
300 year old Welsh pub in £1m revamp with motorsports theme
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
A 300-year-old pub has undergone a £1m revamp with a classic motorsports theme. The Bryntirion Inn has reopened its doors at the gates of the five-star Palé Hall Hotel at Llandderfel. near Bala, Gwynedd.
Owners Anthony and Donna Cooper-Barney said the new gastropub-with-rooms reflects their ongoing vision to expand the estate's presence and deliver something "distinctly local for both guests and the community"
The Bryntirion dates back to 1695. Inside, the inn is now divided between a dining room with 60 covers and a characterful bar area framed by original stone walls, exposed beams and cosy fireplaces.
Adding a distinctively personal touch, Anthony Cooper-Barney has curated a display of classic car and motorsport memorabilia from his private collection throughout the inn, making The Bryntirion a must-visit for car enthusiasts exploring the breathtaking roads of Eryri.
Heading up the kitchen is Head Chef Tristan Fitt, whose pedigree includes Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Lords of the Manor Hotel in the Cotswolds, Wheeler's Oyster Bar in Whitstable and The Westbury, Mayfair.
Tristan works closely with local producers to create elevated pub classics, championing the finest Welsh ingredients. All vegetables are supplied by local grower Keith Jones, at Ty Uchaf Farm, while eggs come from Caepant Eggs, both just five minutes down the road in Llandderfel. All meat is sourced from respected Bala butcher TJ Roberts, including 28-day aged Welsh Black ribeye and local pork chops.
The Bryntirion also welcomes guests to stay, offering six individually styled bedrooms, each named after a Welsh mountain and displaying striking landscape photography of its namesake in each room.
Anthony Cooper-Barney said: "We are thrilled to introduce The Bryntirion Inn as the latest part of the Palé Hall Estate. This project is especially close to my heart – it has given me the perfect place to share my classic car collection, while creating a true village pub where locals can feel at home.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
The best pictures as Welsh-language festival Tafwyl attracts thousands
Wales has a lot to be proud of. Steeped in history, fiercely independent in its identity, and with its own thriving language, there is a lot to cover in Welsh culture. Welsh festival Tafwyl, which took place in Cardiff's gorgeous Bute Park on Saturday, June 14, and Sunday, June 15, certainly does a very good job bringing together a lot of Welsh culture. There is so much to enjoy at Tawfyl, from the two music stages, endless food options, children's area, and more. As soon as you enter you are hit by the delicious smell of a range of street food and nearly overwhelmed with the Instagram opportunities, as two lovely signs declaring Tafwyl welcome you in. After that, you could mingle and mooch around the trade stalls which are fronted by Welsh artists, designers, and makers, selling everything from prints to jewellery and more. The festival was home to the Tafiliwn stage and the main stage, Prif Lwyfan. Here Welsh artists from across the country took to the stage bringing everything from rap to even renditions of Dolly Parton and Abba in Welsh. Lining the sides of this are the amazing food traders including Hoggi Hoggi Hoggi, Greek options, vegan and vegetarian options, paella, and more. Tafwyl really is for everyone. Welsh speakers, non-Welsh speakers. Old, young, and everyone in between. Families, couples, friends, and every combination possible. Many enjoyed going to Tafwyl and here are some of the best pictures from Tafwyl 2025.


