Our last property visit of 2024 took us to the beautiful LLangloffan Manse in Wales! It’s a good job that Luca is happy to travel long distances now (wasn’t always the case) as this ended up being a 10 hour journey for us!
We find that as long as Luca is well prepared for the visit, and of course, he has his bag of games, comfort toys, and Sharkey, he is pretty happy to travel anywhere. Now that he is 14 we do have to pack his Xbox, Switch, and his phone with us wherever we go as he is a huge gamer and he uses gaming to regulate after any sort of stresses, or if he is feeling anxious.
What would have been a 7.5 hour journey for us ended up being a 10 hour journey due to getting stuck in some pretty heavy traffic just outside of Manchester. I also think the dark nights didn’t help as Luca did get quite restless around 5pm which is unusual for him. We were devastated it was so dark when we arrived as the bit of scenery, we could see was stunning, and we really wished we could see more of it.
Thanks to the awareness that the owners at Llangloffan have, we were able to prepare Luca for the visit by showing him the visual story that Sarah and Stewart provided. It was so helpful as Luca got to see a photo of Sarah and Stewart ahead of arrival, and was able to read a little bit about both of them (he said they “look very kind and nice”) Luca really likes lots of info before we go anywhere so this was a huge help – usually we are the ones providing the visuals for other families so its so nice to have that same consideration for Luca. The visual story will also be available to any guest that books in at Llangloffan.
When we arrived at the Manse, Sarah and Stewart met us at the front of the cottage and showed us inside. Once we were inside and the car was unpacked, Sarah handed over the keys and left us to settle in and look around. As you enter the house, you step in to the lounge area which is really cosy and welcoming. The log burner defiantly adds to the cosy feel. Luca always “tests” out the sofas and he gave his thumbs up when asked if he was comfy! Now, usually Luca is not keen to look around places straight away when we first arrive, his first thought is where he can plug his Xbox in! However, we were very pleasantly surprised when he asked if he could help do a walkaround video! Obviously as it was unplanned, the results are very funny but also a really great indicator of just how comfortable Luca felt at Llangloffan. Luca let me carry on with the video upstairs as he generally hates stairs and will only go up and down them when he has no other choice. This is due to his extreme difficulties with dyspraxia and hypermobility.
I think what also helped Luca feel so comfortable was the open plan style of the lounge and kitchen thanks to the open hatch in the connecting wall. Luca took great pleasure in “ordering” his food and drinks through the hatch to me in the kitchen. Luca doesn’t like hidden corners or dark spaces, so this was perfect for him – I think that’s why he loves caravans so much.
Once we unpacked and had an explore around the cottage, we sent Dad out for supplies from the shops. As it was quite late by this time, he ended up going to the Coop at Fishguard which was only 5 miles away, although there are closer options depending on the time (food delivery is also available). Mal was able to stock up on Luca’s staples of sausage, mash, pop tarts, and salami for his sandwiches (thank goodness)
After dinner, Luca had some more time on his Xbox before getting ready for bed
We really loved our stay, and the house really is one of the most beautiful and welcoming that we have had the pleasure to visit. The upstairs is a large space with 3 really big bedrooms, and a large family bathroom. Luca chose which bedroom he wanted (we find that helps him settle in to a new place easier) and of course he chose the master bedroom with the ensuite. At the moment the beds at Llangloffan are standard doubles, but Sarah and Stewart are planning to add a Zip and Link bed in one of the bedrooms which means that families can choose doubles or twin bed set up in that bedroom. Thanks to the dark skies location, and the winter months, no blackout blind was needed at Llangloffan during our stay but one will be provided in our Spectrum pack for use when the lighter nights come around again should it be needed.
The following morning, after meeting with Sarah and Stewart, we wanted to go and explore the local area, and see some of the views we missed the night before. Although the weather was not on our side, we were still amazed by the beautiful scenery and views of Castlemorris, Fishguard, and the surrounding towns and villages. There is a great article in the Guardian about Fishguard which you can read here
We were really upset when it was time for us to head home, Luca would have happily stayed for longer and the holiday home is so welcoming that we were genuinely sad to leave. As a family we would absolutely stay at Llangloffan Manse again, it has the perfect mix of a quiet location and comfortable home-from-home feeling, while still being close enough to the all-important shops, beaches, and visitor attractions of the area to give us the choice of a lazy day in the holiday home, or a day spent at one of the many places to visit close by.
Thank you to Sarah and Stewart for their hospitality and for introducing us to Llangloffan Manse!