Our week that was: Family weekend, sand spray and fruit picking

Our week that was blog post banner

We had a visit from Justin’s sister this weekend; it’s been in the diary for ages, and we’ve been really looking forward to having her come to see us again.

Adelle and Rachel at Hafod Estate

Rachel’s visit

Rachel lives in Greater Manchester – a 4-hour drive away. She’s the one we stay with when we have our dentist appointments up in Todmorden, so we’re taking our turn in acting as hosts! We’ve been keeping our fingers & toes crossed for good weather while she was here. The weather forecast wasn’t great, but we did manage to enjoy a few dry and sunny spells when we were out walking.

We took her to the nearby Hafod Estate as she’d not been there before. We cobbled a walk together that took us through steep woodland, fields with highland cattle grazing and above and along the winding river Ystwyth.

River Ystwyth winding its way through Hafod

Another trip to the coast

Whenever she’s visited in the past, Rachel has enjoyed going for a walk along the beach. So, even though the forecast wasn’t great, we took a drive out to Ynyslas. As usual, we timed it so we would be there at low tide; the dog went completely bonkers, galloping along the long, wide sandy expanse.

Although it was really windy, there was a great, big, blue sky. It was so windy, in fact, that there was sand spray all the way along the beach; that’s how the famous sand dunes were formed!

Blackberry picking

The local hedgerows are currently heaving under the weight of blackberries. They’re like little glistening jewels crying out to be plucked and made into jam, jelly or apple & blackberry pie or crumble. I’ve already picked around 2 kilos and have put them into the freezer while I decide how I’m going to use them.

Blackberry bush Picked blackberries in a colander

Property spotlight: Beachfront homes

Port Cottage, Torcross, Kingsbridge TQ7 2TQ

Last week, we looked at beach huts that were available to buy. This time, we’re looking at similar, but altogether more substantial properties; beachfront homes.

The UK is famously an island nation, so has an abundance of this type of home relative to its size. Sandbanks near Poole in Dorset is the Millionaire’s Row of beachfront homes – one of the most expensive property spots in the world. But fear not, you don’t need to be filthy rich to be able to wake up in the morning, look out of your bedroom window and see, hear & smell the sea!

Ty Gwyn, Victoria Parade, Pwllheli LL53 5AN

Ty Gwyn, Victoria Parade, Pwllheli LL53 5AN

Ty Gwyn, Victoria Parade, Pwllheli LL53 5AN

Ty Gwyn, Victoria Parade, Pwllheli LL53 5AN

£280,000 – Ty Gwyn, Victoria Parade, Pwllheli LL53 5AN

Gulls Way/Min Y Mor is located on the sought after Pwllheli promenade and is within 100 metres from the beautiful sandy beach. Views over Cardigan Bay to St Tudwals Islands, Llanbedrog headland and Meirionnydd Mountains are just breath-taking.

• Beachfront location
• Three bedrooms
• Garage & parking
• Stunning sea & mountain views
• In need of modernisation

 

£700,000 – Port Cottage, Torcross, Kingsbridge TQ7 2TQ

Walking along the promenade of the beautiful Torcross Beach, with it’s (sic) row of chocolate box cottages and Insta-worthy houses, there is one property that stands out. With it’s pretty shutters and quirky porthole, Port cottage is as delightful as it is distinctive. Many a passer-by has stopped to admire this characterful 400-year-old property…

• Detached cottage
• 2 bathrooms
• Large beach front patio
• Uninterrupted panoramic sea views
• Private rear courtyard
• Renovated throughout
• Desirable beachfront location
• Parking for three vehicles

£1,600,000 – 154 Old Fort Road, Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 5HL

• Beachfront home
• 3 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• First floor terrace
• First floor living space
• Amazing coastal views
• Private driveway
• Double garage
• Huge potential
• Superb address

Property spotlight: Beach huts

Beach Hut 3, The Beach, Wells-Next-The-Sea

Two council-run services that you can be certain will have waiting lists as long as your arm (and your leg!) are allotments and beach huts. In some places, people have been known to have their name down for 5 years or more, just to have somewhere to grow flowers and fruit & veg.

I remember signing up for one of the beach huts on Brighton seafront when I used to live down there. That would have been at least 25 years ago – I wonder if I’m nearing the top yet!

Just like regular properties, beach huts can vary hugely in value depending on… location, location, location. As well as the purchase price, don’t forget the ‘extras’ like licence fee, renovation fee, ground rent, solicitor’s fees and insurance. Added to all the financials, there may be all sorts of codes, rules and regulations to which you’ll need to adhere; specific colours you’re allowed to paint the exterior, the right to sleep in it overnight or not, the permission (or lack of therein) to sub-let, the stipulation that you need to be a local resident… many hoops to jump through and many boxes to tick!