Wales Online
6 hours ago
- Wales Online
Soccer Aid star Roman Kemp broke Welsh rugby hero's finger in charity match
Soccer Aid star Roman Kemp broke Welsh rugby hero's finger in charity match Roman Kemp is back for Soccer Aid 2025 and has history when it comes to celebrity football matches Soccer Aid's Roman Kemp (Image: PA ) Soccer Aid regular Roman Kemp will once again be donning his boots this weekend, turning out for England against the Rest of the World XI at Old Trafford on Sunday. Wearing the Three Lions on his chest makes a change for the popular One Show and radio presenter. In past Soccer Aids, the Los Angeles-born Kemp has turned out for the Rest of the World side thanks to his dual citizenship. Having played in 2019 and 2020, he was forced to pull out in 2021 after testing positive for Covid-19. However, he made his return to the match last year before switching allegiances this year. Famous father's health battle and money struggles In the debut episode of his 'You About?' podcast with friend and Soccer Aid team-mate Tom Grennan, Kemp opened up on having famous parents. His dad is Spandau Ballet bassist and EastEnders star Martin Kemp, while his mum is Shirlie Kemp of Pepsi & Shirlie fame. Tom quizzed his friend about the media presence in his younger years, prompting Roman to speak about how his dad suffered from a serious health condition and had to undergo operations "for his brain". Article continues below "You've got two ways of looking at it, basically," he said. "Like, it's one or the other. Like, my parents like had us in flipping OK! and Hello magazine when we were kids, right? "But that's because my parents had no money at the time, because my dad had all these operations and s**t for his brain, so they were trying to get more money, right?" During a medical examination in 1997, an MRI revealed that Martin had two brain tumours, one of which was removed with surgery, while the other was addressed via radiotherapy. Although these operations proved successful, the side effects continue to this day, with the musician suffering from epilepsy. Martin also struggles with dyslexia, while, in November 2024, he made a stark revelation about his brain tumour battle, suggesting that he believes he has just 10 years left to live. Injuring a Welsh rugby legend As well as Soccer Aid, Roman has experience with charity football matches - although one saw him injure a Welsh rugby legend. Last year, Kemp was up against former Wales wing Shane Williams in a match in aid of Josh's Smile and The Bradley Lowery Foundation. Celebrities and former sportsmen from the countries competed against one another at the Stadium in a Wales v England clash. Rugby legend Williams arrived a tad late for the fixture, having taken part on the CARTEN 100-mile bike ride in the morning from Cardiff to Tenby. He darted back to Swansea for the game but managed to do some damage to one of his digits soon after. Posting to Instagram after the match, Williams said: "Well that was a busy Saturday! Carten ride then Joseph's Smile UK Wales v England footy match at Stadium. All for brilliant causes. Wales 2 England 0 by the way! Dislocated finger and pulled hamstring to boot! What can you do… I had fun!" It turns out that the dislocated finger was caused by radio and TV star Kemp, who, in Williams' words, "absolutely clattered" him. "I did the CARTEN bike ride, it was about 23 degrees, it was a warm one," Williams explained on the Sportin Wales podcast. Article continues below "I had the factor 50 on my bald spots as well. I managed to survive that, and then I had to get down to the Stadium for the Joseph's Smile charity match that I promised I would do. I was late, I got there at half-time, cameo role. Got on, and lucky enough to have the pleasure of playing in the stadium again. Good crowd down there which was nice. "I got clattered by Roman Kemp and dislocated my finger, which is not one of the highlights of my sporting career to be honest with you! Then pulled my hamstring. But we won 2-0 so that was the main thing."


North Wales Live
7 hours ago
- North Wales Live
The most baffling Tripadvisor reviews of Wales' best attractions
For many Wales has it all, from jaw-dropping mountains, unspoilt sandy beaches and a plethora of castles, but apparently, not everyone is as enamoured with Cymru as we are. While some visitors are blown away by the sunrise at Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), or impressed with the dreamy coastlines and top attractions, others find the experience lacking in very specific ways. One unimpressed TripAdvisor reviewer moaned that Yr Wyddfa didn't come equipped with "handrails," as if the highest peak in Wales were a leisure centre stairwell. Over in Burry Port, a visitor declared the lighthouse was "not worth the trouble to come and view", presumably having hoped for something more Vegas and less Victorian. And at a perfectly innocent Welsh café, a disgruntled diner wrote: "I've tasted better food in prison." Yes, Wales might be heaven for hikers and a gift to photographers, but to the online reviewing masses... we're gonna have to do better. Here are some of the funniest and most unhinged reviews of Wales we've spotted on TripAdvisor. "There are no trees or bushes to pee behind" - Yr Wyddfa A trip to the summit of Wales' highest mountain is on the bucket list for many across the world. Its epic panorama of Eryri National Park has garnered mostly positive reviews on TripAdvisor; however, not everyone was impressed. Describing it as "an athlete-only" walk, one unenthusiastic reviewer struggled to get to the summit and said: "I wished there were handrails." One reviewer was clearly traumatised by their ascent to the summit: "You will fear for your life many many times." Yikes. Another annoyed hiker rated the mountain as poor because it wasn't quite