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Off to stay down near Coed y Brenin/Dolgellau for a week around Easter 🙂 and am after a some local knowledge.
First up, the 7 of us will be arriving in the area around 10:00 on a Saturday morning after driving from the midlands, we will be in need of a good cup of coffee and a fry up by the time we arrive. Need somewhere to park up safe with 5 bikes hanging off the car and ideally it will be kid friendly.
So, what options have people used in the past and would recommend that are near by? Happy to stop nearby on the drive down, or drive a bit further.
Finally, we are self catering for a week and will need to be getting a weeks worth of food and it doesn't seem like the supermarket goliaths have invaded yet, so where do people recommend for getting in some good meat, veg and usual assortment of tea, coffee, cereals etc?
Always keep bikes out of sight
So drop the bikes off first, then graze.
Dolgellau is the nearest town, OK and cheap to eat and there is also a bike shop
if you need bits.
There is a reasonable size Co-Op in Dollgellau.
Ate dinner [url= http://www.georgethethird.co.uk/ ]here a week ago[/url] and can only say that whilst not cheap, the food was as good as pub grub gets!
Don't know what they do for Breakfast, but for an evening meal, well worth checking out...
The pub up from the transfynwed (spelling?) lodges does lovely food. Lamb shank was awesome so was the homemade burger!
5 min drive from the cycle centre .
Dumping the bikes might not be an option. We are renting and aren't allowed in the property until 4pm. I'll certainly be trying to dump the bikes beforehand as I can't see it being a problem that they are locked in a garden whilst the property is cleaned for our arrival. Certainly managed this many times before.
Saw the Co-Op and wondered how big and useful it was, read some reviews by locals moaning that the holiday makers clear it out and the store management don't seem smart enough to plan for busy periods.
Thanks so far, keep them coming.
Loving the evening meal options, hoping to get out for a few family meals and if lucky a grown up meal for two.
WrightySon, was the pub The Rhiw Goch Inn?
Yeah that's the one I think, it was pitch black mind. It's probably a tad overpriced but there's not a lot of competition, however 5 of us ate there the first night then 3 on the second and all 8 meals were lovely.
The little chef on the main road could be an option for breakfast so long as you can eat in view of the bikes.
Travel into Barmouth for food too.
Quite a good spar in Dolgellau also supermarkets in Barmouth otherwise tesco in Porthmadog.
We usually grab breakfast at the cafe at coed y brenin and evening supplies from the co op.
This did very good food and was kid friendly - would be on the way home if you end up driving north to Marin / Penmachno / steam railways for kids etc.
http://www.grapeshotelsnowdonia.co.uk/snowdonia-location.html
http://dolgellau-restaurant.co.uk
This place is pretty good, might need to book in advance.
There is an Iceland in Barmouth too.
Thanks for the tips so far, am favoring the center for breakfast if I can't ditch the bikes. We'll have a go at the Co-Op for shopping and see how it goes.
I'll pick this up again in the morning to see what other top tips have been posted.
Cheers
The Dolgellau Eurospa - just over the bridge from town is great - everything you need to stock up with in there. They stock lots of locally sourced stuff, feeling hungry now just thinking about the welshcakes and the really nice little trifles and cheesecakes they do. Yummy. The small spa in the centre, down a side street near Dolgellau Cycles is good too.
There are a few cafes in town including the really nice TH Roberts (just next to the Ship Hotel in the centre), and if you hit it lucky (may involve a few circuits round the one way system), you can park on street, right outside. Or as others have suggested, just head straight for CyB if you intend to ride there and use the centre cafe.
The amazing bakery/ deli round by the hardware store is gone now, but I think has been resurrected as a tea room/ coffee place. The local Indian does great take outs too. Fish and chips from the Mermaid in Barmouth eaten down on the sea front is also compulsory when you are there.
Euro Spar if you have plenty of money. Iceland in barmouth for cheap. There's a coop there too for stuff you can't get in iceland.
Just have breakfast in coed y brenin caff.
Thanks for all the feedback.
Is the Euro Spar expensive in a Waitrose/Booths/M&S type way or just expensive for no obvious reason?
Need to check out some of the pub options as they will be useful for lunches and evening meals.
Forest Center is looking good for breakfast, might be able to start the week with a cheeky ride 🙂
I've never noticed the EuroSpa being expensive, but then I do sometimes shop in Waitrose and don't know what the inside of an Iceland looks like 😉
For a tight welsh man Euro Spar is expensive.
You could drive down to Porthmadog for a Lidl or Aldi if you want really good value.
if lucky a grown up meal for two
Cafe by day Bistro by night. Can be a bit hit & miss (mostly from teenagers serving), but I've had some great meals there.