Autumn is a season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’, according to great Romantic Poet, Keats. But it’s also a time of Indian Summers and often above average sunshine, particularly in Wales.

The great British weather often leaves much to be desired once the peak holiday season gets into full gear. But as soon as everyone is back at work, or in school, the sun comes out of hiding and the weather tries to behave. And because it’s often so much quieter in autumn, people can have large swathes of the area in which we reside very much to themselves.

Whatever type of holiday you’re after, there’s never any need to be caught in a queue or stuck in a crowd - people can just do as much as the mood takes them, and can come and go as they please.

With a myriad of walking tracks near our holiday let, and over 100 km of mountain-biking trails, our holiday let makes for the perfect base for outdoors enthusiasts. Birdwatchers, climbers, fell-runners, photographers and painters would also find much to inspire them here.

One day, you could take a long trek around nearby extinct volcano, the Rhowbell Fawr, and in the afternoon perhaps venture out to impressive local waterfalls the Rhaeadr Mawddach or the Pystyll Cain.

Moreover, people could perhaps try part of a new walk that retraces the footsteps of famous Welsh Christian Mary Jones. She walked barefoot in 1800 from her home in Llanfihangel y Pennant to Bala, to buy one of the very first ever Bibles published in Welsh. A booklet describing the 28 mile walk is available free from local tourist information offices, or it can be downloaded from the Bible Society's website at www.biblesociety.org.uk. It passes along the shores of Lake Talyllyn, the Mawddach Estuary and the edges of Bala Lake into the small market town of Bala itself.

There’s a wide profusion of ancient monuments and heritage sites all within a short drive of our cottage, Glyn-yr-aur, and the castles at Harlech, Criccieth and Caernarfon are all well worth a visit.

Perhaps one of Snowdonia’s greatest selling points is that it is relatively under-developed compared to other more established holiday places such as the Peak District or the Lakes. But that is all now beginning to change.

There were once few cafes, restaurants and eateries in Southern Snowdonia, wehere we are based, but there has been an explosion of new establishments, particularly within the last five years. In a bid to celebrate this new upward trend, there will be a whole weekend to promote food in and around the Dolgellau in the middle of October this year. The Taste Dolgellau weekend is scheduled to be held from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 October, and local hospitality businesses, cafes and food shops have all been invited to take part in the event, which will showcase the very best the town has to offer in food. (Please see our News section for more details).

The Taste Dolgellau official leaflet uses three of Jane Chilton's pictures of her produce and food.

So for an unforgettable holiday this autumn, please contact either Bob or Jane Chilton on 01341 440611 or email them at onygena@tiscali.co.uk. They look forward to welcoming you to Snowdonia soon.