The Old Smithy, country retreat

Completely renovated in 2019 by the owner, Philip, revealing and enhancing stunning 1780's traditional features, opening up breath taking views, Efail (Smithy) is a delicious blend of period charm and modern convenience. Stir in the thoughtful features and you have a perfectly warming drink to relax with in front of the wood burner, or to invigorate you to explore the truly beautiful local area for walks, cycle rides, bird watching (inc. Red Kites from garden) and amenities close by. Heaven!

Efail (Smithy) has its own driveway (the owner uses the drive to go to his other garden  (separate from the holiday space) most days to his chickens and vegetable garden, but this does not encroach on the holiday cottage or its 2 gardens, which are exclusively for your break), with parking for 1-2 cars, more by arrangement, as well as secure bike storage for up to 4 bicycles (please bring your own locks). Motorcycle shelter is also available, as well as for long items, such as water sports equipment, just ask!

LAWNED GARDEN AND NATURE The back garden has been opened up to give a nature lawn (clover and other wild flowers) area, with flower borders, a bench to enjoy the stunning views and watch birds, including several Red Kites which are overhead many times a day, as well as some usual farm and countryside larger birds such as doves, pigeons, starlings, pheasants, crows, magpies and several birds of prey, including buzzards. Listen out for the 't-wit' and responding 't-woo' of the owls, the tapping of the Great Spotted Woodpeckers, the call of the chickens to announce the arrival of a fresh egg, and the elegant tune of the Robins. The binoculars in each bedroom and large open in windows give the perfect vantage point to gaze over the view to the mountains and open countryside. Look out for small birds such as members of the Tit family (Long-tailed, Blue, Great, Coal), Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Sparrows, Wagtails, Treecreepers, House Martins, Swallows, Nuthatches. Send us pictures and let us know if you see any during your stay that we have not included! The garden is fenced/gated to approximately 3-4 feet high.

BOOT ROOM AND SHOWER ROOM The door opens into a entrance hall/boot room with chapel pew for a comfortable place to remove shoes and coats, and a walk in shower room and WC off this.

KITCHEN, DINING AND UTILITY The kitchen then welcomes you with its exposed beams, comfortable dining area with wall mounted Television. The kitchen is well equipped for catering for your family or friends, entertaining and sitting down with a delicious coffee from the machine, or a good old ‘cuppa tea’ (a welcome amount of tea and coffee are supplied, more can be bought direct from the owner, or from local shops) and enables views out to farm barns and beautiful surrounding countryside (look out at the Swallows). All basic cleaning equipment is supplied, including washing liquid, a welcome amount of dishwasher tablets for the full size dishwasher, cloths, towels and anti viral cleaning spray and pet cleaning sprays. The kitchen has a useful long utility area, offering a washing machine, large tall fridge freezer, airer, iron and ironing board, microwave, as well as cleaning supplies (vacuum, mops, brooms and buckets).

HEATING The tastefully chosen radiators throughout the old part of the house blend well with the beams, and provide comfortable oil central heating for the house. Further heating via towel radiators, oil and electric, complete the set, giving an answer to all the heating needs one has (including the high end wood burner); every detail has been considered.

LIVING ROOM Two shallow steps lead up into the gorgeous deep oak beamed living room. The pinnacle of this labour of love transformation of Efail (Smithy) is here with the deep-set fireplace, wood burner with logs (a laid fire in the cooler months, as well as fire lighting equipment and a full log basket is supplied, and more is available to purchase). The thoughtful details and finishes when the owner carefully opened up these features is praise worthy. The transformation is shown in the folder you’ll find when you arrive, so you can truly appreciate the distance the house has come since the owners lovingly restored it in 2018-19. The adjoining decorative bread oven nods at the original and the traditional decoration suits this room beautifully. Comfortable sofa, armchairs, storage, large after tea table, coffee table and books, games, maps, guides and Smart TV (with access to any paid subscriptions you may have-we can supply these at a small fee for your stay) leave you with plenty to keep you entertained-remember to ejoy the outdoors too! The door leads to the stairs (dogs must remain downstairs), with sumptuously soft carpet leading you up to the hallway, with picture window framing the far reaching views, and doors to the 2 bedrooms and main bath and shower room. Yet, the modern touches it has make this a very comfortable and user friendly space, looking out over the front, patio garden with bird table and borders with a growing number of edibles and additions for cocktails!

PATIO GARDEN A dining table and chairs on the patio are privately screened with hedges and fencing (to approximately 5-7 feet high), and planted borders, including deliciously scented lavender and a bird table and bath to delight in the pleasure nature brings.

MAIN BATHROOM The main bathroom has a useful electric Velux window for light and ventilation, bathing the room in gentle light. The large walk in shower with overhead fixed ‘soaker’ shower and handheld options are very satisfying and leave one refreshed. Towels, toiletries and welcome amounts of toilet roll are provided throughout. The bath with handles, soft close toilet and generous storage and vanity mirrors, as well as the additional electric towel radiator ensures you can have a soft, warm towel to wrap up in after a warm soak or invigorating shower.

