Mid August on Pendine beach. Mind those crowds now…

Sosban Restaurant in Llanelli is fantastic

Tim and I finally got to try out Sosban the new restaurant in Llanelli and we were huegly impressed. It is about an hour from Great House so we used it as a lunch stop on the way back to London. The food is absolutely fabulous and the building has been restored in a very sympathetic way. It is a really fabulous addition to the area.

You can download a sample menu here

Sunday lunch is £18.50 for two courses and £23.50 for three courses. 

Sosban is open for lunch (noon – 2.45pm Mon-Sat and noon-3.45pm Sun) and dinner (6pm-10pm Mon-Sat) everyday with the exception of Sunday evenings. We are taking bookings (by telephone only) on 01554 270020.

About Sosban

Sosban is situated in a grade 2 listed building located on Llanelli’s North Dock. Completed in 1900 it once provided hydraulic power for the operation of the docks – once they were closed it became home to a string of light industrial uses before falling into disrepair and decay. It is a beautiful industrial building redolent of the care and attention to detail which engineers of the Victorian era brought to their work. It is also a wonderful monument to the proud industrial heritage of the area that has played such an important part in the history and culture of the town.

The building has found new life as home to Sosban, a 90 cover restaurant which serves a menu built on the best of Welsh produce in the relaxed style and dramatic surroundings of a building dominated by a 90ft stone tower that can be seen from miles around. The redevelopment of the building has been undertaken by Bendigo 910, a company formed by Wales and British Lions rugby internationals Stephen Jones and Dwayne Peel, construction entrepreneur Robert Williams and restaurateur and food broadcaster Simon Wright.

All that makes it sound a pretty simple and painless process but the opening of Sosban has been the culmination of a three year journey that has been characterised by immense dedication from a host of individuals, many of whom have toiled way beyond the call of duty to see the vision realised.

Putting delicious things onto peoples plates and making them happy is what motivates us and the aim has been to create a restaurant which offers high standards of food but without pomp or unnecessary fuss. To eat, drink and be merry seems to us a fine and reasonable ambition and we are here to help you achieve just that.

Contact Details

You can book the house through Owners Direct.

Contact Name:

Timothy R Lowe

(UNITED KINGDOM) +44 7887802050
Suzi Lowe
Alternate Contact Details:
(UNITED KINGDOM) +44 7767815835

 

Prices Currency Conversion

Rental Period	Per Night	Per Week	Per Month	Min. Stay (Nights)
4 June 2011 – 24 June 2011		£1650		3
25 June 2011 – 9 September 2011		£1850		7
10 September 2011 – 21 October 2011		£1250		3
22 October 2011 – 11 November 2011		£1650		7
12 November 2011 – 16 December 2011		£1250		3
17 December 2011 – 13 January 2012		£1850		7

 

Notes on prices
The prices given are for six people sharing> if you would like to have the whole house for a larger party there will be an additional charge. For details email: timlowe17@yahoo.com

Accommodation

Bedrooms:	Bedroom 1 King sized four poster bed. Bedroom 2 King sized bed with four posts. Bedroom 3 King sized bed. If required the attic can be opened up to provide a king sized bed plus two large doubles with bathroom and living room.
Bathrooms:	En-suite to bedroom 1 with roll top bath and shower. En-suite to bedroom 2 with roll top bath and shower. En-suite to bedroom 3 with bath and shower. Shared bathroom for bedroom 4 and 5 with bath and shower. Basement WC.
Kitchen:	Luxury kitchen with range cooker, dishwasher, fridge/freezer, microwave. Island unit. Oak work surfaces. Full equipped with cutlery, crockery, glassware and cooking utensils, food mixers, electric whisks etc. iPod dock and wireless internet.
Utility Room:	Washing machine and tumble dryer. Swimming pool toys. Pool towels supplied.
Living Rooms:	In the basement there is a comfy DVD room off the kitchen with an extensive DVD library (the structure of the house prohibits TV reception). On the ground floor there are two more formal panelled drawing rooms with libraries.
Other:	The pool is heated May through October. Pool towels are supplied.
Cleaning/towels/ linen/maid service:	Bed linen and white towels are supplied. Pool towels are also supplied.

 

Notes on accommodation
There is a gate between the kitchen terrace and the pool terrace but toddlers or very young children will need constant supervision. Thee is also a stone staircase leading to the basement with no bannister and a stone tiled floor which is also a potential risk for toddlers or young children.

Amenities/Facilities provided

• hob/stove,
• oven,
• fridge/freezer,
• microwave,
• dishwasher,
• washing machine,
• tumble dryer,
• internet access,
• central heating,
• cot,
• barbecue,
• private pool (for sole use of guests),
• pool heating

 

Accessibility
The house was built in 1717 and unfortunately, is not suitable for anyone in a wheelchair.

Outside
Three stone terraces leading to a large walled garden. Heated swimming pool (May to October). Wooden table, umbrella, eight chairs. Walled garden with a large lawn. Barbecue if required.

Coast/Beach
Laugharne is sitated on the estuary of the river Taf. Pendine beach, a seven mile stretch of white sand is about a ten minute drive. It is a forty minute drive to Barafundle bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in Britain. Saundersfoot and Tenby are 25 to 30 minutes by car. Basically, the entire Pembrokeshire coast is on your doorstep.

Golf
There are several golf courses in the area. The nearest ones are Derllys Court Golf Club or Ashburnham Golf Club.

Travel
Public travel to and from Laugharne is limited and use of a car is highly recommended.

Distances
The poet Dylan Thomas is buried in the church graveyard. The Boathouse where he lived is now a small museum and you can visit his writing shed on the estuary.

