•  On Jan, 31, 2017
•  Helen & Allen

The Gower beaches are possibly the best known beaches in South Wales however there are spectacular beaches elsewhere in South Wales. If you and your kids like rockpooling, paddling and scoffing ice cream, you’ll love Wales’ safe, sandy, family friendly beaches. I propose “The 10 Best Beaches in South Wales for Families. The following beaches […]

•  On Jan, 31, 2017
•  Helen & Allen

Time has rolled by (as it does) whether you want it to or not. The existing chickens at Tan yr Eglwys have more or less become a fixture or fitting however Elin was not satisfied with white eggs, brown eggs and blue eggs. She took the matter into her own hands and appeared home with […]

•  On Jan, 31, 2017
•  Helen & Allen

The 2017 Dragon Ride starts and finishes in Margam Park (near Port  Talbot) on Sunday 17th June. Last years Ride was held on possibly the hottest day of 2016. We had a group of riders from France staying in cottage no 1 in order for them to take part in the ride in 2016. Entries […]

•  On Jan, 23, 2017
•  Helen & Allen

What are the 5 best castles in Wales? The castles in Wales between the Norman Invasion in 1066 and the Civil War in England in 1651 were attacked by a succession of armies, attempting to dominate both the landscape and people of Wales. Castles vary significantly in size, construction and probably purpose. There are many […]

•  On Jul, 16, 2016
•  Helen & Allen

In an attempt to introduce the Welsh language to our visitors we have given the Welsh room names to the rooms. The following is a guide to the meaning/derivation/reason for the name and an assist with pronunciation! GOLWG Y LLAN pronounced GO LUG UH LL ANN, meaning/derivation being able to see/view the church. GOLWG Y FFAL pronounced […]

•  On Jun, 25, 2016
•  Helen & Allen

In general a Welsh place name will describe the location in doing this a small number of words recur frequently. Examples of this are ABER -indicates where two waters meet, not always the sea. As many Aber place names are well inland for example Aberhonddu, Honddu being the name of the river in Brecon. Aberystwyth […]

•  On Jun, 25, 2016
•  Helen & Allen

Supermarkets, are there any  nearby? Oh how I dislike that question! You are indeed coming to stay in a cottage in a tiny hamlet, but there are supermarkets galore in every direction – including several open 24 hours. On a serious note, the area is well served by most of the well known supermarket chains, […]

•  On Mar, 15, 2016
•  Helen & Allen

Tan Yr Eglwys Cottages although being located in “centre of Neath Port Talbot” are in an ideal location for many of the best attractions & places of interest in South Wales. If I was to list all of the attractions & places of interest this blog would be 10 miles long. Some people think nothing […]

•  On Mar, 10, 2016
•  Helen & Allen

It is evident that more & more people are considering carefully the origin or provenance of food they purchase. This produce may be purchased to prepare & serve themselves or prepared & served for them at cafes and restaurants. Is it obvious that a product that has travelled 10 miles from the producer down the […]