We’re on a mission to help the nation love where they live. While this often means supporting home buyers and sellers on their journey to their dream home, it also involves helping homeowners – who already love where they live – through the remortgaging process.
The PLS team understands what it means to make a house a home. And so, in this series, you’ll find out why our team members love where they live.
Today, the spotlight is on Dan Hickey, our fantastic Managing Director. He sat down with us to explain why he loves his home in the charming riverside town of Llangollen, North Wales.
“Llangollen is a lovely small town situated in the Dee Valley, which is a designated area of outstanding natural beauty,” shares Dan, describing his local area. “The River Dee flows through the centre, and picturesque hills and mountain ranges surround it.”
Boating enthusiasts may be familiar with this tranquil countryside gem, which is popular amongst water sports enthusiasts throughout the year.
“It’s a great destination for canoeists, kayakers, white water rafters and the like,” he explains. “If you walk across the historic bridge at the end of the high street, you’ll often see people paddling along the river.”
Llangollen Bridge, in itself, is one of the must-sees in this historic area, known as one of the seven wonders of Wales. But that’s far from all there is.
“The Horseshoe Falls are about two miles from the town, and you can take a lovely scenic walk along the canal to get there. There’s also Castell Dinas Brân, a medieval castle towering above the town on a nearby hilltop. If you walk to the top, you’ll see the most awe-inspiring views.”
A keen fell runner, Dan is no stranger to charting his way up and down the hills, valleys and mountains surrounding his town.
“I love the outdoors: the mountains, the river, the greenery. When I’m not with my children, I spend most evenings and weekends on the hills running. I can get to Snowdonia in just under an hour too, which has more great mountain ranges. It’s perfect for ultra running. Llangollen is also a great place to spend time with my two children, whom I encourage to let off steam either paddling their canoe or scrambling up hills ”
While Dan has long been an outdoorsman, the move to Llangollen came just three years ago, partly spurred by the hybrid working evolution.
“I’m originally from Manchester and lived there for most of my adult life, but my mum is Welsh, and I spent a lot of my childhood holidays in North Wales,” he shares.
“After the pandemic, my circumstances changed. PLS embraced hybrid working and I became single, so I made the decision to move a little bit further out. From here, Manchester is still very accessible. It only takes me an hour to get to the office door-to-door, and it’s easy for me to pick up the kids and drop them off at school.”
With the buzz of the city nearby and beautiful countryside on his doorstep, it’s easy to see why Dan loves where he lives, and his home sounds just as picturesque as the surrounding countryside.
“I live in a nice old house about a ten-minute walk from town. It’s got a fantastic garden with a fair bit of woodland. I’m not a gardener, so it’s perfect for me. It’s rugged and wild, and we’ve also got goal posts for my son and a trampoline and rope swings for my daughter.”
Although his home is a little further out, he very much enjoys venturing into the charming town centre.
“Where I live is actually one of the few towns in Britain to be awarded the title of Cittaslow, an Italian honour for places with a great quality of life and strong community. For a small place, there are some great independent shops and restaurants, and the pace of life is more relaxed than most cities.”
Can he ever see himself living anywhere else? Time will tell. He concludes: ”Maybe in the future when I retire, I’ll move somewhere closer to the coast and with bigger mountains. But, for now, Llangollen is lovely.”
If you’re interested in remortgaging your property, contact the PLS team today. Our dedicated team of specialists can help you remortgage with confidence.
To be in with the chance of winning an Amazon Alexa, Ikea Voucher or Bloom and Wild Flowers to make your lovely home even more lovely, take part in our Love Where You Live competition here.
