Gelliwaen

This is a house that guests return to year after year. It isn’t overly polished or showy. It’s simply timeless, beautiful and deeply restorative from the moment you arrive. Children disappear into the semi-wild garden armed with the bug pots and flower presses. Teenagers swap their phones for hammocks. Adults wander to the river to paddle then settle beneath the trees with a book and a cold beer.

Inside, ancient beans, flagstone floors, whitewashed walls and a vast inglenook fireplace create instant warmth. The generous layout works well for 2 families, 3 generations or a handful of friends looking for somewhere peaceful, and the wild Rhinog mountains are one of those rare corners of Britain that still feels undiscovered. Walk straight from the front door to waterfalls and mountain trails, or spend your days swimming, rock pooling and picnicking on the long beaches of this glorious stretch of North Wales. Browse Harlech’s brilliant independent shops, hop aboard the historic steam railway through Eryri, then return for marshmallows around the fire bowl as dusk falls. This is Dark Sky country, where the stars are dazzling and the pace of life is gloriously unhurried.

Getting here: you’ll need to drive