There are some streets and homes in Wales that are so picture perfect it can seem like they are too perfect to be real - more like a film set with the objective of creating the quaintest of Welsh village streets. A winding lane flanked by stone cottages within a coastal town that is steeped in history seems like the perfect place to create such a movie street scene, but Pentre'r Efail is totally authentic and totally wonderful.
Along the central section of this quiet and quaint road is a row of terraces called Bron Clogwyn that immediately catch the eye if you are lucky enough to find yourself strolling down this particular pavement in Gwynedd.
And number two of this row of terraces is a visual treat, sporting a distinctive ruby red that beautifully complements the warm tones and tactile texture of the stone facade - it says welcome, and you can't wait to get in and see what the cottage has to offer.
And one of the surprising things the cottage offers is more space than you might expect from the outside - it's a bit of a Tardis terrace. This feeling of space and openness is created largely thanks to the removal of the wall between the two original ground floor reception rooms to allow the lounge to flow visually and physically into the kitchen.
The terrace has been extended at the rear to create a dining room and again flow has been at the forefront of the design, with a wide, open doorway between the kitchen and dining area meaning no interruptions to your view.
Lastly, the large glass doors at the end of the dining room open out into the sunny rear garden to complete this fabulous visual feast of the spaces all flowing from the front of the home straight through to the rear garden.
How delightful to stand warming your toes in front of the fire while being able to enjoy the vista right through your home to the garden.
In this terrace full of surprises, the front room appears to have none as it has the surely expected cottage fireplace. But the surprise here is that for the size of the property, it's a bit of a beast.
The stone chimney breast and chunky stone mantle are a joy to not only to look at but also to touch, and if those stones could talk, you'd be listening intently for hours to the decades of stories they could tell.
The lounge is spacious enough to easily welcome two sofas and an armchair, meaning at least five people can gather around the roaring log burner for the most sociable of times.
The kitchen has been designed in a galley style, hugging each wall of this double ended space before opening into the dining room and has been recently refitted in a contemporary style
And this well designed space has managed to accommodate built-in oven and hob with extractor, and integrated fridge freezer, washing machine and integrated dishwasher; it's a Tardis kitchen in a Tardis house.
But before having a good nose in the cupboards and starting to cook up a storm in the kitchen, there's an intriguing wooden door in the lounge next to the stairs that will probably pique your interest. It's under stairs storage, right?
Wrong, this house full of surprises leads you into a newly fitted bathroom in a space where you were expecting a cupboard, and it's spacious enough to fit a full size bath too.
Back through the kitchen, the dining zone of this open-plan space is within a bonus extension that offers a sunny spot for your morning cornflakes, although if the sun is out then you should be too; out of the French doors and onto the garden patio.
This cute courtyard is more private than you might imagine thanks to fences and shrubs, but it is also hiding access to yet another surprise. Push through a few shrubs to discover that this cute cottage has a secret garden.
It's a very good size garden too compared to the size of the house and can even boast a summerhouse - a bonus surely no-one could have been expecting from the front of the home. This wonderful secret garden offers an idyllic and private place to truly relax.
Back inside and the first floor of this cottage is yet another surprise. Standing on the street at the front of this house and looking at the first floor you might surmise that the upper floor of this cutie is going to be a bit of a squash and a squeeze, but this property likes to keep surprising you.
There are two bedrooms up here and both are good sized doubles that can offer a home to some chunky, traditional pieces of furniture too. But the bedroom at the back can maybe claim to have the biggest jewel in this gem of a property.
If you're going to build a single-storey extension out into the garden, you then gain inside space at the expense of your outside space, so why not compensate for that by making that extension work the hardest it can for you. Give it a flat roof and then turn that roof space into a fabulous, first-floor terrace.
And that's exactly what the clever owner of this cottage has done. Accessed via a delightful gothic-style pointed window in the rear bedroom, the terrace has uninterrupted, panoramic views of the sweeping countryside down to the crystal clear, coastal water.
And, of course, there's another surprise here too - the historic Harlech castle is also part of this breath-taking view that combines a unique slice of Wales' history as a mesmerising section of this remarkable vista.
Imagine sitting on this roof terrace morning, noon and night with this combination of cottages, countryside and coast, with mountains on the horizon under an expansive skyscape, as your daily backdrop; it's a surprise neighbour that you will always want to engage with.
This Tardis terrace packed full of surprises, in Upper Harlech just a few minute's stroll to the town centre, is for sale for £250,000 with estate agent Monopoly Buy Sell Rent, Llanbedr, call them on 01341 475000 to find out more. And to make sure you never miss the best dream homes in Wales, renovation stories and interiors, join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter, sent out to your inbox twice a week.
