Dairy Cottage

After only one day of really searching, we found a flat through ALP letting agency. The operators, Adrian and Anthony, were helpful and nice. The process was a lot easier than we expected. The only oddity is a charge for deposit protection. The Welsh government regulates rental deposits and there is a mandatory 35GBP fee that goes to theregulatory agency. This has apparently reduced the grief caused rogue letting agents. Dairy Cottage is the name of our flat; it’s written just above the blue door. It has front and rear gardens, space for a car we don’t have, and the rent (600GBP) is inclusive of council tax and utilities. Council tax is levied locally to pay for roads, schools, parks, and the like. It is based on the value of property and analogous to property tax in the US, though not necessarily based on ownership. I don’t know whether it is passed on to the renter by the owner or is based on occupancy. If you’re moving to Wales, it is well worth the time to investigate because it can be quite pricey. We are looking forward to moving from the trailer on the hill outside of town (photos previous post) to this cozy spot.

Arriving in Aberystwyth

After 24 hours of travel from Fayetteville, Arkansas, we’ve arrived in Aberystwyth. The trailer arranged for us by my host here is not as small as I expected. The décor is as hodge-podge of patterns and materials that might have been fashionable in different times and places. The boiler won’t light, so there is no hot water, but luckily, there is a shower building in the caravan park. It is cool and damp in the way that makes me glad I hauled my goose down comforter. I can’t remember who wrote about this place that it is the perfect place for the unambitious man. My only motivation this morning is the left over coffee I still had in my travel cup, reheated in the microwave.