Traditional 18th century farmhouse on the slopes of a mountain

Croesor Bach is a traditional stone-built farmhouse, 700 feet above sea level on the slopes of Cnicht (in the Snowdonia National Park, 5 miles from Porthmadog). There is excellent walking straight from the cottage: up the mountain, around the head of the valley, up to the old Croesor slate mine or simply strolling along by the stream looking for choughs and dippers.

Downstairs there are three main rooms: sitting room with a large open fireplace; traditional kitchen with slate worktop, oil-fired range (heating, hot water and oven) and induction hob; dining room with table, bookcases and view across the valley.

We have tried to maintain the traditional character, as far as possible, rather than "modernising" the kitchen with anonymous units and worktops. The range keeps the kitchen cosy and full of character; there is a separate 5-ring induction hob for cooking on.

Upstairs there are 4 bedrooms, with a total of 6 beds, plus a bathroom with shower, bath, toilet and wash-basin. All the bedrooms have views out over the countryside.

We now have "fibre to the property" 150Mbit/s broadband. This is an occasion for much rejoicing after years with a volume-limited satellite link. Also (June 2026) a new housekeeper with much higher standards, hurray! - and a shower booster pump.

The rough garden (0.3 acre) has far-ranging views of the mountains that shelter the valley (Cnicht and Moelwyn Mawr), the stream and valley floor, and the sea is just visible in the distance beyond Porthmadog. There is a patio with tables on the seawards side of the house. The cottage is 200m up its own track from the road, and the road ends at the sheep farm half a mile away, so there is no passing traffic and the whole situation is very peaceful.

Swallows, stonechats, goldfinches and willow warblers can be heard in the garden.