The Cottage at Fronhaul

About the cottage

Welcome to Fronhaul.

The Cottage is believed to have originally been used as the dairy for the farm in the 18th Century. The total area of the farm is around 70 acres including some half a mile of the river Taf which holds wild brown trout and also some salmon and sea trout usually from mid Summer onwards. Additionally the river is home to kingfishers and to otters as well as heron and other birds.
You are free to wander around the farm. You will see that there are some no entry signs on the farm. They do not apply to visitors staying in the cottage but we would ask you to take care to leave gates as you find them. Please do not take dogs into fields containing sheep or alpacas. Your dog may be well behaved but our sheep and alpacas don't know this!
At the time of writing this in 2022 the swallows have finally arrived and although we are lambing later than usual the first of our lambs are out in the fields. As a result of the storms we suffered in late autumn we are still clearing fallen trees.

Food Shopping and Eating out

There are good butchers in both Narberth (Andrew Rees) and Crymych (Ken Davies). Other alternatives exist in the Prendergast area of Haverfordwest at Bryn Capel/Prendergast, Haverfordwest SA61 2PF and Gwaun Valley Meats at Letterston.
Good quality vegetables are available from Wise Buys in Narberth. The Four Seasons Farm Shop on the road to Tenby has a good selection of fresh fruit and vegetables and also often a selection of pies, cold meats and often fresh bread and bakery items
Two artisan bakeries depending upon where you are going. On the way to Tenby is Watkins Bakery that shares the forecourt of the petrol station at Kilgetty. Out past Haverfordwest at Johnston is the Farmhouse Bakery at Station Road Johnston.
There are some small supermarkets in Narberth but for those looking for superstore style shopping it is necessary to travel to Carmarthen (Morrisons, Tesco, Lidl), Haverfordwest (Morrisons, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl) or Cardigan (Tesco, Aldi).
If you are looking for a farm shop there is one on the Preselis that you might like to try. Carla's sells a variety of meat and home cured ham and bacon, sometimes homemade pies and cakes and a few fresh vegetables together with other local produce. The Dexter beef is something different for meat eaters. The shop is situated near Morvil and the Post Code is SA66 7RD. Coffee and a warm welcome are both available.
For those with a sweet tooth the Yellow Honesty Box is well worth a visit. Most easily approached by turning left out of the track to the Cottage and then right in front of the Chapel car park. Follow the road until you see a turn to Whitland on your left. Follow the signs or your sat nav heading towards Whitland until you reach a junction where one option is a very sharp left and you will see a bright yellow sign "Cake". Follow the yellow cake signs. You may also meet the guinea fowl and mucovy ducks that patrol the area!
There are a number of milk machines in the area while you can buy fresk milk direct from the farm . The nearest is the Milk Churn at Llandissilio. The milk from the machines is pasteurised by a slightly different process and we think the milk is very enjoyable.
There are a wide variety of places to eat out or buy takeaways ranging from fish and chips from well known and much recommended places such as the Shed at Porthgain (eat in or take away) Hooked 31 at Fishguard and Somethings Cooking at Letterston. Elaichi in St Clears is an award winning Indian takeaway, Dragon Palace at Pentlepoir an award winning Chinese. Both provide takeaways and offer the chance to eat in. A little further afield near to the National Botanic Garden is Y Polyn and there are numerous other Inns and Restaurants in the area.

For Dogs

Dogs love a run and we try whenever possible to keep a field free for free running for those dogs with good recall to enjoy themselves. Please note that we are not able to ensure fences are dog proof.

Fishing and Wildlife

It is not safe to swim in the river or the pond. Please do not attempt to do so or permit children or dogs to do so.
The River Taf is a spate river and therefore rises and falls rapidly when there is rain. The river bed is mainly slate and can be extremely slippery. The easiest pool to access is reached by going down the track out of the far end of the farm yard and then continuing down the hill and into the large field at the bottom of the track. You will then find a gate if you continue down to the bottom of the field. Please do not take dogs into this field if it is occupied by animals
The fishing season does not open until 1st April but there are some still waters in the area offering both trout and coarse fishing. The rules relating to fishing for migratory fish are now extremely strict. Any salmon caught must be released and fishing is restricted to single barbless hooks. A licence is required for all inland fishing and if you intend to fish for migratory fish you will require a special licence for this purpose. We do not charge for fishing but the banks may be overgrown at times.
The river is home to a variety of wildlife including herons and kingfishers, otters and voles. At certain times of the year and in particular in the spring Canada Geese often spend brief periods here.
There are a number of predatory birds that can be seen on the farm including several species of owl, Red Kites, Sparrowhawks and Buzzards. Among the smaller birds we see are Greater Spotted Woodpeckers and Nuthatches, several different members of the Tit family, at least two different species of Wagtail and numerous Finches and Warblers. There are also Woodcock in the woods although these are very shy.
We do not use pesticides on the farm and the butterfly population has remained high as a result. The Red Admirals are usually particularly visible when the buddleias are in flower but a number of other species of butterflies and moths may also be seen.

Our Sheep

Our sheep are mainly Shetlands (with short tails) and Black Welsh Mountain sheep (with long tails). Shetlands exhibit a wide variety of different colours and markings and we have a fair number of the variations on the farm. As for the Black Welsh Mountain sheep the name almost says it all. Hardy, self reliant and often cheeky and full of character their black wool is becoming more sought after with companies such as Orvis now offering knitwear made from Black Welsh Mountain wool.

The Alpacas

Our alpaca are all of the Huacaya type. They were selected originally for the quality of their fleece which we send to Penrose Products. There the fleeces are turned into duvets and pillows similar to the ones we use on the double beds in the cottage. The alpacas like the sheep are shorn once a year usually around the end of May.

Some Housekeeping Notes

We do ask that you do not leave dogs in the cottage unattended.
The dustbins for the cottage is outside the side door by the bathroom.
Recycling in this area is at a fairly basic level. Carmarthenshire County Council require that clean and dry cans and tins, plastic, paper and cardboard is placed in the blue waste bags supplied. There is no collection service for glass intended for recycling. Other waste should be placed in black rubbish sacks and these may then be placed in the black dustbin.
Please ensure that nothing other than toilet paper is flushed down the toilet as our septic tank is unable to cope with wet wipes, sanitary items and nappies which should all be placed in the dustbin.
No food, waste or fat should be put down the drains please.
There is a small bin for dog waste and some bags are available if needed.
The WiFi is a 4G connection and will be adversely affected by high winds and heavy rain. Details of the password for this connection will be available by the router in the Cottage. If you experience difficulties with reception please under no circumstances should you attempt to reboot the router. This will reset the entire system not only in the Cottage but elsewhere on the farm and will necessitate a visit from an engineer to remedy. Simply disconnect the router from its electrical source for around 20 minutes and then reconnect it.