reviews

June 18, 2019

My Weekend at Hewenden Mill Cottages

Nick Everything Else travel, reviews, property 0 Comments

I have just returned after a three-day break at Hewenden Mill Cottages in Yorkshire.

I was there to visit my sister Liz and her family, who live in Wilsden, near Bradford. They don’t really have room for me to stay with them, so I did an internet search and discovered Hewenden Mill Cottages, which was just a mile and a half from them.

At first I assumed that, as these were self-catering cottages, they wouldn’t be suitable for a solo visitor who was only coming for a long weekend. Turns out I was wrong, though. They were very happy to accommodate me for three nights, and the cost was, if anything, cheaper than staying at a hotel (see Financials, below).

Hewenden Mill Cottages is in a secluded location between the villages of Wilsden and Cullingworth. I have embedded a map of the area below (courtesy of Google Maps.

The Accommodation

Hewenden Mill Cottages and Apartments (to give their full title) is based around not one but two old mills which have been converted into holiday cottages.

The main Hewenden Mill complex (which includes the reception, shown in the cover photo above) is easy to access from the B6144 (also called Lane Side). I was staying at Bent’s Mill, however, which is a short distance from Hewenden Mill. It’s a seven-minute walk from one to the other through some picturesque woodland, but unfortunately it’s not possible to drive through this. I have posted a photo of Bent’s Mill below.

When I arrived I was met at reception by the charming Susan, who told me she was the owners’ daughter. She asked me to follow her in my car as she drove to Bent’s Mill. I was glad to have her as my guide, as the journey involved going on narrow, twisting country lanes, and for my first visit it was reassuring to have her car in front and know I was going the right way. It also came in useful when we turned a corner and met another car coming the opposite way. As there were two of us and only one of them, they had no option but to back up!

I was staying in the Wheel Pit House at one end of Bent’s Mill. As you may gather, this is where the water wheel once stood. It’s no longer there, but you can see the chamber where it was through a window in the entrance hall (or from the outside). You can read more about the Wheel Pit House on this page of the excellent Hewenden Mill Cottages website. Here is my own photo of the exterior.

My accommodation was on three levels. On the ground floor was the front door and entrance hall. Upstairs on the first floor was a double bedroom and bathroom. On the top floor were the kitchen and lounge, from which you could enjoy lovely views of the woodland and mill pond (see photo below).

I have to say I was very impressed by my cottage. It was spacious and comfortable, with everything you would need for a short stay (or a longer one).

The kitchen included an electric cooker with ceramic hob, fridge, freezer, dishwasher and washing machine – all very clean and modern, and considerably nicer than I have at home!

The cottages have free wifi, and all costs such as electricity and VAT are included in the price. There would have been plenty of room for a couple, and a young child or baby as well. To me as a solo visitor it felt palatial, especially after the compact ‘Forest Retreat’ I stayed in a few weeks ago at Aberdunant Hall. As a matter of interest, I worked out that at Hewenden my accommodation was over six times larger!

A nice touch is that the owners provide a complimentary ‘welcome pack’ of groceries on arrival. This included bread, milk, butter, preserves, orange juice, biscuits, and so on. A selection of breakfast cereals in individual boxes and sachets was also provided, along with coffee and Yorkshire Tea (see below!).

Hewenden Mill and (especially) Bent’s Mill are a bit off the beaten track and there aren’t any shops close by (though there is a Co-op in Cullingworth about a mile away). As I was mostly eating with my sister and her family that wasn’t an issue for me, but if I’d had to buy some provisions it wouldn’t have been a problem. There are also several takeaways, cafes and restaurants within a mile or two.

Financials

As Pounds and Sense is primarily a money blog, I need to say a few words about this.

I paid £327 (including VAT) for my three-night stay in the Wheel Pit House at Hewenden Mill Cottages, which I thought was very reasonable. I paid an initial £50 deposit when I booked, with the rest due on arrival.

Costs obviously vary according to the accommodation you want, when you want it, and for how long. I did though notice that the longer your stay the cheaper (per day) it works out. While you can book for one or two nights, it becomes much more economical if you are staying for three nights or longer.

The price I paid worked out to £109 a night, which – as I said above – struck me as very reasonable (and cheaper than most of the hotels I have stayed at recently). Of course, unlike most hotels, you don’t get a cooked breakfast, and neither is a daily housekeeping visit included. On the positive side, though, you do get far more space, a fully equipped kitchen, a separate lounge and bedroom, and complete privacy during your stay.

You can check current prices and availability on the Hewenden Mill Cottages website.

Things To Do

Obviously I was visiting family, so I won’t go into detail about everything I did while I was there. However, for the benefit of anyone who may be considering visiting the area, I will mention a few of the local attractions.

First of all, Hewenden Mill is just a few miles from Haworth, the home of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Anne and Emily (indeed, the area is sometimes called Bronte Country). If you haven’t visited before, I would say this is a must-see. You can go around the parsonage where the sisters were brought up and wrote their famous novels such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. The parsonage has been preserved (or restored) largely as it was in their day. I found it quite an emotional experience seeing the family home where the sisters lived, wrote, and tragically all died at an early age

The village with its cobbled high street is also well worth seeing, and there are numerous (enticing) tea and cake shops.

And finally, Haworth has a station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, a heritage steam railway which runs between Keighley and Oxenhope. The line and its stations has been used in numerous period film and television productions, including the film The Railway Children. More information and timetables are available via the KWVR website. You can get a 10% discount on a Day Rover ticket if you buy your ticket more than seven days in advance.

Also nearby is Saltaire, the Victorian model village built by textile magnate and philanthropist Sir Titus Salt to house the workers at his mill. The mill itself is still there, and large parts are open free of charge to the public. Inside is a bookshop, and you can still see some of the old heavy machinery there that was used in the mill. There is also a bustling coffee shop and restaurant, along with displays and exhibitions. The River Aire runs alongside the town (hence the name, of course), and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal too (great for a brisk walk along the towpath!).

