Hospitality: small can be very beautiful indeed

How can big chains compete with lashings of love, understanding and commitment?

Just down the track from the Blaenau Ffestiiniog railway in North Wales there is a small B&B. Bryn Elltyd may be small on the outside (it has just 6 bedrooms) but there are two totally committed owners delivering world-class service and hospitality within the building’s Victorian walls.

Celia and John are both teachers by profession and inclination. Now they’ve set themselves the task of helping visitors enjoy their adopted home to the fullest and learning just how world-beatingly good sustainable hospitality can be.

Passionate about the outdoor world, John and Celia have spent years involved in outdoor exploits including canoeing, mountaineering and flying parachutes. So passionate that John’s marriage proposal to Celia was delivered at an Everest base camp 18,000 feet high when they were both invited to take part in the 25^th anniversary Everest climb.

And now they are down to Earth in Wales – they are still aiming for the heights of great, sustainable hospitality.

And of course, as befits such community-conscious people (both John and Celia have spent much of their time teaching disabled pupils mountain pursuits) the pair, and the B&B are totally integrated in the local community. So eggs and veg come from the local farmer, fresh bread is baked every day, there is always fair trade tea and coffee. That way everything is fresh and wholesome – at every level.

Moreover their website isn’t called http://www.EcoGuesthouse.co.uk for nothing they are chock-full of high tech and low tech eco installations.

There is £20,000 of computer integrated biomass boiler with a 6ton bag of pellet from sustainable local forestry. And 10m solar evacuated tube thermal array on the roof.  John and Celia have had solar panels since a visit to CAT in 1983.  The boiler house was built last year to improve the house insulation. Now there is a new insulated cavity wall plus 21 layer of mylar roof insulation, dry lined wall, and recycled door. Plus a new 9m long wood seasoning and dry store with recycled railway sleeper uprights, pallets for slatting and recycled slate with 2000w of solar PV on it. 

The cunning house design now links old and new. There is massive insulation, even the new build insulated cavity walls are internal dry lined. There are  detached turf roofed rooms, lined with cosy sheep’s wool, and their own solar thermal panels, rainwater harvesting. Plus there is 3 chamber biological sewerage ending up in small reed bed and the B&B’s duck pond. Native brown trout and their own ducks live here, no doubt happily.

Celia and John’s own trees provide some of the timber for two advanced log burners and also the lumber to build the main dining table. There is, of course, an avenue of native species trees for wildlife.

And, naturally there are many vegetable plots with a range of 5 composters and rainwater harvesting for irrigation.

Within the last 5 weeks the pair have double glazed the conservatory (with locally crafted local plastic from 1 mile away), and worked on extracting excess heat with an air management system.

There are 2 electric vehicle charging points of a tiny handful in North Wales. One is a 32amp rapid charger.

All of the establishment’s electric is made on site or from 100% renewable energy. And now this energetic pair are working on 15m square mountain bike / electric bike / electric buggy store. Built with timber and slate and a massive alpine plant sedum roof.

All of this adds up to true sustainability and what John and Celia deliver is true natural hospitality too, great fresh food, sensational warmth and comfort and amazing hospitality – so much so that they have recently been rewarded with a Gold award from Green Tourism Business Scheme (one of only 5 in North Wales)

And they may be in the depths of the beautiful countryside but guests won’t lack for communication or luxury either. There is 7mg free wifi, satellite TV’s and even a 100% green electric sauna.

It shows what you can do if you are small, determined and passionate – and very energetic indeed! Bryn Elltyd   is naturally a member of the Considerate Hoteliers Association

Valere Tjolle

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