what they expected, and there was nowhere to hide behind if nature calls. They wrote: "Don't expect what they tell you in the brochures and take your own life into your own hands; it's not for the faint-hearted. Also, don't expect to be able to use the loo, there are no trees, bushes, or rocks to hide behind." Perhaps the Welsh Government could consider installing an escalator, a few privacy screens, and a Pret halfway up, just to keep the TripAdvisor crowd happy. "I have better plants in my own greenhouse." - National Botanic Garden of Wales For many TripAdvisor reviewers, a trip to Wales' National Botanical Gardens in Llanarthney has been described as colourful, informative, and a tranquil setting to reconnect with nature. But for one reviewer, a trip to her back garden is far more exciting, as they said: "The main dome was very boring and nothing special in there at all. I have better plants in my own greenhouse." Clearly, the National Botanic gardeners should visit this reviewer's greenhouse and take notes, if they can handle that level of horticultural excellence, of course. Another reviewer simply titled their review the 'Poor Man's Eden Project.' They were the most unimpressed with the café offerings, though, writing: "I've tasted better food in prison." "Very steep for no reason" - Moel Famau "Very steep for no reason," complained one reviewer of Moel Famau, seemingly shocked to discover that mountains aren't flat. "Maybe they can level it off at some point," they helpfully added. No doubt the Welsh Government will prioritise that just as soon as they've finished making Yr Wyddfa less "windy". "Too much coastline for my liking" - Millennium Coastal Path Apparently, the 13 miles of scenic coastlines found at the Millennium Coastal Path were a "bit too much coastline" for one nervous TripAdvisor reviewer who added: "Too much coastline for my liking, afraid of water so found I couldn't appreciate the natural beauty of the place." Another review said that it was comprised of "just a few sand dunes, and there did not seem to be anything there." Too much coastline, water and sand dunes? You could swear these people have never clapped eyes on a beach before. Back to the city with you! "Guarded by cows" - Paxton Tower Built in honour of Lord Nelson, Paxton Tower in Llanarthney is a Grade II listed building overlooking much of the Tywi Valley. However, one TripAdvisor reviewer found that the 300-year-old neo-Gothic tower had one significant and unexpected drawback... cows. The nervous visitor found this out the hard way and entitled their review: "Guarded by cows." They went on to say: "To get to the tower, you have to walk through a field of cows. I've never liked walking through a field of one standing right next to the swing gate. "So that was it, I took a photo of the tower from across the field." We're so sorry to disappoint our snap-happy tourists with inconvenient livestock. We'll do better. "Is that it?" - Buryport Lighthouse Built in the mid-1800s when Burry Port was one of the main coal-exporting ports in the area, the lighthouse has remained a focal point for the town for the past 200 years. But it didn't impress one visitor who rated it with two stars on TripAdvisor and said: "Theres a plaque on the wall of this lighthouse, circa 1996, which gives information about what they did 23 years ago. I haven't ever seen a lighthouse this small or this insignificant, not worth the trouble to come and view." Harsh? Maybe. But if you were expecting a towering beacon visible from space, this is not the lighthouse for you, friend. "Left with a very sad toddler" - Zip World Penrhyn Quarry The world's fastest zip line was not impressive enough for one disappointed child as a reviewer read that they had left the top attraction with a "very sad toddler". Presumably that was after being informed that, no, you can't strap a three-year-old to a 100mph zip line. Very "I would like to speak to the manager vibes" going on here. "You can see it all from the car" - Aberystwyth Castle We're not sure what people expect from a 13th-century ruin, but one reviewer was less than impressed with the Grade I listed Edwardian fortress, proclaiming, "There's nothing there. In fact, Aberystwyth was a depressing dump." Another seemed surprised that "the walls are all blimming broken!" Shocking for an ancient castle, perhaps we could get Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to come and take a look at this obvious fixer-upper. "Seen one duck seen them all" - Llanelli Wetland Centre A school trip to Penclawydd was a rite of passage for many who've grown up in the area, and the wetland centre boasts around 450 acres of land, but it still wasn't enough to impress one visitor who has grown tired of repetitive wildfowl. "Seen one duck seen them all - I can't believe they have the nerve to charge £8.70 per adult to look at ducks." Heaps of scenic wetlands, conservation work, and rare bird species and yet not a single tap-dancing mallard to justify the cost. Honestly, what were they expecting at a wetland centre? Flamingos in tophats? A drive-through safari? Another TripAdvisor user was also enraged by the bird offering: "We saw only one bird which was a very friendly, impressive swan. We should have gone to Folly Farm." Yes, there are many friendly, impressive swans at Folly Farm. Definitely go and befriend them; swans typically love that. "Pure nonsense" - Cardiff Castle It seems the crowning glory in the Welsh capital doesn't always live up to the public's exacting standards. "Pure nonsense", moaned one reviewer, claiming that the nearby McDonald's was the highlight. Ouch. Another was most unimpressed with scaling the perimeter, grumbling, "All you get at the top is a view." Yes, nothing like a castle grounds vista to ruin a perfectly good day out. I hope they were issued a refund.