And, of course, the whole of the area is incredibly scenic, with lots of scope for country walks, runs or cycle rides, as you prefer. From Hewenden Mill Cottages there are various walks you can take, from a five-minute stroll to Goit Stock Waterfalls (see photo below) to much further afield.

Final Thoughts

As you may gather, I very much enjoyed my stay at Hewenden Mill Cottages and thoroughly recommend them. Obviously, the fact that they are only a short drive from my sister’s home was a big attraction for me. Even if that wasn’t the case, though, I would definitely consider going back for a short break.

There is plenty of choice of accommodation, though at weekends especially it does get popular, so it’s definitely advisable to book a few weeks in advance.

If you want complete peace and seclusion, I can highly recommend staying at Bent’s Mill, where the only noise to be heard is birdsong. My one slight reservation is that, as mentioned earlier, getting there by car involves a somewhat nerve-racking drive along narrow, twisting lanes, where you really hope you don’t meet someone coming in the other direction! it’s perfectly do-able, of course, but if you don’t fancy this particular challenge then staying at the main Hewenden Mill might be a better choice for you.

As always, if you have any comments or questions about Hewenden Mill Cottages, please do post them below.

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June 11, 2019

Have You Tried Nextdoor?

Nick Everything Else reviews, property 0 Comments

Excuse the slightly tongue-in-cheek title. Nextdoor is actually a free social network for local communities.

I’ve been a member for about a year now. In the last few months I have seen the number of people who have signed up in my neighbourhood grow considerably. So I thought today I’d share my thoughts about it.

What Is Nextdoor?

I’ll start by quoting from the Nextdoor website:

Nextdoor is the private social network for you, your neighbours and your community. It’s the easiest way for you and your neighbours to talk online and make all of your lives better in the real world. And it’s free.

People are using Nextdoor to:

Borrow a ladder

Organise a Neighbourhood Watch Group

Track down a trustworthy babysitter

Find out who does the best paint job in town

Ask for help keeping an eye out for a lost dog

Find a new home for an outgrown bike

Finally call that nice man down the street by his first name

Nextdoor’s mission is to provide a trusted platform where neighbours work together to build stronger, safer, happier communities, all over the world.

That’s a reasonable summary, I think. It corresponds with the types of uses people in my local area are putting it to, as the screen capture below illustrates.

Here are my personal thoughts and experiences of Nextdoor as a member…

How I Use Nextdoor

As well as keeping an eye on what is going on in my neighbourhood, I have also used Nextdoor as a way of finding reliable tradesmen. This has worked pretty well, although I do find that when you ask for recommendations from your neighbours, what you actually tend to get is a stream of replies from the tradesmen themselves angling for your custom. Of course, it’s quite understandable that tradespeople are cottoning on to the fact that this can be a good way of getting work.

I have also found Nextdoor good for finding local people willing to do smaller jobs that the average tradesman might not be interested in. Here’s an example message I posted recently…

Man (or Woman) with a Ladder Needed

I recently had some scaffolding up at the back of my house. When the scaffolders took it away, they left a couple of short metal tubes near the edge of the roof. Despite several requests they haven’t come back for them and I’m concerned they may cause damage if they fall down. So I just wondered if someone with a ladder might be willing to pop over and remove them for me? Should only be a five-minute job and I’m happy to pay a tenner or donate the money to your favourite charity. Will also give you a review on any relevant website if you’re a tradesperson.

I got a reply on Nextdoor within an hour from the wife of a local roofer. She said her husband would be happy to come and do this for me. We exchanged private messages, and the roofer (Clive Byrne of CMB Roofing – many thanks!) came over that afternoon and removed the offending items for me. As per my message, I paid him £10 and put a review on Google for him. This solved a niggling problem for me with the minimum of hassle, and is a good example of the sort of thing Nextdoor can work well for.

Any Drawbacks?

As with any social network there can be differences of opinion, and worse…

I have seen a few instances where people have been criticised for things they have said or shared on the platform. Sometimes (in my opinion) this may have been justified, but other times I think those concerned have been, shall we say, rather thin-skinned.

One issue that has arisen a few times has been when someone reports suspicious activity and others then criticise them for stereotyping or being too quick to make judgements. I do accept that this can be a difficult issue, but personally I think that if someone observes suspicious, possibly criminal, behaviour, it’s not unreasonable to alert their neighbours about it. But like it or not, if you do this, you can expect to be criciticised by some people.

Unsurprisingly, politics (national and local) is another contentious area. For example, where I live the local council is currently considering a planning application for a KFC drive-through. Some people expressed their disapproval about this quite forcibly, while others argued (equally forcibly) that it would be beneficial for the area. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of robust argument, but some of the comments became unpleasant and borderline abusive. Some people get hot under the collar when they discover that their neighbours don’t share their views, and it can rather spoil the friendly, community vibe that Nextdoor is trying to promote. Of course, the same thing happens on Facebook and other social networks, but if you join Nextdoor you need to be prepared for this.

Nextdoor is monitored and supervised by what the network calls ‘Local Leads’. These are – as I understand it – ordinary members who have additional powers, e.g. to delete posts that breach the community’s guidelines. I now know who my Local Lead is, but only because I researched this carefully. I haven’t ever seen any posts by them on the platform, much less any evidence of constructive interventions. Maybe all this goes on behind the scenes – I don’t know. I do think Nextdoor could be more up front about who the Local Leads are and how they are chosen.

Finally, it would be wrong not to mention that joining Nextdoor has privacy implications. As a member, you can see the names of people in your local area and (in most cases) their street and house number. And they, of course, will be able to see yours. This information is only available to people in your immediate area and pseudonyms are not allowed. I can understand the reasons for this, but if you are uncomfortable with it, Nextdoor may not be for you. In any event, be careful about sharing personal information in your profile, especially anything you might not want your neighbours to know!

