People and places I like.  It’s not an exhaustive list and will be added to….

R H Roberts

Local bike shop in Bala.  Limited stock but good and very cheap for repairs.  They also have a small range of hybrid and basic mountain bikes for hire from £15 per day.

Stori Beer and Wine

I’ve already waxed lyrical about ‘the best beer shop in the world’ but this is so good and Neil and Fiona are so nice, that it’s worth mentioning again.  With an unrivalled range of Welsh beer and spirits to take away or drink in, regular music nights and dog friendly, it’s the pace to go in Bala.

Aran Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream made by Sammi and Sion.  Very, very naughty and very, very nice.

Awen Merion

Independent book shop on Bala High Street with a good selection of Welsh and English books and OS Maps.  If they don’t have a map in stock it can usually be ordered for collection the next day.

Splosh

All the cleaning and laundry products are sourced through Splosh.  A clever little company based in Hay on Wye providing plant derived, vegan friendly products in pouches or sachets to which the end user adds water.  All ordered online and delivered by post.  It reduces packaging, transport weight and plastic waste.  Let me know if you’re ordering for the first time and I’ll give you a discount code worth £5.

Drosi Bikes

Drosi, which translates “to turn something into another, for a particular use or purpose” is a community bike shop in Llangollen which was founded by Beth and Robin in 2021 because “cycling is the answer to all of life’s problems”.  Couldn’t agree more.

Go there for repairs and servicing, refurbished bikes, maintenance courses and more.  They’re good, very good.

Read more about Drosi Bikes and the Recycled Kit Shop here.