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Ty Olaf Holiday Cottage

A superb, newly built, woodland, holiday cottage in and Arts and Crafts village in the beautiful Elan Valley at the heart of Wales.

A superb, newly built, woodland, holiday cottage in and Arts and Crafts village in the beautiful Elan Valley at the heart of Wales.

Time for the Martins to move on

21st August 2016 By Peter Hussey

One of the joys of living heMartins 01 TNre in Elan Village in summer is the arrival and presence of the Martins.  We don’t get them up here at Ty Olaf very much for most of the time, they prefer to scour the air near the bridge for insects, but every now and then a posse have an excursion to our end of the village.

The time when they provide us with  a real treat is, unfortunately when it is time for them to go on their long, amazing, flight to Africa or wherever they spend their winters.  On some day chosen and communicated, or known, by these tiny birds, the local flock is joined by their mates, right outside our house.  This year it was August 19th, the first rainy day after a short period of dry, warmer weather. “That’s it!” they thought in Popeye style, “I can’t stands no more!” the power and telephone cables at the front of our house were filled with busy little birds, occasionally, taking off into a frantic, short murmeration.   Exactly the same thing happened last year, although we did not note the date.

Martins 02 TN

Then just as suddenly as they appeared, they have gone.  Autumn is here, winter coming. Go forth and multiply little friends, I hear that you are one of the many species in fearful decline.  One early summer you may not return at all, and we will be so much the poorer for that.

Latest

  • Lockdown 2

    The Welsh Government, recognising the dangerous situation created by the Covid pandemic’s second phase, have closed down the country for a two week period. We are therefore not able to welcome any visitors for the period 24th October to the 10th November. We feel much safer because of this action. Like all other places of […]
  • After lockdown

    It was safe for us to travel more than 5 miles, the Welsh Government told us, and we set off for a quick visit to our family. As we left the valley, quite early in the morning, our mouths gaped. What was going on? A stream of cars driving in the opposite direction to us. […]
  • Lock down

    Well, here we are, after over 100 days we are told that everything is OK out there and we can travel more than the five miles that we have been restricted to.  So tomorrow we will poke our noses out, and rather against my better judgement make an expedition to Carmarthen.  Maggie wants new towels […]
  • Village Lighting

    The Elan Valley became the first privately owned landscape to become part of the Dark Skies initiative.  The area was well served as a natural area that could look up to a sky not too badly affected by light pollution.  To make it even better our village lighting was changed.  The old sulfurous lighting was […]
  • Coffee morning for the Bracken Trust at Ty Olaf, 3rd August 2019

      What a brilliantly successful day!  The culmination of two months of preparation and hard work.  For Peter and Maggie Hussey, owners of Ty Olaf, it coincides with the harvesting of fruit from the garden, jam making and post Mid Summer hedge and garden tidying and pruning.  For the Bracken Trust Social Committee it is […]

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About Us

Maggie and Peter retired to the Elan Village after running the Drovers Tea Rooms and Restaurant in Builth Wells for 13 years. Professional standards and a warm welcome have been the basis for their success in the hospitality field.

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