Some huts have electricity (even solar-powered), some don’t. Many are located right on the beach and have uninterrupted views of the sea, others are set out in ‘tiers’, so you may have rows of huts in front of you allowing you barely a chink of blue to be seen. Some have steps up to the door, others have a front deck or verandah. Still others are multi-storey, with three floors of living space.

Puckpool Park, Seaview PO34

Puckpool Park, Seaview PO34

Puckpool Park, Seaview PO34

£17,500 – Puckpool Park, Seaview PO34

Situated in the seaside Victorian town of Ryde, this is a wonderful and rare opportunity to purchase a traditional wooden beach hut situated overlooking the award-winning expansive sandy beaches of Appley & Puckpool. Appley and Puckpool beaches are located towards the eastern end of Ryde’s famous long stretch of fine golden sand, and are regarded as being one of the nicest and most popular stretches of beaches on the Island.

Beach Hut 3, The Beach, Wells-Next-The-Sea

Beach Hut 3, The Beach, Wells-Next-The-Sea

Beach Hut 3, The Beach, Wells-Next-The-Sea

£80,000 – Beach Hut 3, The Beach, Wells-Next-The-Sea

Number 3 is a superb beach hut conveniently located only a few minutes walk from the beach car park to the west of the Coast watch Tower and the Lifeboat Station with fine views across the sea towards the East Hills. The hut is of painted timber construction with a timber door. To the front a verandah with wide steps leading down onto the sand. Inside there is a fitted base cupboard with a laminate worktop and bench seating.
A water tap for drinking and cooking use is close by as is the beach lavatory block with a path from the pinewoods behind the beach making access to the hut with the day’s provisions easier than across the sand. The site is sold under an annual Licence Agreement through Holkham Holiday Parks Limited trading as Pinewoods and may be used for rest, recreation and bathing but not for overnight stays. The Licence is reviewed annually and full details of the Agreement are available for inspection at Belton Duffey’s office. A commission is payable by the purchaser to Pinewoods on completion of sale of 15% of the sale price (plus VAT) but this is included in the guide price.

Porth Mawr, Abersoch, Gwynedd LL53

Porth Mawr, Abersoch, Gwynedd LL53

Porth Mawr, Abersoch, Gwynedd LL53

£250,000 – Porth Mawr, Abersoch, Gwynedd LL53

To be sold by “informal tender” with offers to be submitted in writing for the vendors consideration by 12PM on Friday 30th June 2023.
A rare opportunity to acquire a freehold double unit Bathing Hut being one of the largest on the much sought after Abersoch Main Beach, closer to the Yacht Club end and a couple hundred yards from the Beach Café and Sailing School.
The present owner acquired the site some years ago and replaced the original hut with a modern steel framed construction, measuring a total 8m x 3m externally with two separate roller shutter entry doors. To the interior the hut has timber panelled walls and a wooden floor and two mezzanine storage space. Behind the outer shutter doors there are 2 sets of double glazed doors. The unit could be sub divided if required by erecting an internal party dividing wall. The hut is subject to Council Tax rates, for 2023 /24 the rates payable are £722.
A great family location to relax and play on these golden sands and to take in the wonderful views across Cardigan Bay to the St Tudwals Islands with the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountain Range.

Our week that was: Rose petals, new shop stock and a day at the beach

Our week that was blog post banner

Over the past week, we’ve probably spent 15 hours or more each day outdoors; we’ve eaten brunch and dinner al fresco and done lots of gardening jobs. We’ve even taken our ‘home office’ and ‘photography studio’ outside!

Yellow rose petals on a white ironstone plate

Yellow sugared rose petals Detail of yellow sugared rose petals

Sugared rose petals

Last week, we mentioned that our Korresia rose was just coming into flower. They’re a lovely lemon yellow colour with a wonderful fragrance. Each bloom only lasts for a day or two before the petals begin to fall off, what a waste! Well, not this time, I used one of the flowers to make sugared or candied rose petals. All you need is an egg white, caster or icing (powdered) sugar and a pastry or small paintbrush. I’ll probably use the petals in the next few days to decorate a sponge cake, cupcakes or shortbread biscuits.

Justin photographing shop stock

Vintage Prestige Sky-Line utensil set Vintage Aquarius fish plates

Shop stock session

As we said above, we’ve barely been indoors this week… not even to work! Justin did a shop stock photography session in the garden, making full use of the natural light. I’ll probably list all the items he did on our online shop tomorrow… while sitting on the garden bench at the front of the house… according to the MET Office, this run of sunny weather is set to continue for the foreseeable!

Ynyslas

We decided to make Thursday a day at the beach; it was mid-week, before the bank holiday, so it wouldn’t be crowded. We found out the low tide times, packed a rucksack with a flask of coffee and a couple of pieces of flapjack and aimed to get to Ynyslas for early afternoon. As you can see from our video clips above, other than a wind-surfer, a couple of kitesurfers (it was warm, but fairly windy) and a few other dog walkers, we had swathes of sandy beach to ourselves.