How to Join

If you do decide to give Nextdoor a try, you can sign up for free at https://www.nextdoor.co.uk. Fill in the short form on the front page (see screen capture below) including your postcode, then click on Find Your Neighbourhood. You will then be able to see recent posts by your neighbours, with other information (e.g. a map of your area) available via the left-hand menu.

You can also access Nextdoor via a mobile phone app. Versions are available for Apple (via the iTunes App Store) and Android (via Google Play).

Final Thoughts

Although (as stated above) I do have certain reservations about Nextdoor, overall I feel I have benefited from it, and it has certainly increased my awareness of events going on in my neighbourhood. I have also, as mentioned above, found it a useful resource for finding tradespeople and getting recommendations.

I’d love to hear your views about Nextdoor, and also your experiences (good or bad) if you’re already a member. Please do leave any comments below as usual.

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May 26, 2019

My Weekend at Aberdunant Hall Hotel Near Porthmadog

Nick Everything Else reviews, travel 2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I enjoyed a long weekend (three nights) at the Aberdunant Hall Holiday Park and Hotel near Porthmadog in North Wales.

It was the first time I had stayed at Aberdunant Hall (as I’ll call it from now on), but I know the area pretty well. I used to stay at the Tremeifion Hotel just across the estuary from Portmeirion, but unfortunately this closed last year. So I went online to research alternatives in the area and discovered Aberdunant Hall. It had generally excellent reviews, so I decided to check it out for myself.

Aberdunant Hall is about four miles from Porthmadog, near a small town called Prenteg. I have embedded a map of the area below (courtesy of Booking.com).

Booking.com

The Hotel

With the help of my satnav I had no difficulty finding Aberdunant Hall. On the main road there is a gatehouse and you have to turn in here and follow a narrow, winding road through some scenic woodlands before you reach the hotel.

The hotel is actually quite small – it has only about a dozen rooms for guests – and the reception area is basically a desk in the dining room. A friendly and helpful young man took my details and showed me to my room.

I say my room, but I had actually opted to stay in what the hotel describe as a Forest Retreat. This is a small cluster of wooden cabins a few minutes’ walk from the main hotel. Here is a photo to give you an idea. Mine was at the top of the hill, in the middle of this picture. You can see the view from my balcony in the cover image (above).

The Forest Retreats are certainly compact (the website says they they measure 14 ft by 10 ft). There is a fold-down bed which when pushed up reveals a sofa with a mirror above it (the mirror in mine was cracked, unfortunately). There is a small but well-equipped kitchenette by the door and a bathroom with a shower cubicle at the back.

You also get a balcony with a table and chairs. I know if I had been staying with my late partner Jayne, I would have ended up being banished here quite often while she was getting dressed and ready! There isn’t much space for hanging clothes or putting things away, so I wouldn’t recommend this type of accommodation if you are planning to stay any longer than a few days.

If you are in one of the Forest Retreats – or any other accommodation in the hotel and holiday park – you have the option of eating at the hotel restaurant if you wish (you will need to book in advance). I ate there on the first night and enjoyed an excellent meal of potato and leek soup, smoked haddock with poached eggs and spinach, and vanilla cheesecake with a strawberry topping. The other two nights I cooked my own meals, but that was just for convenience (and to save a few pounds) really.

A cooked breakfast is included in the price you pay. This is basically a self-service buffet, though a waitress was around to answer questions, fix the drinks machine and toaster when they broke down, and deal with any special requests (e.g. vegetarian/vegan options). I enjoyed the breakfasts. I rather prefer the buffet style, as you can choose exactly what you have and when you have it (e.g. I prefer to have my toast at the end). It would have been nice if scrambled eggs had been available as well as fried, but that’s a very minor criticism.

Although you don’t get any sea views at Aberdunant Hall, the country park location is undoubtedly picturesque. As well as trees and plants, the park (which also houses lots of static caravans and lodges) is criss-crossed with small streams. My Forest Retreat was wonderfully peaceful, and I slept very well while was I was there.

Financials

As Pounds and Sense is primarily a money blog, I should say a few words about this.

I paid £395 (including VAT) for my three-night stay in a Forest Retreat at Aberdunant Hall, which I thought was reasonable. My three-course meal in the restaurant including a drink came to £29.75, which again I didn’t think excessive.

There are plenty of other accommodation options at Aberdunant Hall. They include a variety of rooms in the hotel itself, from a basic single room starting at £85 a night to a Victorian-style luxury room with four-poster bed starting at £185 a night. Or if you prefer to stay in the park rather than the main hotel, you can book a Woodland Escape Suite. These are over twice the size of the Forest Retreats and cost from £185 a night. I like the sound of them, even though they are (of course) really aimed at couples. You can see all the accommodation options at Aberdunant Hall Hotel on this page of their website.

One comment I would make is that – a little surprisingly – there is no shop on the site. So if you are planning to cater for yourself at least some of the time, you may want to bring some provisions with you. The nearest shopping centre is Porthmadog, about four miles away. This has a large Tesco and a variety of other shops.

Finally, I should mention that (as I often do) I booked this break via Booking.com. I like this site for a number of reasons, including the fact that it shows you what rooms are available on any given dates for your accommodation and even suggests alternative dates if your first choices are unavailable. But you can, of course, also book directly with the hotel if you prefer. I find there isn’t usually much difference in price one way or the other.

Things To Do

Aberdunant Hall is on the edge of Snowdonia, so there is no shortage of things to do in the area. As well as walking, there are some popular tourist attractions as well. Here are the main places I visited and things I did while I was there…

1. Portmeirion

This is about twenty minutes’ drive from Aberdunant Hall and I spent my first morning here. Portmeirion is a beautiful Italianate village created by the architect Clough Williams Ellis. These days it is probably best known as the location for the 1960s cult TV series The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan. It is a wonderful place to while away a few hours. I recommend taking one of the guided tours that start near the entrance and run more or less continuously through the day. I also recommend the woodland train, which offers an effortless way of exploring the wooded area behind the village and includes a photo stop at a viewpoint above the village (see below). There is an admission fee to get into Portmeirion, but you can save a pound or two by booking at least a day in advance on the website.