MASTER BEDROOM The Master (South and East facing) bedroom shows an ‘honesty’ window, revealing the lathe and plaster from the original 1870 build as well as the beams and original wooden floor, decorative fireplace and large windows framing the views across the fields. A bespoke wardrobe and bedside table storage with hot water bottles, emergency torches and lamps, as well as dressing table area and hairdryer make it a very welcoming home away from home.

TWIN BEDROOM The twin bedroom has views over both the East fields, far reaching mountain views and the West field (and neighbouring garden and house, though both maintain a good degree of privacy through design). A rich mixture of deep red and calming grey complement the light room, with a desk for working (ethernet connection via wifi which extends around the house, and surge protected plugs), or as a dressing table, with hairdryer and mirror provided, built in generous wardrobe and bedside tables (with emergency torches, bedside lamps and hot water bottles), the room is very comfortable indeed.

TECHNOLOGY AND CONNECTIVITY Mobile signal can be slow at Efail (Smithy). O2 has the best reception, especially at the front of the house. Other networks sometimes use the wifi and, if all else fails, take a wander to the farm gate opposite (south side) and admire the sheep grazing, or watch the birds whilst you make calls or check messages.....or turn it off and relax! Wifi is free of charge, fibre will be soon, though it is not yet finalised (feel free to ask for an update) and works well for normal use (general working, accessing i player, paid for tv subscriptions etc). The heating and hot water are programmed to be automatic, but are user friendly too. There are outdoor lights which are very useful for early mornings and later evenings, as well as some fun colourful surprise additions which come on in the early evening on the East side! There are plenty of sockets for most modern needs, including some USB sockets.

All fire regulations are detailed in the guide book, as well as local walks, amenities, services, places you may like to visit and more.

The owner, living locally, is very friendly, accommodating and approachable. His P.A, who runs the holiday let, Dominique, lives next door and is available to help with anything you may need and someone is always available via text/what's app or phone call. A truly friendly, welcoming and tranquil spot surrounded by enviable views and countryside! The entire semi detached house, Efail (Smithy) is yours to enjoy for your break, including both front and back gardens. The driveway is also for your break, and is only accessed by the owner and neighbours to reach his vegetable garden and chickens, though this does not encroach on the private spaces at all.

The owner, Philip, lives a few minutes away and is usually at the next door vegetable garden each morning (and some evenings, especially in the summer months) if you have any questions, or would like to chat. The Smithy's next door neighbour, Philip's PA, is also available most of the time, but the family respect your privacy, are conscientious, considerate and helpful when needed.

A peaceful, friendly area with sheep (and frolicking lambs come spring!) and, sometimes, cows in surrounding fields, as well as seasonal birds are a delight to watch. 

Oakley Park is an idyllic location for basking in the joy of the re-emergence of red kites since their near extinction, as several can be seen from the house and garden daily. They are such a pleasure to watch. As well as numerous smaller birds (blue tits, great tits, long tailed tits, coal tits, wrens, blackbirds, dunnocks, house sparrows, treecreepers, nuthatches, woodpeckers, robins to name a few) and owls, birds of prey, swlalows, house martins bats across the fields snatching up the bugs! Amazing to watch!

The Smithy is ideally located for cycling, being on 'CYCLE ROUTE 81', and a huge ranges of walks. There is a nearby lake with a challenging walk (around 800 yards away, please see the folder for directions), plenty of footpaths and the windows provide excellent bird watching vantage points, with binoculars in both bedrooms. There are on site maps as well as interative online options.

Llanidloes town (a few minutes by car, or a 30-40 minute leisurely walk) has a great range of shops, including co-op (who offer local delivery, often same-day), One-stop, health foods and eco refills newsagent, a florist, grocers, bakers and many, many more! There is plenty of parking available. A range of restaurants offer varying cuisines, including British and Indian as well as pubs cater to most palates, and taxis are available (booking is required) Morrisons, Tesco and Asda also offer deliveries to The Smithy.

The host can also arrange groceries to be delivered and put away ready for yoru arrival-just ask a few days ahead! Special welcome packs can also be provided for special occasions-ask Dominique for your special welcome pack.

Newtown, around 15 minutes by car has a large range of Supermarkets and other shops. Being almost central to Wales, Efail (Smiahy) is superbly placed for visiting anywhere in Wales, with a maximum of 2.5 hours to almost any Welsh destination and a large array of nearby activities to suit all tastes.

Please don’t attempt any repairs yourself, no matter how minor. Contact us immediately, and we’ll take care of it. Dogs are welcomed, with towels, plastic bed (on request, please bring your pet's preferred soft bed/blankets to put in it), bowls, waste bags all supplied, with spare leads etc available in an emergency! We do, however, ask that they remain downstairs for hygiene. There is a large dog blanket on request for adorning the sofa or chair for your pets, which helps us to keep the fabrics clean for our guests, otherwise we ask they stay off the sofas and armchairs for hygiene. Though most neighbours are in the far distance, Efail (Smithy) is semi detached and we ask you kindly respect the neighbour's peace, and be mindful of noise levels, particularly in the evenings and overnight. Please consider the environment and be mindful of turning off lights (indoors and out) and keeping the heating thermostat at the lowest it is comfortable. Thank you!