North Wales 2023: Eglwysbach and Bodnant Garden

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Derwenfa (further away door)

We spent the second week of our three-cottage holiday in September 2023 in North Wales.  Derwenfa, like the cottage we had just left in Cumbria, could best be described as bijou but we had everything we needed for a week. Situated in the village of Eglwysbach in Conwy County Borough it was well placed for visits to places such as Llandudno and Caernarfon and was within walking distance of Bodnant Garden.

First, a quick look at the village from the welcome sign at one end to the road outside Derwenfa at the other.

Welcome to Eglwysbach
Bee Inn
St Martin’s Church
Bethania Chapel
Outside Derwenfa

We had a look inside the church which is dedicated to St Martin, a 4th century Bishop of Tours. The current building dates from the late 18th century, but the earliest written record of a church here dates from 1254 so it is part of a long tradition.

St Martin’s Church
St Martin’s Church

Bodnant Garden was a 2 mile walk away beyond the other end of the village. Our first day was beautifully sunny so off we set to visit. With over 8 miles of paths within the gardens we certainly got our steps in that day!

Entrance border
Fountain
Douglas fir
Viewpoint
Bridge over stream
Waterfall Bridge
Old Mill
Terraces looking up
Pin Mill
Terraces looking down
Water lily
House and reflection
Roses

I was able to rest my weary feet for a short time on this very large bench which was a gift to Lady Aberconway for her 80th birthday in 2024. It is positioned to have a view down to Bodnant Hall which was built in 1792 and can also be glimpsed in the gallery above. The Hall is not open to the public, as it is still home to the Aberconways, but the gardens belong to the National Trust after Henry McLaren, the 2nd Lord Aberconway, gifted them in 1949.

View from Lady Aberconway’s Seat
Lady Aberconway’s Seat
Lady Aberconway’s Seat

Throw in an excellent café onsite and this was a great day out – though the two mile walk home at the end of it felt a great deal less interesting than the walk out in the morning!

Next up: Llandudno and the Great Orme.

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  2. Hi Anabel – Mum and I went there in the early 1990s … it is a beautiful garden. We stayed at Vyrnwy … it was October so the scenery was spectacular. We also went to Machyllneth to see the Centre for Alternative Technology … I note it’s closed to ‘walk-in visitors’ due to costs etc. It was a lovely trip to share with her – so much more to see though. Cheers Hilary

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  8. Beautiful shot of the waterfall bridge. I have a thing for waterfalls, even a tiny one by the roadside can make me pause, as it did yesterday on my completion of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Of course, rain helps. 😊

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  10. Your first two paragraphs were an unpronounceable tangle of run-on consonants, but aside from that, a lovely post.😊 Loved the beautiful gardens and the family “cottage” in the distance.

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  21. Beautiful garden views! I remember visiting Bodnant as a teenager on a family holiday and all of us (adults and kids) were entranced by it 🙂 Judging by your photos it is still lovely as it was then.

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  24. Bodnant Garden is lovely isn’t it? – especially when the rhododendrons and azaleas are out. I’ve been a few times, the last visit in early June three years ago just at the right time to see the laburnum arch in bloom. Photos round the gardens always come out well, I especially like the one from the viewpoint.

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