2. Festiniog Railway

This heritage steam railway has two separate lines, both of which run from Porthmadog. The Welsh Highland Railway takes you on a two-and-a-quarter hour trip through the heart of Snowdonia to Caernarfon, while the original Festiniog Railway takes you on a one-hour trip to Blaenau Festiniog. As I only had the afternoon I took the shorter journey, but I have done the Welsh Highland Railway trip before and highly recommend it as well. You can get more info on both (and book in advance if you wish) via the Festiniog Railway website.

3. Snowdon Mountain Railway

On my second day I drove to Llanberis, which is about 40 minutes by car from Aberdunant Hall. At Llanberis you can get the Snowdon Mountain Railway, which will take you all the way to the peak of the highest mountain in Wales. This is a very popular attraction, so I highly recommend booking in advance, which you can do via the website. I was fortunate that on the day I went the weather was perfect and so was the visibility. Here’s a photo I took on the summit, although no photo can really do justice to the amazing views in all directions.

4. Electric Mountain

This is another tourist attraction in Llanberis, so I thought I’d combine the two. Electric Mountain is actually the Dinorweg hydro-electric power station. For a modest fee you can take a one-hour guided tour on a mini-bus which takes you deep into the mountain. I found this interesting and informative, and the engineering on display is undoubtedly impressive. No photos of this, as they don’t allow you to take cameras or mobile phones on the tour, presumably in case you are planning a spot of industrial espionage. You can book tours in advance on the website. At the time of my visit they were renovating the visitor centre, so visitors had to collect their tickets and assemble for the tour at a portacabin in the car park.

Closing Thoughts

i enjoyed my visit to Aberdunant Hall and would certainly consider going again. I am not sure if I would stay in a Forest Retreat another time, though. Even for me, as a solo visitor, it felt cramped. If you are going as a couple, I’d imagine that staying more than a day or two could put quite a strain on your relationship!

There are many positives, though. The woodland location is peaceful and picturesque, and allows easy access to Snowdonia and the Lleyn peninsula. All the staff I met were charming, and the food was very good as well. Although I’ve been a little disparaging about the size of the Forest Retreats, mine was spotlessly clean and had all the facilities needed for a short stay, including a cooker, fridge and microwave.

As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

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May 21, 2019

Make Money Watching TV With The Viewers

Nick Making Money reviews 2 Comments

Today I wanted to give you a heads-up about a market research company that is always looking for new members for its (paid) audience panel.

As the name suggests, The Viewers researches people’s TV viewing habits. They regularly run studies about this and pay participants in cash (via PayPal) or Amazon vouchers.

One type of study they run is focus groups. These are typically held in large cities. They generally last 90 minutes and involve discussing current and planned TV programmes in a small group led by a researcher. You can expect to be paid at least £40 (cash in hand) plus free refreshments for a 90-minute group discussion, and often more if the project involves tasks to complete before or after the discussion.

The Viewers also run online focus groups, which (obviously) you can do from the comfort of your own home. Payment is similar to the physical focus groups, though without the refreshments!

They also run a variety of other studies and surveys. A recent one I took involved tuning my TV to a number of Freeview channels and taking photos of what was on the channels in question, including the station logo at the top of the screen (see sample photo below). I used my mobile phone camera to do this, and uploaded the photos to the website as instructed.

This whole task took me about 20 minutes and I received a £5 Amazon voucher in payment (I could have opted for a slightly smaller amount in cash, but as I’m always buying stuff from Amazon, a voucher was just as good for me).

As well as these paid studies, The Viewers also run some shorter ones where payment takes the form of prize draw entries. Here’s one I was sent recently by email:

You could be suitable to share your thoughts on a TV actor or actress. Those taking part will initially be entered into a prize draw with some participants invited to an optional longer paid survey within the next week. If you would prefer not to hear about prize draw surveys, please update your research and communication preferences towards the bottom of this email.

Reward: Entry into this project’s prize draw with 1 x £50 flexi e-gift card and 10 x £10 flexi e-gift cards up for grabs. These can be spent at Amazon, Argos, Cineworld, M&S, Pizza Express, Tesco & more.

Additional prize draw: All taking part (including those who don’t qualify) will also be entered into our additional May prize draw which runs across all surveys with 1st prize of £100 amazon voucher, 2nd prize of £50 amazon voucher and 5 runner up £10 amazon vouchers!

Time required: 5 minutes (approx)

There is no obligation to do these (or any) studies, as there is no guaranteed reward. But if I’m not busy with other things I tend to, as they are usually quite interesting and take no more than five minutes to complete.

Obviously, if you never watch TV, The Viewers isn’t going to be for you. But you don’t have to be a telly addict either. On the website, they say, ‘ We want to speak to all manner of viewers, from ardent fans of a programme to those who just catch the odd bit of TV. Please just be completely honest when registering and you will be contacted when a project is right for you.’

Clearly nobody is going to make a fortune from The Viewers, but it can be a great addition to your portfolio of sideline-earning opportunities, and the studies are generally interesting and enjoyable as well.

To register with The Viewers, click on this link (or any of the links in this post) and click on the Join Now button. Enter your details and you will then receive emails from them any time they have a study you may be eligible for. In my experience, payments (or online gift vouchers) normally arrive within a week.

As always, if you have any comments or questions about The Viewers, please do post them below.

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May 1, 2019

My Weekend at Lake Vyrnwy

Nick Everything Else reviews, travel, food 2 Comments

I recently spent a weekend at Lake Vyrnwy, a few miles over the border from Shropshire into Wales. I had wanted to visit the area since watching a TV programme a few months ago about the history of the lake.

Lake Vyrnwy is actually a man-made lake (or reservoir if you prefer). It was created to provide a water supply for Liverpool in the 19th century. It’s about 25 miles from Oswestry. I’ve embedded a Google Map below showing the area.

