Nant Writers’ Retreat FAQs

Literature Wales has prepared thoroughly for your stay, and an up to date Risk Assessment can be viewed on request.

Cleaning: the cottage will have been cleaned thoroughly before your visit, and the laundry washed and prepared by a professional laundry company. We have reduced clutter, including the removal of cushions and throws. As much as possible, we have left windows open to encourage the flow and circulation of fresh air.

Hand Sanitizer and plenty of hand soap have been bought for you to use, and we will ask you to sanitize your hands when entering the cottage and to wash your hands often. Please help yourselves to disposable gloves and masks that are also provided if you’d like to use them on your walks and day trips, and use the hand sanitizer when on site – but please leave the bottles for our next guests. Staff members, if around, will be wearing face-masks.

We are up to date with official guidance, and are keeping a close eye on any local news and announcements to do with the coronavirus. We will tell you if there is anything you should know about. We also operate a contact tracing system. Please let us know if you fall ill with the virus within two weeks of your stay with us. Information sheets will be available at the centre reminding guests of symptoms, and giving instructions on what to do should you – or others – fall ill during your stay.

Yes. Contrary to our usual environmentally friendly request that our guests use public transport, for the time being you are encouraged to travel by car. If this is not possible, remember that wearing a face mask on public transport is required by law, and frequent hand-washing during your trip is advised.

Please make sure that you are healthy before your visit, showing no symptoms of coronavirus nor having been in contact with anyone with the virus or showing symptoms. We would urge you to try and isolate and/or social distance as much as possible before your visit to Tŷ Newydd to reduce risk.

To protect our guests and our neighbours, we kindly ask you to visit local shops, cafes, restaurants, and pubs safely during your stay – especially those that do not offer an open-air service. Please consider wearing a face-mask when out and about: and remember that masks are mandatory inside shops and cafes. Sanitize your hands before entry, and remember to keep two meters apart from others. We encourage you to read more information on Visit Wales’ website, and sign Visit Wales’ pledge to visit Wales safely.

To ensure that our guests do not transmit the virus to others, we will allow a discretionary transfer of deposits and/or fees to spend on another course or a retreat in 2020/2021 if a guest needs to cancel their retreat, as outlined in our Booking Terms and Conditions. We kindly ask that guests do not take advantage of this clause, and consider the catastrophic impact the pandemic has had on some charities and artistic venues.

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• a high temperature: this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
• a new, continuous cough: this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste: this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

If you develop one of these symptoms:

• Immediately self-isolate in the cottage, and do not come into contact with any other person.
• If you are well enough to drive, we would then encourage you to safely return home, and arrange to get a test.
• Contact a Literature Wales staff member to report on the incident.
• The suspected patient should report the result of his/her test to Literature Wales as soon as possible.

This is up to you to personally decide. Everyone is at risk for getting COVID-19 if they are exposed to the virus, but some people are more likely than others to become severely ill.

This FAQ page should give you information on the procedures we have taken to minimise the risk of the virus spreading and infecting guests at Tŷ Newydd, but unfortunately we cannot guarantee anyone’s safety.

We encourage you to start a conversation with us if you’d like more information.

Gwynedd local authority is currently not in local lockdown. We will contact guests if the situation change. Please follow Welsh Government and your own local authority’s official advice and restrictions before planning to travel.

Check in is 3.00 pm, and check out is at 10.00 am.

You can let yourself in using our keybox, or during office hours a staff member might be available to meet you.

Usually, yes. However during this COVI-19 outbreak we advise you to drive.

Tŷ Newydd can be accessed by various forms of public transport. More information on our location and how to get to Tŷ Newydd can be found here. Please enquire about travel options when booking.

Yes, we have a key box so that you can let yourself in. Please let us know your estimated arrival time in advance.

Yes. There is a parking space located directly outside the cottage.

Usually you would find staff members the Centre on weekdays between 9.00 am – 5.30 pm, except for Bank Holidays. However currently, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, all staff members are working from home. Many of our staff members live very close by, and an emergency contact number for a staff member on duty will be made available to you.

There will be one large bath towel, and one hand towel provided for each guest. Please bring your own toiletries or check the Tŷ Newydd shop for small supplies.

Yes, Wi-Fi is available throughout Nant.

Yes. But if you forget anything, please don’t hesitate to ask at the office if it’s open.

No. Also mobile phone signal can at times be sporadic at times, though Wi-Fi is available throughout.

Not in the cottage itself, but you are welcome to use the Centre’s washing machine which is three doors down. Please ask a member of staff for details.

No, but there is a large walk-in shower.

No. But printing and photocopying facilities are available at the Centre during office hours for a small fee.

Yes.

No, our retreats are self-catering. There is a large kitchen in the cottage including an oven with hobs, microwave, toaster and kettle, plus essentials such as tea, coffee and sugar.

There is a small freezer compartment in the fridge. If you’re bringing lots of food items that need to be frozen, please contact us in advance to check that we have space in the freezer inside the main Centre.

There are small local shops in nearby Cricieth (including a bakery, butchers, deli and a Spar), as well as larger supermarkets in nearby Porthmadog, a 10-minute drive away. Several supermarkets also deliver to Tŷ Newydd.

During Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre residential courses, catering may be available for a small additional fee. Please contact us to discuss options further.

Unfortunately due to the age of the cottage and the fact that it is a Grade II* listed building, it was not possible to significantly alter the structure of the cottage during the renovation works to make it fully accessible. There are three small steps up to the front door and a narrow staircase leading up to the bathroom and bedrooms.

However, we have two accessible rooms at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre which can be used as a fully catered retreat space during residential courses, please contact us for more details.

The cottage will not be cleaned during your stay. Contact us if you would like to add cleaning services for your stay and we can make arrangements for an additional fee.

The cottage is cleaned thoroughly before your stay.

At the moment, all staff members are working from home and the Centre remains closed. There are staff members living nearby if you need any assistance, and the Centre might be used for private lets.

This will depend on what is happening at the Centre during your stay. The main house will not be available to use during residential school courses, or during periods of private let at Tŷ Newydd. A staff member will let you know on arrival, or at the point of booking, whether it is possible for you to have access to the main house.

This will depend on what is happening at the Centre during your stay. The garden will not be available to use during residential school courses, or during periods of private let at Tŷ Newydd. A staff member will let you know on arrival, or at the point of booking, whether it is possible to use the garden.

We occasionally have bursaries available for those on low-income. Please contact us for more information.

For information on refunds and cancellations please see our booking terms and conditions.

Only guide dogs are permitted at Nant.

You can walk down to the seaside from Nant – via Tŷ Newydd’s garden – in about 25 minutes. Staff can provide maps and information on local walks and attractions.

The nearest convenient shops are located in Cricieth, a 30-minute walk or 5-minute drive from the Centre. You will find a bakery, a butcher, a deli and a Spar in Cricieth in addition to many small cafes and pubs. It’s a small but lively seaside town. For a larger supermarket, you will need to travel to Porthmadog (5 miles).

Y Plu (The Feathers Inn) is located in Llanystumdwy itself, a 5-minute walk from the cottage. Please check opening hours before walking down to the village. They are not currently serving food, however there are also plenty of cafes and restaurants in nearby Cricieth, which are open all year round.