A’hoy there!

 

I stayed but a single night at the Boatel, yet I will always remember it. The boat –come-bedroom and the extraordinary boat roofed shed are the creations of Alex and he rightly won ‘shed of the year’ in 2013.

I was prepared for it to be unusual but I wasn’t expecting it to be so comfortable. Solar power provided heating, lighting, a cooker and a fridge; I even had a chance to re-charge my phone!

Yet it was the wonderful personal character of the shed that I loved. Alex took time to chat to me and show me some of the treasures and quirky collections he has gathered.

 The setting too was peaceful although mizzling rain and low clouds hid the hillsides from my view that evening, nothing could be warmer than the greeting from Alex's two dogs.

That night I cooked my supper, had a glass of wine, and read (Pliny’s letter to Tacitus describing the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D.) by candlelight. Everything about that evening was so completely different from my life at home, I felt justified in calling this trip an adventure. 

The next morning, after a very warm and cosy night in the boatel, I awoke early to find that the skies had cleared and the sun was shining and as I enjoyed my morning mug of tea, I was treated to the beautiful view of the valleys and mountains looking towards the great Cader Idris.

The only thing to mar the perfection of my stay was when I discovered that the hard-boiled eggs I’d eaten for my breakfast, were actually the property of another guest....I sent my apologies via Alex and hope that I have been forgiven.

I headed off on the next leg of my adventure feeling inspired by my night’s stay in this unique and quirky place- this is exactly the sort of new experience I imagined myself having when I planned my trip.