My Hotel

I stayed at the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel and Spa (pictured below), which is near the dam at the western end of the lake. I booked on the Booking.com website.

The hotel dates back to 1890 – it was originally built to accommodate senior managers and engineers on the construction project. Since then it has been extended several times, although as recently as the 1970s it was still owned by the water company (it’s now in private hands). The hotel doesn’t make as much of its interesting history as it could, in my opinion.

Anyway, I pushed the metaphorical boat out and booked a Premier Lake View Room via Booking.com. The view certainly didn’t disappoint, as the cover photo (taken from my balcony) indicates.

My room was on the top floor, up various flights of stairs. One thing to bear in mind if you plan to stay here is that there is no lift in the main hotel, though I was told there is one in the spa (which I didn’t go in, partly because you have to pay extra – see below).

My room was spacious and comfortable, with all the features you might expect from a four-star hotel, including tea and coffee-making equipment, flat-screen TV, refrigerator, walk-in shower, and so forth. There was also good free wifi in the room, and in the public areas of the hotel too (just as well, as there was no mobile phone signal!).

I had my breakfast and evening meals in the hotel. Breakfast was included in the fee I paid. Evening meals were extra, though to be honest there isn’t really anywhere else to eat in the vicinity (apart from a couple of cafes that aren’t open in the evening anyway).

A lot of people rave about the food at the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel. Personally I thought it was good but not exceptional. It was let down by little things, e.g. at breakfast on the first day the muffin with my Eggs Benedict was burnt. I went for the full Welsh breakfast the next day, and on my final day decided to chance the Eggs Benedict again. This time the muffin wasn’t burnt but dense and tasteless – I’m guessing it had come straight out of the freezer. I’ve had much better Eggs Benedicts at my local Wetherspoons. For the money I was paying I’d have expected better really.

You have two dining options at the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel: the restaurant and ‘less formal’ brasserie. My top tip would be to stick to the restaurant and give the brasserie a miss. On my second night I tried it and found it crowded (it’s in a small room and the tables are pushed close together) and noisy. There were also young children running around apparently unsupervised. Okay, the brasserie might be a bit cheaper, but the main restaurant offers a much more relaxed, civilised dining experience, and much better views across the lake as well.

Financials

As Pounds and Sense is primarily a money blog, I should say a few words about this.

For my Premier Lake View Room (with single occupancy) I was charged £589 including VAT for three nights. Obviously I could have booked a cheaper room without the lake view, but in my opinion it would be a shame to stay at the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel and not have this.

Evening meals in the restaurant were charged at £27 for two courses or £35 for three (there were supplements for certain dishes such as sirloin steak). You do also get a complimentary ‘taster’ of fresh soup with home-made focaccia bread, which I enjoyed and recommend.

At the brasserie you order from an A La Carte menu, so the price depends on what you choose.

As mentioned earlier, the hotel also has a spa, for which you have to pay an extra £10 a day admission charge. The spa has a thermal suite, including a sauna, steam room, ice fountain, whirlpool, and tepidarium (no swimming pool though). It offers various treatments at extra cost, including massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, and so on..

Activities

One thing I should mention before describing what I did is that when I visited – the weekend before Easter – it was bitterly cold. The temperatures typically didn’t rise above 4 or 5 degrees, and when you factor in the wind chill as well, it was probably around freezing. I was very glad I remembered to take my quilted winter coat, gloves, scarf and woolly hat!

First Day

On my first day I walked to the dam down the precipitous bridle path from the hotel (I asked the receptionists how many guests they lost on this – they laughed but didn’t reply).

The dam is undoubtedly impressive and leads to a small tourist area with a visitor centre; this is a good place to start your exploration. A short film plays constantly inside with alternating English and Welsh narration. It tells you about the history of the lake, and the various plants and animals that live around (and on) it today. Nature conservation is quite a major theme around the lake.

Also in the village is an RSPB shop and a bird hide that is well worth a visit (see picture below). There is also a friendly cafe called The Old Barn, and Artisans, a cafe and shop where you can also hire bicycles. I had planned to do this myself, but the very cold weather dissuaded me. I did see quite a few – admittedly much younger – people cycling around the lake, though.

A short distance away is a sculpture park, and I recommend this if you fancy an enjoyable walk that isn’t too taxing. The sculptures are all made of wood, and some are quite striking. This one is called Mother Earth, for example.

In the afternoon I walked the opposite way from the hotel to the Victorian Straining Tower (picture below). This Gothic-style building filters the lake water through mesh before it starts its journey to Liverpool. Unfortunately it’s not open to the public, but you can admire it from the road. It’s a pity there isn’t an explanation board, just a forbidding ‘Keep Out’ notice.

Second Day

On my second day I decided to drive around the lake, stopping at points of interest along the way. There is a good (if narrow) road all round the lake, about 12 miles in total.

I had picked up a leaflet from the hotel reception about walks in the area, and decided to do the two-mile round trip to Rhiwargor Falls. This walk starts near the east end of the lake at a convenient car park. Despite the cold I enjoyed this. I didn’t see another soul on foot the whole time, although I did come eye to eye with a few sheep…

The waterfall is pretty impressive, and I imagine if it has rained recently it is even more so. Here is a video I recorded.

On the way back I stopped at another bird hide on the side of the lake, but there wasn’t a lot to see. I spotted a Canada goose and three mandarin ducks and duly logged them on the whiteboard. I erased the previous recorded sighting of six pterodactyls, as I suspected this wasn’t entirely genuine.

In the afternoon I took a short walk from the hotel to visit a church I had noticed before. This turned out to be St Wddyn’s (pictured below).

St Wddyn’s was built in 1880 to replace the original church of that name that was flooded (along with the rest of the old village of Llanwddyn) when the lake was filled. It is a quiet, peaceful place with some beautiful stained glass windows. It is well worth a visit if you are staying at the hotel, as it’s barely 10 minutes’ walk away. Again, I didn’t see another living soul while I was there.

