washing machine
- Dryer
- Parking
- Pet-friendly
John And Christine's reviews
As a host (5)“In July 2014 we exchanged houses with John and Christine in Llangygnog, Wales, UK. It was a very nice experience to live in such a picturesque cottage with its own unique style and character. The house matches the beautiful surroundings being situated in a long narrow valley near Snowdonia. The cottage has many small rooms, on different levels that are interconnected with narrow hallways with a couple of low staircases. Very exiting especially for the children to explore. The beds were very comfy. The garden is lush and inviting, a lot of birds around the house as well that can easily be observed while they are eating the birdseed we gave them. We were so fortunate to be allowed to take care of Tigger, the family dog and the two Shetland ponies. Tigger is very stoic and never made a fuss, friendly and easy going. We took him along on almost all of our trips around the countryside, on foot and by car as well. Needless to say that he was the star of the show during our two weeks in Llangygnog and the children still talk about him today. Taking care of the ponies was very interesting for the children and was not at all time consuming. Communication with John and Christine was easy and straightforward. John and Christine took care of our home and our two dogs and we found our home just as we left it and our dogs were relaxed and at ease and in great shape! They had obviously been taken very good care of! Big plus was that they gave us a written description of how to find our way traveling from Manchester and the house once you have arrived in the village. Especially appreciated because our own gps device would not start! Another very nice touch was that we got to read a book John wrote. The plot and story is situated in the region and after reading it you will appreciate your stay in this part of Wales even more. All in all a very positive exchange!”
“This charming little cottage is nestled among the most delightful gardens - goodness me, these family must have the world's best green fingers! It is a fine example - inside and out - of a cosy Welsh cottage even down to the spinning wheel. The views are stunning in all weathers and the surrounding area is great for exploring, walking and in our case, fly fishing. John and Christine are an extremely accommodating couple. They are great at responding to all queries and we went into an exchange with them confident that they, and we, knew all there was to know about our respective destinations. It was an added bonus that the sun shone for us on the Welsh hillsides throughout our stay!!”
“La charmante maison de Christine et John est nichée au coeur du Pays de Galles, dans un petit village, avec les randonnées dans les montagnes galloises à proximité et les plages et la côte à 1h de voiture. Bien que bous n'ayons pas vu nos hôtes (ce que nous regrettons), nous avons facilement échangé avec eux (en anglais comme en français). Un bel échange pour découvrir le Pays de Galles. ”
“Nous avons passé deux semaines délicieuses dans la maison de John et Christine. Leur maison est magnifique et très typique, très agréable à vivre avec notamment une pièce entièrement vitrée donnant sur le jardin. L'extérieur est luxuriant et plein de charme avec plusieurs tables en des coins différents du jardin pour déjeuner dans un écrin de verdure. Le Pays de Galles mérite d'être découvert. les paysages sont magiques avec de belles cascades, des lacs et des montagnes passant du vert au mauve de la bruyère sauvage. Il y a profusion de châteaux et de jardins. Rencontrer John et Christine a été un plaisir. Ils sont vraiment très gentils et accueillants. Nous avons eu plaisir à converser avec eux. Leurs nombreuses recommandations nous ont été très profitables. Nous vous recommandons cet échange.”
More about us
-
We have now arranged our main summer exchange for 2020 and expect to be busy in the autumn. We are open to offers for 2021. We prefer to be in a quiet and scenic rural area. It could be in an isolated location, or possibly on the edge of a village. We would be especially interested in staying close to water, ideally with access to a boat. We are open to offers for shorter exchanges at other times in the British countryside where we could take our small dog. We would particularly like to exchange with a family who would enjoy keeping an eye on our two miniature Shetland ponies.
-
John is a retired teacher of French and German; Christine has also retired from teaching. We have two grown-up children, but they will not be coming with us on holiday.
-
Favourite activities include walking in the country, visiting historic places, gardening, handicrafts, boating, art, music and the theatre. We are non-smokers. We can travel at most times of year and are happy to exchange cars: ours is a Nissan Note.
Swap availability
- White
- Open to offers
- Green
- Available
- Red
- Not Available
Where is it?
Neighbourhood
Tanymarian is situated one kilometre north west of the village of Llangynog at the head of the Tanat Valley. The village is small and quiet: it has no shop though there are two pubs as well as a mountain bike park. Our house is 5 km from the eastern boundary of the Snowdonia National Park and 20 km from the English border, in the heart of the Berwyn Mountains. There are beautiful mountain walks from the doorstep, and other scenic areas within easy reach. It is a short drive to the ancient pilgrimage church at Pennant Melangell, to Pistyll Rhaeadr, the highest waterfall in Wales, to Bala Lake and to Lake Vyrnwy, where boats and bicycles can be hired. Bala has a swimming pool and is popular for windsurfing, and the National White Water Canoeing Centre is nearby. There are hill-top golf courses at Bala and Llanymynech. Powis Castle and its world-famous gardens are about 40 minutes away by car: other National Trust properties in the area include Attingham, Chirk Castle and Erddig. In an hour or a little more you can explore the historic towns of Chester and Shrewsbury, the spectacular mountain scenery around Snowdon or Cadair Idris, the great medieval castles of Harlech, Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris (World Heritage Sites), the great aqueduct of Pontcysyllte, the slate mines and steam railway at Blaenau Ffestiniog, the gardens at Bodnant, the Ironbridge Gorge Museums or the beaches at Harlech or Barmouth. New attractions include the longest zip wire in Europe at Bethesda and Surf Snowdonia in the Conwy Valley.
The nearest airports are Liverpool and Manchester.
You may also like
Poole, United Kingdom
Our 5-bedroom home is spacious and modern, ideal for families. We are a family with a 5 year old and 15 year old so we have Sky Q fitted throughout, cinema...
Dorset, United Kingdom
Great position near the Green Flag Beach of Boscombe in Bournemouth. Five minutes from the beach one way, and Boscombe supermarkets and shopping mall the...
Glasgow City, United Kingdom
Somewhere in the heart of Glasgow is a modern & bright 2-bedroom flat that’s perfect for 4. It provides all the amenities you will need and is within walking...