August Holidays

~The last few weeks, despite the rather typical British weather, has still seen plenty of activity and visitors to the village. The team have worked very hard at a time when it remains very difficult to cater for with continued uncertainty of economic times. Everyone has played their part and got on with the task at hand which has been great to see - not always plane sailing but then that's the same in any industry. Just over a week now before the school holidays finish - they seem to flown by. By the laws of averages, we are due some sunshine in September - an Indian Summer after an Australian roasting - one can only wait and see.

BATS visit the Oak

We've been visited by BATS........

West Bromwich foursome Peter Hill and friends John Drew,Karl Bradley and Joe Hill, known as the Black Country Ale Tairsters have spent thousands since 1984 travelling across the UK, enjoying a pint in every county in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

They came up with the idea after getting bored of drinking in the same pub, the Old Crown pub in Whitehall Road and made it their mission to visit every pub in Herefordshire and Worcestershire - over 250.

After travelling all of the pubs in the Midlands in their trademark beer mat waistcoats in 1986 they were presented with tankards from the brewery. In 1988 they visited 71 different pubs in 12 counties covering 1,016 miles from Kent to South Wales. On that occasion they raised cash for Sandwell Hospital, Moxley Hospital and the Wolverhampton Royal Hospital.

Flushed with their success they then made it their mission to visit every pub in every county in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, an achievement marked in the Guinness Book of World Records. In the last three years alone, the Tairsters have raised over £5,000.

They have now set their sights on all the pubs in north Wales to raise money for Wrexham Children’s Hospital.

The Royal Oak became their 14,401 visit and their drink of choice was the famous Revered James cask ale-

"Iechyd da" boys and carry on the good work!

Dulwich Reunion - Tanks away

Last weekend saw the old prep school boys who were evacuated during the second world war, return to the hotel for their annual reunion. It was an excellent attendance and included 2 headmasters amongst the ranks. Judging by the chatter, the Saturday luncheon was an interesting affair and the weather held well for all those staying over the weekend (some also stayed the Sunday night as well). Of specific interest was the small note book produced by Mr R Viccari depicting when the allied American tanks came through the village. The story goes that the noise of the rumbling tanks drowned out the boys shouts for sweets, so a large banner was to catch the eyes instead. I asked the author as to why the tanks where there in the first place and whether some artistic license had been employed. His reply was most honest in that the tanks were trying to ensure they were as far away from the nazi bombing threat whilst they regathered their forces after Dunkirk. There was even one stationed on the Waterloo Bridge; something I had not heard before. His drawings are reproduced with his kind permission and serve as a fascinating incite to a young boys perspective of the WW2 viewed from the Welsh foothills.

Clean get-away

Yesterday saw the installation of our latest guest facility - a jet wash for mountain and road bikes. The high pressure cold water jet should remove the welsh dirt after a day's trekking allowing guests to return with a clean and fresh cycle ready for packing away until the next time. I have also included details of this weeks' local meat suppliers in readiness for Father's Day.
The Bull Huss shark bites have been selling well and being enjoyed by a number of diners - best as a light meal or starter in breadcrumbs with lemon garlic mayonnaise - delicious.

Chefs' Catch of the Day

What a fantastic day out - the Hotel has just spent two days fishing off Amlwch point under the very jovial and cheery captains Pat and Elfyn. Our sincere thanks to you both and your first mates, Taff and Daz. We were very well looked after, coached and encouraged. Congratulations to Mike who landed a Bull Huss weighing in at over 15 lbs!! I can recommend this experience to anyone who would like a value for money, relaxing day out that literally gives you a birds' eye view of the stunning welsh coastline. An added bonus has been the ability of the kitchen team to plate up food they have individually sourced/caught. Visit www.julie-anne.co.uk for further details - but remember the sun cream!!

Snowdon cafe Opening - Hafod Eryri

It was opening day today on the top of Snowdon for the new cafe and railway station - Dylan, our catering manager, attended on our behalf and a selection of pictures are attached. The Hotel sponsored the construction and were recognized by the inclusion of a plague which can be seen. The challenges of constructing such a building in one of the harshest environments in Britain have resulted in a unique legacy - further details can be found on the SNP's web site and is well worth the time. It also means that the railway is now open, again, a unique experaince and service for those not normally expected to reach the top of the second highest mountain in Britain.
http://www.eryri-npa.co.uk/page/index.php?nav1=lookingafter&nav2=4&nav3=1〈=eng&contrast=1&view=graphic

Film and landscapes - video to

It has been quite a busy week, all in all, not least as we played host to two film crews. The first and larger of the pair spent a week filming the landscapes and scenery as part of a new feature film called "Patagonia" further details can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020559/ . There is one small change to the cast list we believe since there was a North Wales female singer with the group starring in her first acting role!! Locations included Nant Gwynant camp site and Penmachno Valley. They were all very appreciative and its was a pleasure to cater for them as there are always challenges with groups of this nature.
The second crew brought with them a new model Aston Martin V12 which was drop-jawingly delicious - the only one in the country we believe - they were filing for a certain well known BBC entertainment show in and around Bala and the village - they commented on the dramatic scenery although the car's turning circle (or lack off) proved a little problematic when turing round due to the dry stone walls. We suspected they were "speed" merchants from the start since we had a record quick lock-out (that's where a guest locks themselves out of their room by leaving the key inside it and allowing the door to close).

Finally, we have included a short, very much home made "holiday snap" collection for your interest from around the local area.