Closing Thoughts

So that was my visit to Lake Vyrnwy. I didn’t hang about on my last day, as it was still very cold, and the wind was getting up as well.

I thought the area was beautiful and unspoiled (if you can say that about a man-made reservoir) and the hotel itself very good despite my minor reservations.

It’s probably not a place to take young children as there wouldn’t be a great deal to occupy them. But if you enjoy beautiful scenery and (especially) if you like walking, running or cycling, it would make a great short break destination. The Lake Vyrnwy Hotel and Spa is also a popular venue for people celebrating their honeymoon or anniversary, or wanting some serious pampering in the Spa. In view of the many steps and lack of lifts it’s probably not ideal if you’re physically infirm, though.

If you like the idea of visiting the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel and Spa, if you follow any of the links in this article you can get a £15 discount via the Booking.com website. This is credited to your card once you have completed your break. I will also receive £15 as a reward for introducing you 🙂

As always, if you have any comments or questions about Lake Vyrnwy or the hotel, please do post them below.

Note: You can get the £15 discount on Booking.com wherever you go on your next visit, be it Lake Vyrnwy or elsewhere. Just click on my link and follow the instructions!

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April 19, 2019

Review: RING RTC1000 Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator

Nick Everything Else reviews, sponsored post 0 Comments

I was gifted this automatic tyre inflator from RING Automotive – a company specializing in this type of product – in exchange for publishing an honest review. So here are my thoughts about it.

The RING RTC1000 is not the first automatic tyre inflator I have ever used, but overall it is the best I have tried to date. It certainly beats the old foot-pump I used in bygone days, and is a lot more convenient (and probably more accurate) than the machines on garage forecourts. And once you’ve bought it, of course, it’s free to use!

The RING RTC1000 Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator is undoubtedly smart looking. I like the round, flat design, which makes it very stable.

It comes with a range of accessories, including adaptors for bicycle tyres, balls and other inflatables, and even a set of plastic gloves for keeping your hands clean. There are also some spare valve dust caps and a spare fuse. These are all useful, thoughtful additions, though it would be nice if there was a compartment somewhere within the device in which to keep them.

Using the RTC1000 is simple and intuitive. You plug it in to your car’s cigarette lighter socket (it was quite a tight fit in my Vauxhall Corsa) and turn on the ignition. You can then set the target pressure you want by turning the small dial under the display (see photo below).

If you prefer, you can change from the default PSI to Bars or kPA by pressing down the dial (see below). This will cycle through the pressure measurement options available.

Once you have attached the air hose to your tyre using the brass valve connector, the device then operates to inflate it to your target pressure. I found this quick and surprisingly quiet. I did, though, find that it stopped inflating just below the selected target figure. I would guess that this is a safety feature to allow for any possible margin of error in the measurement, but it is still a little frustrating. Of course, you can get around it by setting a target pressure slightly above what you actually want, but I don’t really see why you should have to do this.

On the plus side, the device has a small recessed area on top in which to put the valve dust cap while inflating the tyre. This avoids the scenario of putting a cap on the ground and having it roll away and vanish (we’ve all been there). There is also a built-in LED light, which is great if you need to check your tyre pressures in poor lighting conditions.

Another welcome feature is the long power lead, which winds up inside the unit. There is also a recess on the side in which the air hose fits, so everything is neatly out of the way when not in use. And it comes with a zipped grey carrying case as well.

Overall, I think the RING RTC1000 is a great piece of kit to have in your car, with some excellent features and accessories. It is also by a distance the most user-friendly tyre inflator I have tried. It is a pity about the minor niggles mentioned above, but they don’t seriously detract from the quality of the product. If you need an automatic tyre inflator that is quick and easy to use (and reasonably priced), it is well worth your consideration.

The RING RTC1000 Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator is available from all good motor accessory stores and online suppliers including Amazon.

If you want to know the many reasons correct tyre inflation is so important, check out this eye-opening article.

As always, if you have any comments or questions about this review, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: As stated above, this is a sponsored post. I was gifted a RING RTC1000 tyre inflator in exchange for publishing a review of it here. This has not affected my review in any way. All comments and opinions set out in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Review: How to Smash Affiliate Marketing by Emma Drew

January 30, 2019

Review: How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger by Emma Drew

Nick Making Money reviews, blogging 2 Comments

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger is an online course by my colleague Emma Drew, one of the UK’s most successful bloggers. I recently reviewed Emma’s comprehensive blogging course, Turn Your Dreams Into Money, in this blog post.

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger is – as the name indicates – a more specialized course than Turn Your Dreams Into Money. It is aimed specifically at UK bloggers, and reveals how they can boost their income from blogging by means of affiliate links and relationships. The course is hosted on the popular Teachable platform.

Emma kindly allowed me reviewer access to How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger, so here’s what I found…

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger is a multimedia course organized in 10 main sections, as follows:

Getting Started
Affiliate Marketing Disclosure
How to Find Affiliate Programs
How to Serve Your Audience and Get Them to Buy From Your Affiliate Links
Different Ways to Advertise Your Affiliate Links
The Money is in the List
Tools That Have Supercharged My Affiliate Earnings
Other Important Information About Affiliate Marketing
Creating Your Affiliate Marketing Strategy
Affiliate to This Course

Each section is further divided into anywhere from one to eight parts. Each part contains instructional text (with graphics where relevant), and in most cases a video as well. The videos cover the same ground as the text, but may be a better option for those who learn best by looking and listening rather than reading.

For example, the section titled ‘How to Find Affiliate Programs’ is in five parts, as shown in the screen capture below:

As you will notice, the first four parts have timings in brackets after them, e.g. 1:56. These refer to the length of the video in the part in question. The videos generally consist of Emma talking to camera. She speaks clearly and not too rapidly, and the sound and picture quality are excellent. I thought the written content was of a high professional standard as well.

