A Week in Nant Gwrtheyrn: Jenny Pugh-Jones
18 September 2025
By Jenny Pugh-Jones, Primary Care Electronic Prescription Service Programme Oversight Chair
I was very lucky to get the chance to go to Nant Gwrtheyrn for a week to learn Welsh.
For those who aren’t familiar with Nant Gwrtheyrn, it’s a centre for learning Welsh on the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales. The centre is located near the small village of Llithfaen and the only way to reach Nant Gwrtheyrn is along a steep and windy road, the ‘zig-zag’ road.
I arrived at 9am on Monday morning and was shown my accommodation for the week. Some people were staying in the cottages, but I was given a room in the new building - it was very exciting!
I was doing the ‘Boost your Confidence’ course, but three different courses were being held that week: one beginners, one foundational and one intermediate+. I was a little nervous about whether I’d understand everything. What if everyone could speak Welsh much better than me? But there was no need to worry, everyone was friendly – and very patient!
We all met in the centre to meet our tutor (Lisa, who was great) for the week and then the work started! The timetable for the day was: breakfast at 8.30, class from 9.30-1.00 (with a break) and then class again from 2-4pm.
We had the option of doing yoga at 7am each morning and at 4pm. I opted to do the yoga – it was fun and very relaxing. There were nine people in my class, from various areas of healthcare, each one at a different stage of their language journey.
Our tutor Lisa was very good at making us feel comfortable - even when it came to the presentation we had to do on the last day! Some activities were organised for the evenings. On the first night – a big-screen tv showing the football. (I left at half time when the score was 3-1 to Belgium, so I missed the best bit).
On the Tuesday evening, Gwilym Bowen Rhys came to play and sing with us. He was great and we enjoyed sitting outside at sunset listening to him.
Nothing was organised for the Wednesday evening so some of us decided to do the Nant Gwrtheyrn Walk, which is a two-hour hike from Nant Gwrtheyrn. We had a lot of fun, practised our Welsh of course, and enjoyed the views. We saw the wild goats. The weather was very warm, and some of us went into the sea on the last day.
The week flew by. I met loads of lovely people and, most importantly, I feel more confident speaking Welsh, at work and outside work. The course was hard work but a lot of fun.
Nant Gwrtheyrn is a special place, almost like another world. It’s more than just learning the language; you also learn about the history and the culture too.
During the week, our tutor shared what I think is great advice:
There’s no button you can press that shifts you from being a Welsh learner to a Welsh speaker – so use what you know and don’t worry about what you don’t know!
If you get the chance, I highly recommend that you go!