Walking Holidays based at A Place to Walk

It's always exciting starting a new venture and today is no different. For today we are going live with our new offer: reading retreats and walking holidays. These are perfect matches for our writing retreats (www.aplacetowrite.co.uk) and although they cater for a different market, all of our events now provide an opportunity for home-made comforts, personalised activities and access to a stunning landscape from our doorstep.

The North Wales countryside is hopelessly under-rated as a place of beauty - in our opinion it more than matches the Lake District for grandeur, amazing vistas, history, and inspiration. The Dee Valley alone boasts an impressive river, picturesque towns, a canal, 17th century bridges, the Pontcysyllte aqueduct and a heritage steam railway. All in an area of outstanding natural beauty with mountains, castles, abbeys, and historic chapels along the route.

Corwen itself, on the edge of the Berwyn mountains and within touching distance of Snowdonia, is a monument to Owain Glyndwr with the hotel bearing his name, his magnificent horseback statue, and the marks above the church door where his ancient dagger supposedly made its mark. Corwen was also the site of the 1789 Eisteddfod, which marked the beginning of the revival of the Eisteddfod movement, and today the town bears the marks of history everywhere you walk: a workhouse, cattle market, historic police, fire and ambulance stations (not too far from their modern counterparts), an old cinema, and a collection of 18th, 19th and 20th century buildings that hint at the town's former wealth and importance in the region. Today the Ifor Williams factory and sales room, and the Ruth Lee building, are indicators of the businesses thriving in this central part of North Wales, while the Antiques Emporium and other Vintage stores bring together old objects with new buyers across the town. The local leisure centre provides a decent sized pool and well-equipped gym, Pen-Y-Pign provides a glorious lookout over the valley, and the town's volunteer-led museum offers anyone who cares to enter a glimpse of the region's history in a nutshell.

It is to here that Wendy and I were attracted back in 2021, when we were looking for somewhere to establish our new lives. The property we bought was built by the former sheriff of Denbighshire and the history is all around us: from an ice cellar in the hillside to the bakehouse used by the Sheriff's staff, to the stable block for his horses, and even an old rock quarry high above on the mountainside. I have often wondered whether, if I owned a metal detector, I would find anything of value in one of the many areas of garden and plants that surround the buildings. I can't help feeling I would! Corwen is a historic town and our property is no different.

But what has this all to do with reading and walking retreats and my feelings of excitement? Everything. For our Victorian property, perched on the side of a mountain, overlooking the Dee valley, is the perfect place to read classic literature and modern classics alike. The interior is decorated with William Morris wallpaper, every room has a glorious historic fireplace, and the bookshelves are full of books. There is no better place to relax and read in peace and tranquillity. When the steam train enters Corwen station, with it's whistle marking the time of day, the magic of the place is tangible. And when I feel the need to stretch my legs or, better still, get in some proper exercise, I can walk out from our property and find myself, in minutes, on a quiet mountain path, walking through an ancient hill fort on the Dee Valley way, or enjoying the awesome sight of the distant Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon from Liberty Hall on the top of the mountain behind us.

I am excited to begin sharing the delights of our retreat centre with guests who enjoy reading and walking, in the same way that I was have long enjoyed sharing it with writers and Shakespeare enthusiasts. Both of those segments of our offer will continue to bring me pleasure as we move forward from this point, but there is always something special about something new. Formally welcoming readers and walkers is new - and that, I suppose, is what makes this next step especially exciting.

Nic