Another feature I particularly liked is the PDF workbook for students to print out and complete. This is a great way to ensure you take on board Emma’s advice and apply it to your own blog.

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger takes you through everything you need to know to make money from affiliate marketing as a blogger. It’s all useful stuff, though as a long-time blogger myself (I started my original freelance writing blog over ten years ago) I was familiar with the basic concepts already. I did though find the section ‘Tools That Have Supercharged My Affiliate Earnings’ especially interesting. There are some great resources listed here, several of which (e.g. Easy Azon) I hadn’t come across before. It is very informative to see which tools Emma uses herself and have proven to be successful (and profitable) for her. I found her advice on arranging affiliate relationships with companies directly eye-opening as well. That is something I probably need to do more of.

A further benefit of signing up is that you get access to Emma’s private Facebook group for students on the course, where you can discuss all aspects of affiliate marketing with fellow students (and Emma herself).

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger costs £49 at the time of writing. For a limited period, however, I can offer readers of my blog a £5 discount if they enter the coupon code SENSE when ordering. This should change the price showing to £44 (if it doesn’t work, please let me know).

And as an extra bonus for anyone buying via my link, I am giving away a 2500-word report by yours truly titled Affiliate Marketing for Profit! This report looks at affiliate marketing from a broader perspective than just blogging (although it does also cover blogging) and includes more top tips and resources for making the most of this powerful money-making method. To receive my bonus report, just message me with your receipt/order number for How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger. I will then send you the report by email

As always, if you have any comments or questions about How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger, please do post them below.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the terms you are offered or the price you are charged.

If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:

January 24, 2019

Review: Turn Your Dreams Into Money by Emma Drew

Nick Making Money reviews, blogging 0 Comments

Turn Your Dreams Into Money is an online course for anyone who would like to make money as a blogger. It is sub-titled ‘How to build a six-figure blog and live the life you want’.

The course has been created by my colleague Emma Drew, one of the UK’s most successful bloggers. In a few years Emma went from being homeless and penniless to being a six-figure blogger. She now blogs full time at EmmaDrew.info and employs her husband in the business.

The course is hosted on the popular Teachable platform.

Emma was kind enough to allow me reviewer access to Turn Your Dreams Into Money, so here’s what I found…

Turn Your Dreams Into Money is a multimedia course organized in 22 main sections, as follows:

Turn Your Dreams Into Money With A Blog
Before You Start – Tutorials for Brand New Bloggers
Laying the Foundations For A WILDLY Successful Blog
Protecting Your Blog
Writing Kick-Ass Blog Posts
Images For Your Blog
How to Get Traffic to Your Blog
Becoming a Social Media Whizz
Pinterest
Growing & Serving Your Tribe
The Money Is In The List
The Business of Blogging
Making Money With Affiliate Marketing
Make Money With Sponsored Posts
Make Money With Adverts
Products to Sell
Make Money as a Brand Ambassador
Improving Your Top Ten Posts
Dealing With Trolls
How to Continue Growing Your Business
Blogging Hacks
Affiliate Section for Turn Your Dreams Into Money

Each section is further divided into anywhere from one to thirteen parts. Each part contains instructional text (with graphics where relevant), and in some cases a PDF and/or a video.

As an example, the section titled ‘Improving Your Top Ten Posts’ is in five parts, starting with ‘Why You Should Improve Your Top Ten Posts’ and finishing with ‘Improving Your Top Ten Posts Checklist’. There are also two instructional videos. One of these explains how to identify your top ten posts, while in the other we watch Emma as she goes about improving one of her own top posts. I thought both the written content and the videos were of a high professional standard.

Another feature I particularly liked is the PDF workbook for students to print out and complete. The workbook is referred to throughout the course, and is a great way to ensure you take on board Emma’s advice and apply it to your own blog.

As you will gather, Turn Your Dreams Into Money is a comprehensive guide to every aspect of setting up and running a money-making blog. Emma strongly recommends creating a self-hosted blog using the popular WordPress platform, which I agree with (my blogs Pounds and Sense and Entrepreneur Writer are both hosted this way).

There is a section about setting up a self-hosted WordPress blog which covers the essentials, including recommended plug-ins, how many (and what) categories to have, legal requirements, and so on. If you are brand new to WordPress, however, you might want to do some additional studying on the technical aspects yourself. Of course, there is lots of information about this available free online, and I also recommend this regularly updated ebook by Dr Andy Williams about setting up a WordPress site, which I found very helpful myself when starting out.

Where the course is especially strong is about marketing and monetizing your blog. Although I am a fairly experienced blogger myself, I found this a real eye-opener. There are some great resources listed, some of which I hadn’t come across before. It is very informative to see which ones Emma uses herself and have proved to be successful (and profitable) for her.

A further benefit of signing up is that you get access to Emma’s private Facebook group for students on the course, where you can discuss all aspects of blogging with fellow students (and Emma herself).

Turn Your Dreams Into Money costs £197 at the time of writing. Obviously that’s not cheap, but if it helps you set up a profitable blog that generates a growing monthly income, then it will clearly be money very well spent.

For a limited period, I can also offer readers of my blog a £50 discount if they enter the coupon code POUNDS when ordering. This should change the price showing to £147 (if it doesn’t work, please get back to me). And as an extra bonus for anyone buying via my link, I am giving away not one but two mini-reports by yours truly. One is titled ‘50 Niche Blog Topics With Big Earning Potential’ and the other ‘How to Write Irresistible Titles for Blog Posts‘. To get your hands on both of these valuable resources for bloggers, just message me with your receipt/order number for Turn Your Dreams Into Money. I will then send you the reports by email 🙂

As always, if you have any comments or questions about Turn Your Dreams Into Money, please do post them below.

If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:

November 27, 2018

Review: Blogging Secrets by Jenny Lord

Nick Making Money reviews, blogging 0 Comments

Blogging Secrets is an online course for anyone who would like to earn money as a blogger.