There is a Post Office/pharmacy and small Spar supermarket in the village. St Clears (4 miles) has a great butchers (Eynons) and and Carmarthen (12 miles) has a 24 hour Tesco. The Cors restaurant which is a five minute walk is one of the best in Wales. The restaurant Ypollen, a fifteen minute drive is also fabulous.

Booking notes
Email to make a provisional booking. Completed booking form plus 50% deposit to confirm. The remainder must be paid two weeks prior to arrival. Please email or call Tim on 07887802050.

Guest comments
Spent a wonderful 11 days in this unique and very beautiful house. The standard of accommodation was outstanding and each room had its own individual character. Outside pool was heated and extensively used by our 3 girls. Would definitely recommend it

We expected a lovely house but it exceeded our expectations by a long way. The rooms were so much bigger than we antcipated and the overall sense of space allowed 6 people to live very nicely together and apart. Despite your poor guarantee of good weather you should not have bothered because we barely saw a cloud! Your recommendation viz the Cors Restaurant was an excellent choice and we all had a fantastic meal. I can personally recommend the Welsh Rack of Saltmarsh Lamb! One little regret was that we didnt take the swimming cossies but we should have done because the pool was heated and very warm. Anyway all round an A1 3 day break which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

For booking and further information

Images of the house

There are two panelled drawing rooms on the ground floor

The formal dining room on the ground floor

The blue bedroom and bathroom on the first floor

The pink bedroom and bathroom on the first floor

The four poster bedroom on the ground floor

The basement kitchen is adjacent to the DVD room and leads out to the pool terrace

The pool

For larger parties we also offer the second floor attic. It is open plan and has one large double bed and two large singles

Golf

Two of Scotland’s favourite golfing sons both have good reason to have fond memories of West Wales. For, in the space of seven years, Bernard Gallacher and Sam Torrance both recorded their first professional victories in the area and, by a remarkable coincidence, they both came at Ashburnham.

Situated five miles west of the rugby stronghold that is Llanelli, Ashburnham is rightly regarded as one of the best links courses in the whole of Britain and is one of the many reasons why a golfing trip to West Wales is well worthwhile.

The area is simply blessed with excellent courses and another to put on the ‘must visit’ list is Tenby, where the first properly constituted club in the whole of Wales was founded in 1888. Cardigan is a fine course too, providing stunning views of Cardigan Bay and the Teifi Estuary.

Featured Courses in West Wales
Ashburnham	Cliff Terrace, Burry Port SA16 0HN
Cardigan	Gwbert-on-Sea, Cardigan SA43 1PR
Carmarthen	Blaen-y-Coed Road, Carmarthen SA33 6EH
Glynhir	Glynhir Road, Llandybie, Ammanford SA18 2TF
Tenby	The Burrows, Tenby SA70 7NP

Fishing

Fishing. There is a wealth of fishing available locally.

Check out fishing Wales at http://www.fishing.visitwales.com/fe/default.asp?n1=3#

If your passion is game angling, then Wales is for you. It has a wealth of rivers and lakes in a variety of stunning scenarios, choosing where to fish is often more difficult than actually catching your fish.

Welsh rivers account for more than half the sea trout caught in England and Wales, couple this with the number of large seatrout caught every year and the availability of fishing, it makes for a very special destination.

Wild brown trout are abundant, whether you fish the famous rivers or intimate brooks; the stunning lowland lakes or the majestic highland lakes, the challenge is the same. These trout are truly wild and the angler must use all his skill to catch them.

The reservoirs of Wales are set in such scenery that you would be forgiven for thinking they had always existed, these, together with small fisheries of quality; provides the angler with plenty of choice.
Wales has always had quality grayling fishing, but the choice of rivers is now expanding, the rivers of South Wales are gaining a high reputation for the quality of their grayling.

One thing is certain when you have fished in Wales; you will treasure the memories

Things to do in the area

There are so many things to do in the area that it is impossible to list them all. From cycling the coastal path at Llanelli to climbing Carreg Cennin castle, stroking sheep at Folly farm or admiring the angles in Saint Davids Cathedral, South West Wales has something for everyone.

Llanelli Coastal Cycle Path. A forty mile trail specifically designed for cycling. You can rent bikes at the garage before you enter the Millenium park for about five pounds an hour. Well worth a visit.

 www.stayinwales.co.uk/wales_picture.cfm?p=2598

Carreg Cennin Castle. Spectacular ruins on top of a hill. Rent a torch for a pound and see if you are brave enough to go through the underground tunnel.

www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk/ carmarthenshire/carregcennen.html

St Fagins Museum of Welsh Life. Fine examples of all sorts of Welsh architecture have been relocated in this huge outdoor Museum. www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans

Folly Farm. This lovely farm has a mix of domestic and exotic animals. It also has a fantastic indoor vintage fairground. www.folly-farm.co.uk

St Davids Cathedral. This has to be seen to be believed. It now has a great cafe too. www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk

Wildlife. Skomer island is internationally celebrated for its wildlife. Daily landings – depart Martin’s Haven at 10 am, 11 am, 12 noon (Easter – end of Oct). Round Skomer Cruises – Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, depart Martin’s Haven at 1 pm. Seal Watching – See local press or call at any Tourist Information Centre. No booking required for above trips. National Park Seabird Spectacular – Tuesday & Friday, depart Martin’s Haven at 7 pm. Book through National Park ; 01437 760136.

The Botanical Gardens. Special events are run throughout the year. www.gardenofwales.org.uk

Abeglasney. Wonderful gardens. The ruins of the Georgian house have been converted into a very original orchid house.  www.aberglasney.org