It has been created by UK blogger Jenny Lord, who runs a blog called Midwife and Life. The course is hosted on the Teachable platform.

Jenny was kind enough to allow me reviewer access to Blogging Secrets, so here’s what I found…

Blogging Secrets is a multimedia course organized in 12 main sections, as follows:

Welcome and Introduction
My Blogging Story
Before You Start
Setting Up Your Website with WordPress (.org)
The Business and Legal Side of Blogging
Blog Writing Secrets
Social Media Secrets
Where to Find Paid Blogging and Writing Work
Affiliate Marketing Secrets
Hosting and Running Giveaways
Scaling Up Your Blog Business
Bonus Section

Each section is further divided into anywhere from one to seven parts. Each part contains instructional text and/or a video lecture from Jenny.

As an example, the section titled Affiliate Marketing Secrets is in three parts: Affiliate Marketing and Affiliate Networks to Join, which are in written form, and a 16-minute video lecture titled The Secret of Making Affiliate Links Work for You in Your Sleep. I thought all the course content was very well written and presented. There is also a downloadable workbook to print out and fill in.

As you will gather, Blogging Secrets takes you through every aspect of setting up and running a money-making blog. Jenny recommends creating a self-hosted blog using the popular WordPress platform, which I would agree with (my blogs Pounds and Sense and Entrepreneur Writer are both hosted this way).

Be aware that the course doesn’t go into great detail about WordPress itself, though. The section about this includes a recommended list of WordPress plug-ins, but if you are brand new to WordPress you may need to do some additional studying on the technical aspects yourself (see below).

Where the course is particularly strong is about marketing and monetizing your blog. Although I am an experienced blogger myself, I still picked up some valuable tips and discovered a range of free and low-cost resources I hadn’t come across before. I found the sections about affiliate marketing and hosting and running giveaways especially eye-opening. Expect to see more of these on Pounds and Sense soon!

There is also a bonus section containing a variety of useful resources. I have listed these below, although as the course is constantly being revised and updated new ones may well have been added by the time you read this.

Pinterest Magic Ebook
Editorial Calendar
Email Template Swipe File
Blog Checklist
Weekly Blogging Sample Schedule
Pinterest Group Board List
Facebook Mastermind Group

There are some great resources here. I especially liked the Pinterest Magic ebook, which you can download and print out if you like. This explains how you can use this popular social bookmarking service to boost traffic to your blog. I have never entirely got my head around Pinterest , so I found this particularly helpful.

Blogging Secrets costs £118.80 at the time of writing. Obviously that’s not cheap, but if it helps you set up a profitable blog that generates a growing monthly income, then it will clearly be money well spent. There is lots of great content on the business and creative aspects of running your blog. Personally I would like to have seen a little more on the technical side, but of course there is plenty of advice about this on the internet. I also recommend this regularly updated ebook by Dr Andy Williams about setting up a WordPress site, which I found very helpful personally when starting out.

As always, if you have any comments or questions about Blogging Secrets, please do post them below.

If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:

November 2, 2018

Review: RESET by David Sawyer

Nick Making Money, Saving Money, Investing reviews 0 Comments

RESET is book aimed at mid-life professionals who feel as if they are in a rut and and want to get their lives back under control. I was kindly offered a review copy by the author, David Sawyer, so here are my thoughts about it…

The full title of the book is RESET: How to Restart Your Life and Get F.U. Money. By the latter, David means enough money so that you can say – er – “So long” to your employer if your job is causing you undue stress. The book does, though, emphasize that RESET doesn’t necessarily involve quitting your job, if you enjoy it and it is aligned with your personal goals and values.

RESET is available from Amazon in both hard copy and Kindle e-book versions. The printed version – which I received – amounts to quite a substantial 337 pages (plus a further 34 pages of preliminaries with Roman numbering!). The bulk of the book is arranged in six main sections, as follows:

1. What Matters to You?

2. Going Digital: How to Future-Proof Your Career

3. De-Clutter Your Life

4. Getting F.U. Money – a Plan

5. 11 Core Principles to Guide You in Work and in Life

6. 12 Do’s and Don’ts

Each section is divided into chapters. Part 4, Getting F.U. Money – a Plan, is the longest by some way and divided into 17 chapters. David is a PR professional, and as you might expect his book (which is published under the imprint of his PR company) is well written and presented.

RESET promotes, broadly speaking, the philosophy advocated by the FIRE movement. FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. FIRE has been largely driven by some influential (mainly US-based) online bloggers.

The general idea of FIRE is that you seek to achieve financial independence at as early an age as possible, by simplifying your life, living more frugally, saving money and investing. The aim is to build up a substantial ‘pot’ of money that you can then use to buy yourself time and freedom. The ultimate aim – in many cases anyway – is to give up your job and retire early.

That doesn’t mean just joining the pipe and slippers brigade, though. It will typically involve spending more time enjoying life with loved ones, and working on projects that you enjoy and are important to you. These might involve anything from starting your own business to pursuing a hobby or interest, learning a new skill to doing voluntary work for a cause close to your heart.

As a money blogger myself I was familiar with quite a few of the concepts set out in the book, but David has done an impressive job of researching them and bringing them together in a highly accessible (and entertaining) way. As a semi-retired 62-year-old freelance writer I am not really in David’s main target readership, but I did still pick up some valuable tips and resources that I shall be using in my own life.

If you are a mid-career professional (roughly speaking between 35 and 60) and feeling stuck in a rut, this book will open your eyes to a range of strategies for regaining control of your life. You may not agree with every piece of advice David offers (I don’t share all his views about investment, for example) but you will almost certainly gain a lot of valuable, actionable tips and ideas. At the very least, it will open your eyes to a method that is increasingly being adopted by people on both sides of the Atlantic to take back control of their lives and achieve their long-term goals.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about RESET, please do post them below.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the price you are charged or the terms you are offered.

If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:

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